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Brad Marchand is not a fan of Canadians booing U.S. national anthem
"They can boo all they want during the games. The anthems should be off-limits."
Ahead of puck drop between the United States and Finland during Thursday’s matchup in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in Montreal, the Bell Centre’s public address announcer asked for fans in attendance to show respect for all of the countries and players taking part in the best-on-best event.
But as soon as the first words of “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoed through the arena, the Montreal crowd responded with a heavy chorus of boos and whistles during the rendition — following what has been a familiar sight at sporting events in Canada amid tensions between the North American neighbors.
The U.S. national anthem has been booed in Canadian arenas over the last month following Donald Trump’s pledge to levy heavy tariffs against the country — as well as his repeated suggestions that Canada should become the “51st state” of the U.S.
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Trump continued to double down on those comments Thursday, labeling Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau”.
Team USA did not let the expected jeers hinder their play on the ice, with the Americans defeating Finland, 6-1, in their first game of the tournament.
But after the win, several players on Team USA admitted that they did not appreciate the icy reception ahead of puck drop.
“I didn’t like it, and that’s all I got,” Matthew Tkachuk said of the boos, per the Associated Press.
“The anthem, I’m not sure there’s influence there,” Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan said. “That’s really not something that we can control. We just want to play hockey. We want to compete. We want to represent our nation in the right way.”
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While it’s to be expected for Team USA players to take umbrage with those boos, count Team Canada forward (and Bruins captain) Brad Marchand among those who did not like Thursday’s display.
“I still think in those moments with the anthem, there should not be any of that. We’re here to play a hockey game. They can boo all they want during the games. The anthems should be off-limits,” Marchand told reporters in Montreal on Friday, including MassLive’s Matt Vautour. “Those should be a moment to show respect for the veterans and the millions and millions of people that sacrificed their lives so we could have freedom and the luxury to play a hockey game.
“They should not be booing the Americans during that anthem,” Marchand added. “They have nothing to do with the political things that are going on. I do feel bad for those guys in that moment. I don’t think it’s right. But those guys showed it last night, they’re not going to be deterred because of being booed. They’re here to play for keeps.”
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While Tkachuk and Marchand were among those irked by Thursday’s reception, Team USA defenseman Zach Werenski noted that a hostile reception was always expected in an international competition — especially in Canada.
“They might just be booing us because we’re the U.S. team here, like [Maple Leafs forward and Team USA captain] Auston [Matthews is] getting booed a ton and whatnot,” Werenski said. “Obviously, I’m a proud American and I love playing for the USA and being an American.
“I don’t want to get into the political side of it, but it is what it is. I like to just view it as they want us to lose because we’re the U.S. team.”
There should plenty more hostility on display Saturday when Canada takes on Team USA in an anticipated showdown at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
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