Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is only minutes away from his reaction to the nation’s victory over the U.S. in the International Hockey Championship Final in Boston on Thursday.
“You can’t take our country – you can’t compete in our competitions,” Mr. Trudeau wrote on X.
Before the game started, the stakes were high in Canada, where hockey originated. For weeks, President Trump has threatened to destroy the Canadian economy with tariffs and ridiculed the country by suggesting it became the 51st state in the United States.
Since Trump took office on January 20, Mr. Trudeau’s swift Riposte has vented anger that has been spreading across Canada. “The real North, strong, free and gold,” Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre wrote on X.
Political tensions have spilled into the sports field for weeks. The U.S. National Anthem booed loudly in Canada’s NBA and NHL games.
That didn’t stop Mr. Trump from repeating taunts before the championship game.
“I think they have to be the 51st state,” he said in a speech in Washington Thursday. “And you hear people booing the anthem, but I think in the end they will praise the anthem.”
Mr. Trump continues to refer to Mr. Trudeau as the “governor”, which he has done frequently in recent weeks.
Mr. Trump also called the U.S. team to express his support. At the White House, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he was looking forward to watching the game. “We look forward to the United States beating Canada, which is our soon to become the 51st state,” she said.
Later, there was some booing in the Boston Arena, and Canadian musician Chantal Kreviazuk sang “Canada O.”
Her performance was also different. She changed the term “Our orders are all” to “Only our orders.” Ms Kreviazuk said on Instagram that the change is a discussion of annexation.
Mr. Trump’s repeated excavations have had a unified impact in Canada, and despite the country’s experience of one of the most divided political periods in recent history, it has reached a rare consensus among the public and political classes.
A survey published last month by the Angus Reid Institute, a research center, found that 90% of Canadian respondents opposed being a member of the United States.
Canada coach Jon Cooper said after Thursday’s game that the team did not lose the political significance of victory.
“Not only is our team, but Canada needs victory,” Cooper said. “It’s different. It’s not a victory for oneself. It’s a victory for more than 40,000 people.”
