Montreal Crowd Boos U.S. Anthem Before Face-Off Against Canada
MONTREAL (AP) — The U.S. national anthem was met with loud boos from the Montreal crowd ahead of Saturday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off game between the U.S. and Canada.
This marks the second consecutive game in the NHL-organized tournament where “The Star-Spangled Banner” received such a reaction.
Before the anthem, public address announcer Michel Lacroix urged fans in both French and English to respect the anthems and the players representing each country. However, the booing was even more pronounced than during Thursday’s game against Finland, beginning as soon as warrant officer David Grenon of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band started singing and continuing throughout the performance.
U.S. Players React to the Anthem Booing
Following the U.S.’s 3-1 victory over Canada, defenseman Zach Werenski acknowledged the team expected the reaction.
“We knew it was coming,” Werenski said. “It happened last game, it’s happened in the NHL before, and we knew tonight would be the same. We obviously don’t like it.”
U.S. players have been trying to ignore the negative reception. After defeating Finland 6-1 on Thursday, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck brushed off the crowd’s reaction.
“You have free speech,” Hellebuyck said. “You can do whatever you want. We sing it for the troops who protect our freedom. It doesn’t mean much to me—I just tune it out.”
Werenski admitted that while the team wasn’t thrilled with the response, they used it as motivation.
“It is what it is,” he said. “We had an idea it would happen, so we just tried to channel it in a positive way and get the win. But yeah, we don’t like it.”
Heated Rivalry and Electric Atmosphere
U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk, who fought Canada’s Brandon Hagel immediately after the opening faceoff—setting off a series of three fights in nine seconds—denied the altercations were linked to the anthem incident.
For many players, the intensity of the crowd only added to the excitement of the night.
“The atmosphere was unreal,” said winger Jake Guentzel, who scored twice, including an empty-net goal. “Playing on this stage in Canada was pretty special for all of us. Just coming out for warmups and seeing how packed it was—that was an amazing experience.”
Canadian Fans and U.S. Anthem Booing History
Booing of the U.S. anthem at sporting events in Canada has become more frequent, particularly since former U.S. President Donald Trump made comments about Canada potentially becoming “the 51st state” and threatened tariffs against the country. The backlash from Canadian fans has been evident at NHL and NBA games in recent years.
Veteran Canada defenseman Drew Doughty spoke out against the practice when asked about it during Friday’s practice.
“I get why Canadians are frustrated, but I think anthems should be respected,” Doughty said. “I don’t think anyone should be booing.”
