(DC Pundit) – Over 20,000 fans at Montreal’s Bell Centre decided to drown out “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a chorus of boos just before a crucial match in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
The boo-fest began the moment Warrant Officer David Grenon of the Royal Canadian Air Force opened his mouth to sing.
Team USA took that negative energy and turned it into a metaphorical maple syrup-flavored punching bag.
The result? A sweet 3-1 victory that left Team Canada wondering if they should have saved something for actually playing hockey.
Canadians are now booing our national anthem every chance they get.
Mr. President, you have our permission to increase the tariffs to 50%.pic.twitter.com/lopKHkorI1
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 16, 2025
Now, let’s talk about the on-ice shenanigans. The game kicked off with more fights than a Black Friday sale at Walmart. Three separate brawls erupted within the first nine seconds. It was like watching a live-action game of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
Canada boos the US anthem.
Three fights in first nine seconds.
Massive hits.
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
pic.twitter.com/rSqIOBf0o4— Will Cain (@willcain) February 16, 2025
According to the New York Post, the opening faceoff saw Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel decide that hockey sticks were overrated and fists were the way to go. Not to be outdone, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, followed by J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko, joined the impromptu boxing match.
It was a family-friendly version of Fight Club, minus Brad Pitt and the whole “don’t talk about it” rule.
After this pugilistic prelude, Canada’s Connor McDavid managed to score. But the Americans responded with a goal from Jake Guentzel. Dylan Larkin then gave the US the lead with his goal, while Guentzel put the final nail in the coffin with an empty-netter.
Dylan Larkin from Michigan delivers winning goal as USA Hockey defeats Canada 3-1.
Oooh Canada that’s gotta hurt us beating you in hockey.
Do not boo our national anthem next time.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/idFER05YpX— Big Fish (@BigFish3000) February 16, 2025
This victory secured Team USA’s spot in the championship final, leaving Canadians to drown their sorrows in Tim Hortons coffee.
Adding a dash of political spice to this game was the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the crowd. One can only imagine his thoughts as he watched his team’s dreams of victory disappear faster than his approval ratings.
Governor Justin Trudeau was in attendance to watch Canada lose to Team USA.
Hilarious. 😭pic.twitter.com/b4QIXvP7yK
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) February 16, 2025
This booing incident wasn’t a one-off either. Earlier in the week, the American anthem received a similar less-than-warm welcome before the game against Finland. The U.S. went on to win that game 6-1.
All of this transpires against a backdrop of increasing political tension between the two nations. President Trump recently suggested that Canada might benefit from becoming the 51st U.S. state.
In sports, as in life, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. And in this case, Team USA finished with a win that was sweeter than maple syrup on a stack of freedom flapjacks.
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