On Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, signed an executive order for 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports. Almost immediately, a wave of Canadian patriotism and anti-American sentiment swept over the nation. Fans at the Ottawa Senators game that same Saturday booed the American anthem, which was then replicated in both Calgary and Vancouver. We’re not here to litigate Trump’s tariff war, although there’s plenty of reading outlining how it’s bad for Canada, bad for the US, and bad for the world, beyond just being very silly.
With the four Nations Face-off scheduled to begin on Feb. 12 in Montreal, we want to unpack our feelings about Auston Matthews captaining the American squad. To be clear, I love Auston Matthews. I think he’s already the best player to ever lace up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I hope he ends his career as the greatest Leaf. That being said, I wish nothing but the worst for his team in the upcoming tournament.
I think this has been the shift in US-Canada relations among the broader public. Keeping it specific to hockey, I posit that historically, the rivalry has been primarily around supporting your team and wanting them to succeed. This time, I—and I would bet that many Canadians also—actively want the USA to fail. I have never seen Canadians boo another country’s anthem.
I think this is also the struggle for some Leafs fans. Sure, it’s one thing to want your team to beat your favourite player, but another to actively wish failure on your favourite player? (I think it’s important at this point to be extremely clear that “failure” does not include any form of injury or illness to any member of Team USA.)
When Auston Matthews puts on the jersey that has the letters “USA” emblazoned on the front of it, he’s representing that crest, the same way he does when he wears a Leafs jersey. And that crest just so happens to represent a country which has, for all intents and purposes, declared economic war on our own.
The ramifications
But is it fair to the American players? Alexander Ovechkin will likely become the most goal-scoring player in NHL history. He is one of the best players of this century, having dominated at the highest level for two decades. And he is being prevented from showcasing his skills in the first international best-on-best since 2016. Is that fair? No. Is Ovechkin responsible for Putin’s war in Ukraine? No. But can we very clearly see the impact of excluding Russia from international sporting competitions? Obviously.
I personally find questions of fairness to be pointless when not combined with an examination of power dynamics. Say Canadian fans boo and jeer the American anthem. Say some fans even single out certain players. We, as Leafs fans, might instinctively react defensively if we hear a particularly mean comment directed at Matthews. But let’s take a look at the power dynamics in play.
Firstly, addressing criticism towards those who exercise their freedom of speech during the American anthem. Many of the people booing will probably be directly impacted by the consequences of Trump’s tariffs, all of the people will certainly be indirectly impacted. And who is impacted by the boos? Well, nobody. The same goes for directed jeering. Valid expressions of disapproval (of which contempt towards the current American government certainly counts) when also not causing meaningful harm to anyone, should be celebrated. (This celebration obviously does not extend to the use of slurs or other actions that cause undue harm).
As a Canadian
This week the Florida Panthers visited the White House and were received by President Trump. Matthew Tkachuk, the only remaining out of the three American-born players on the winning Panthers, was given the opportunity to speak and stressed his American nationality.
“This is such an incredible day for myself,” Tkachuk said in addressing President Trump. “You wake up every day really grateful to be an American, so thank you.”
What it means to be an American, Canadian, or any nationality, is constantly changing. Governments transition, priorities shift, and policies are implemented and wither. However, at this current moment, to be proud specifically of the government in power in the United States, is to be an enemy of Canada.
Canadians are taking a close look at their relationship to the States. In a paradigm-shifting landscape, Canadians are examining our global position and wondering if better friends aren’t found elsewhere. One symptom of this examination is the booing of the anthem, which I know has been harped upon a lot in this piece, but that’s only because of how shocking it is. The rules of the game have changed, and we Canadians must adapt, and part of that is probably becoming less “nice”.
Auston Matthews is a profoundly fortunate person. Not only is his shot touched by God, but he’s also extremely well paid, and gets the chance to captain Team USA. Any Leafs fans attending the USA vs. CAN game at the Bell Centre on Feb. 15 should feel absolutely no qualms about booing to your heart’s content. I know I would be.
