02/17/25 05:02:00
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02/17 17:00 CST Canadian national anthem booed, but only lightly, at 4 Nations
hockey tournament
Canadian national anthem booed, but only lightly, at 4 Nations hockey tournament
BOSTON (AP) --- The Canadian national anthem was booed, though somewhat
tepidly, by the fans at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday --- apparent payback
for the jeering of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the opening rounds in
Montreal last week.
The Canadian team received a louder but still mixed greeting during the
introductions before its game against Finland, with the exception of forward
Brad Marchand, whose full-time job is with the Boston Bruins. The Finns were
met with mostly silence.
Before the anthems were played, the public address announcer asked "that you
kindly respect the national anthems and the players that represent each
country." While the crowd, which featured many fans in the red Canadian
sweaters, sang along to "O Canada," a few audible boos could also be heard.
Fans across Canada have booed the U.S. anthem at NHL and NBA games since
President Donald Trump said he wanted to make the northern neighbors "the 51st
state." Trump also threatened tariffs against the longtime ally.
The Canadian fans drowned out any negativity with cheers when star Connor
McDavid scored just four minutes into the game. Nathan MacKinnon added another
goal less than a minute later to make it 2-0 and Canada went on to win 5-3 to
earn a spot in Thursday night's finals against the United States.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
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