Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a passionate message to the United States on Thursday night following his country’s victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which ended in an exhilarating overtime. Team Canada’s Connor McDavid netted the decisive goal, securing a 3-2 win against the U.S.
The match took place amidst ongoing political tensions between Trudeau and President Donald Trump, who has jokingly referred to Canada as potentially becoming the “51st state” and has called Trudeau the “governor” of Canada. Ahead of the game, Trudeau took to social media to assert, “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”
The intersection of politics and hockey was evident earlier this month when NHL and NBA fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” in response to Trump’s announcement of tariffs against Canada, which have since been put on hold. The booing persisted during the 4 Nations Face-Off, leading to a series of fights during the first matchup between the U.S. and Canada, where three altercations broke out in just nine seconds after Canadian fans booed the national anthem in Montreal. The U.S. managed to win that game.
In a show of national pride, Canadian fans filled TD Garden with the singing of “O, Canada,” which was met with American fans singing their national anthem. Ultimately, it was Canada that emerged victorious, proudly holding the 4 Nations trophy.
