Canadian hockey fans have been booing the American national anthem for months—but teams are getting fed up. New reports suggest that Canadian teams have wanted to take action, but the NHL wouldn’t listen.
Tensions between the United States and Canada have spilled over into the sports world. For the past couple of months—since President Donald Trump threatened Canada with tariffs and referred to it as the “51st state”—Canadian sports fans have made their stance clear by booing the American national anthem.
Tensions peaked during the 4 Nations Face-Off, particularly in the matchup between Team USA and Canada in Montreal, where three fights broke out within the first nine seconds.
NHL wants the American national anthem
But even after the tournament, Canadian fans have continued to boo the anthem. Earlier this week, loud boos were heard when the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Colorado Avalanche.
Now, it seems Canadian teams are growing tired of the relentless booing. On Thursday, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reported that executives from all seven Canadian teams find the booing “embarrassing” and have already approached the NHL about whether national anthems are necessary before every game. But the NHL’s response was firm: It’s “mandatory,” and the anthems “absolutely must be played,” regardless of the circumstances.
READ MORE: Alex Ovechkin scores 888th NHL goal as the No. 8 repeats itself
