Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took just a few minutes to express his reaction to his 3-2 win over the United States in the final of an international hockey championship on Thursday (20) in Boston.
“You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game,” Trudeau wrote on social network X.
Before the match, expectations were high to Canada, the cradle of hockey. For weeks, President Donald Trump threatened to devastate the Canadian economy with tariffs and ridiculed the nation, suggesting that it became the 51st state of the United States.
Trudeau’s quick response after the game explored a rage that boiled in Canada since Trump took office on January 20. His message echoed on the other side of the political spectrum. “The true north, strong, free and gold,” wrote Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s opposition in X.
Political tensions had been overflowing with sports arenas for weeks; The United States National Anthem was strongly booed in NBA (National Basketball Association) and National Hockey League (NBA) games in Canada.
This did not stop Trump from repeating his provocation before the championship game.
“I think they have to become the 51st state,” he said during a speech on Thursday in Washington. “And you listened to people by booing the national anthem, but I think in the end they will be praising the national anthem.”
Trump continued to refer to Trudeau as “governor,” something he has often done in recent weeks.
Trump also called the United States team to express his support. In the White House, the press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he was looking forward to watching the game. “And we look forward to the United States to defeat our future 51st state, Canada,” she said.
Later, there were some boos in the Boston arena while Chantal Kreviazuk, a Canadian musician, sang “Canada.”
There was a turnaround in its interpretation as well. She changed the words “In All of Us Command” (we all command) to “That Only Us Command”. Kreviazuk said on Instagram that the change was in response to the conversation about annexation.
Trump’s repeated provocations had a unifying effect in Canada, forging a rare consensus between the public and the political class, although the country is undergoing one of its most divided political periods in recent history.
A survey published last month by the Angus Reid Institute, a research center, found that 90% of Canadian respondents were against being part of the United States.
The political meaning of a victory did not go unnoticed by the team, said Jon Cooper, coach of the Canada team, after the Thursday game.
“Not just our team, but Canada needed a victory,” said Cooper. “This was different. This was not a victory for themselves. This was a victory for over 40 million people.”
