Canadian hockey fans boo U.S. anthem before Red Wings-Canucks game
Trump tariffs drew protests in the form of boos during the “Star Spangled Banner” before Red Wings-Canucks game in Vancouver Sunday.
Vancouver, B.C. — The United States national anthem wasn’t received well before Sunday’s game in Vancouver between the Red Wings and Canucks.
The anthem was booed lustily — much more so than the night before in Calgary — as Canadians voiced their displeasure for tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
The tariffs have been the major news topic all weekend throughout the Wings’ road trip in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver as angry Canadians made their feelings known.
Wings players were surprised by the reaction.
“It’s too bad, right?’ forward Patrick Kane said. “It is what it is, I guess. You can maybe understand it from this side. But it seems like it’s going around the league right now.”
Said DeBrincat: “I wasn’t real sure what it was all about. A little bit (surprised), but I didn’t really know what was going on, then I figured it out.”
McLellan preferred to keep his opinion on the matter private.
“I know why you’re asking me that question and I have my personal opinion on the political landscape, but I’ll keep those to myself and separate that from what we were all here for, which was the entertainment value of a hockey game,” McLellan said.
Elsewhere, Fans at a Toronto Raptors game joined the trend Sunday afternoon.
After initially cheering for the 15-year-old female singer, fans booed throughout “The Star-Spangled Banner” performance. At the end, mixed boos and cheers could be heard before the crowd erupted in applause for the Canadian anthem, “O Canada.”
Raptors forward Chris Boucher, a Canadian citizen, was asked after his team’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers whether he’d ever experienced something like that.
“No, no, no,” he said. “But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?”
Trump declared an economic emergency Saturday in order to place taxes of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on imports from China. Energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at a 10% rate.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s president ordered retaliatory tariffs on goods from America in response.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.