After Team Canada took down Team USA in Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had more than hockey on his mind.
He was also thinking about the increasingly testy political relationship between the U.S. and Canada, which explains why he said something different than “Congratulations!” on social media after the big game.
“You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game," Trudeau wrote.
The prime minister was referencing President Donald Trump’s recent comments about turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state.
Ahead of the Canada-USA hockey game, Trump promoted that idea in a Truth Social post about sending well wishes to Team USA.
“I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State,” Trump wrote, as the Deseret News previously reported.
In the same post, Trump referred to the Canadian prime minister as “Governor Trudeau.”
Trump shared similar thoughts later on Thursday during a speech, according to The New York Times.
“I think they have to become the 51st state,” he said during a speech on Thursday in Washington. “And you heard the people booing the national anthem, but I think ultimately they’ll be praising the national anthem.”
What happened in the hockey game
Trump’s recent commentary on Canada, as well as his tariff threats, helps explain why Canadian hockey fans have been booing the national anthem during recent games against U.S. teams, including during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
On Thursday, the Canada-USA hockey game was in Boston, and American fans unleashed plenty of boos of their own.
Ultimately, Team Canada was able to overcome the hostile environment and conquer Team USA.
The Canadians won 3-2 in overtime on a Connor McDavid goal.
Trump has not yet commented on Team USA’s loss.