Canada and the US will battle it out on the rink Thursday evening in a championship game that promises to be about more than just ice hockey.
On any ordinary day, the final match-up of the 4 Nations Face Off is a significant one for the two neighbouring countries who have long been friendly rivals on the ice. But adding to it this time is the looming threat of an economically-damaging trade war, as well as Donald Trump’s persistent musings to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
Trump himself was invited to attend the game in Boston by Team USA’s general manager Bill Guerin. The US president has said he is unable to make it, but has made a point to call the team to wish them good luck.
He also repeated his desire to absorb Canada, writing in a Truth Social post ahead of the game that he hopes the country “will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished and very important, Fifty First State.”
Canada’s public safety minister David McGuinty later told reporters that he took Trump’s quip as a sign that the president is “worried about the outcome” of the game.
For fans across North America, the final is a “dream match up,” ice hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman told the BBC. Not since the 2014 Winter Olympics have the top men’s ice hockey players from Canada and the US faced off in this consequential of a game.
Both countries boast some of the biggest stars in the National Hockey League (NHL), like Canadians Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, and Americans Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel. The game is a chance for this new generation of players to prove themselves.
But in Canada, the game is also a personal one, giving both die-hard and casual fans an opportunity to bask in national pride at a time when the country’s sovereignty looks to be threatened by its closest neighbour.
The first game between Canada and the US of this tournament, played on 15 February in Montreal, might offer a preview for how Thursday’s face-off will unfold.
It had started with the US national anthem being booed by Canadian fans throughout, despite the announcer asking fans beforehand – in both English and French – to show respect to the opposing team.
Vocal protests of the US anthem have become a common sight at sports games in Canada over the past month since Trump threatened a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.
When it came to singing the Canadian anthem, fans – including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – belted it out at the top of their lungs.
Three fist fights then broke out on the ice in the first nine seconds of the game between the American and Canadian players. It was an astonishing sight, even by ice hockey standards where fights are common.
Matthew Tkachuk, a Team USA player who was among those involved in the brawls, told reporters afterwards that his team needed to deliver a message that “It’s our time right now.”
Perhaps the loudest message sent that day is Team USA’s decisive 3-1 win against Canada. But even with the loss, Canadian fans described the atmosphere of that game as “cathartic”.
“It really was almost like a relief valve, especially with the controversial booing of anthems,” said Arun Jaganathan, a Canadian hockey fan who lives in Boston. “It almost serves as a way to channel frustration and express dissent.”
Few Canadians would dispute how integral ice hockey is to the country’s national identity.
The sport has served as a backdrop to some of the most patriotic moments in Canada’s history, like Sidney Crosby’s overtime gold medal goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Historically, Canada has the upper hand against the US. The two countries have met 20 times in best-on-best tournaments since the 1976 Canada Cup, with Canada winning 14 of those games. Thursday is a chance to cement that history at a game where it matters.
But Mr Nugent-Bowman notes that America is in a “golden age” with respect to hockey. “On paper, the US is the better team.”
“Then you add in the fact that it’s played on American ice, and the political tensions that are going on here,” he said. “I think it is all a powder keg for a tremendous game tonight.”
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