To lay my cards on the table, I was born and raised in Canada, and even though I am now an American citizen, when Canada and the United States are playing against each other in a hockey game, I cheer for Canada.
I took the oath to become a U.S. citizen 15 years ago (today), pledging my allegiance to the United States. As the wife and mother of former and current members of the U.S. military, I come by my patriotism honestly. And my politics differ from the average Canadian, who leans a little to the left of most Democrats.
But, when it comes to hockey, I am all about my country of birth, the true north, strong and free.
My dad watched every Toronto Maple Leafs game on his little black and white TV upstairs, where he could say his hockey words in peace.
And at my high school just outside Toronto we didn’t have a football team, but we did have a hockey team. At a teachers vs. student hockey game there wasn’t bare-knuckled fighting, but there were a few good shoves into the boards.
So, in the ongoing 4 Nations Face-Off tournament — featuring Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland — I am cheering for Canada, and I’m not so worried about the physical and vocal battles on and off the ice.
Last Saturday, a few minutes into the Canada-U.S. game held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, my brother messaged our sibling group chat to ask us if we were watching the game. Of the four of us, two are in the U.S. and two are in Ontario.
A recap for those who have not seen what has become an infamous game:
During the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Canadians loudly and emphatically booed. In the video, it’s hard to hear the singing. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at the game, and he didn’t seem upset by the fracas.
Then, in the first nine seconds of the game, there were three fights, dropped gloves and all.
After the game, won 3-1 by the United States, Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk, instigator of the first fight, sat beside his brother Brady Tkachuk, instigator of the second fight, at a press conference.
Matthew Tkachuk said of the booing, “I didn’t like it. And that’s all I got.”
Now, my brothers insist the fighting was more about the Tkachuks and their desire to throw their Canadian opponents off their game than about any anthem booing.
But the booing by Canadians has been a growing phenomenon at NHL and NBA games this year. They’re understandably a little ticked.
The relationship between Canada and the U.S. can occasionally be tense — Americans can be a little boorish, and Canadians can be a little sanctimonious. But my Canadian friends and family seem genuinely hurt, and angry, by the latest dust-up.
Since his election in November, President Donald Trump has pushed Canadians’ buttons regularly. He frequently referred to Canada as the 51st state, called Trudeau a “governor,” and threatened to levy steep tariffs on goods coming across the border.
Trump wasn’t very popular with Canadians even before he expressed his expansionist vision. A poll conducted by the Environics Institute in Toronto in October showed 60% of Canadians favored Kamala Harris over 21% for Trump.
At first it seemed like he was joking. Trump likes to muse out loud, which can be a little jarring when we’re used to politicians who keep their thoughts to themselves until they’ve run several polls and workshopped talking points. This has given rise to the “take Trump seriously but not literally” school of thought.
But then ... it didn’t feel like joking anymore.
To be fair, it seems he has backed off plans to “invade,” but Trump is still all in on tariffs, despite warnings that a trade war between Canada and the U.S. could be costly on both sides of the border for consumers.
Whether Trump’s grand plans for tariffs end up being good or bad for the U.S. remains to be seen, but they’ve certainly strained relations and disturbed what has historically been a very friendly relationship.
So, Canadians are annoyed. And they’re taking it out on American sports teams, including at the Bell Centre on Saturday night with their loud and prolonged booing.
But the booing and even the fighting didn’t upset me very much. Not that I like booing or fighting; neither are very nice. But it was a hockey game, and both teams came to play.
The Canadians lost that night, but all agreed it was a great night of hockey.
“The game is in a better place because last night’s game existed,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said Sunday, according to ESPN.
And we get to meet again on the ice on Thursday, but this time in Massachusetts. Hopefully our fellow Americans will be welcoming, but let’s admit we’re all a little nervous about the behavior of Boston sports fans at the best of times.
Hopefully there won’t be booing, but if there is, we’ll all be OK.
A couple of days after Saturday’s game in Montreal, Trudeau was in Vancouver for the close of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games. There, Trudeau expressed his love for Americans.
“Americans are our friends — always,” he said.
It does make sense for our two countries to trade, travel and talk, as we’ve been doing since long before there was a border running along the 49th parallel. We share a lot of nice things, like the Great Lakes — except for Michigan, that’s only America’s — our history and our people, like Eugene Levy and Justin Bieber. And we share a love for hockey that occasionally includes dropping one’s gloves and throwing a few punches, unlike the Europeans.
It’s OK that our politics and our health care are a little different, and that we occasionally like to make fun of each other. The best places to take out our frustrations are probably on the ice, the basketball court or Canada’s superior 110-yard football fields.