Hockey rematch looms with US-Canadian ties on thin ice
Canada and the United States will fight the championship game on Thursday night’s ice rink, which is expected to be more than just hockey.
On any ordinary day, the final showdown faced by the four countries is important for neighbors that have long been an ice-friendly rival. But this time combined with this is an imminent threat to an economic damaging trade war, and Donald Trump’s ongoing meditation on the annexation of Canada and becoming the 51st state.
Trump himself was invited to participate in the competition in Boston by Team US General Manager Bill Guerin. The U.S. president has said he can’t do that, but he pointed out to call the team and wish them good luck.
He also repeated his desire to absorb Canada, and before he hoped the country would “one day, perhaps soon to be the fifty-first states that we cherish and very important”, he hoped that the country would write a truth before the game Social posts. ”
Canadian Public Safety Secretary David McGuinty later told reporters that he was marked by Trump’s ridicule, indicating that the president was “worrying about the outcome of the game.”
For fans across North America, the finals are a “dream game”, hockey writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman told the BBC. Since the 2014 Winter Olympics, Canada’s top male hockey players and the United States have faced it in this game.
Both countries have some of the biggest stars in the National Hockey League (NHL), such as Canadians Mitch Marner and Connor McDavid, American Auston Matthews ) and Jack Eichel. This game is an opportunity for a new generation of players to prove themselves.
But in Canada, the game is also a personal game, which gives stubborn and casual fans the opportunity to enjoy national pride when the country’s sovereignty seems to be threatened by its closest neighbors.
The first game between Canada and the United States, held on February 15 in Montreal, could provide a preview of how Thursday’s confrontation unfolds.
Although the announcer asked fans to show respect to the opposing team in English and French ways, it began with the US national anthem of Canadian fans.
Vocal protests at the U.S. National Anthem have become a common sight for Canadian sports games since Trump threatened 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.
While singing the Canadian national anthem, fans including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought it to their lungs.
Then, in the first nine seconds of the game between the US and Canadian players, three punches exploded on the ice. It’s a surprising sight, even with the hockey standard, fighting is common.
American player Matthew Tkachuk, who was part of the fighter, has since told reporters that his team needs to convey a message that “it’s our time.”
Perhaps the biggest news sent that day was the victory of Team USA defeating Canada 3-1. But even with losses, Canadian fans described the atmosphere of that game as “catholicity.”
“It’s almost like a relief bait, especially amid controversial booing,” said Arun Jaganathan, a Canadian hockey fan who lives in Boston. “It’s almost causing frustration and expressing dissent A way to do it.”
Few Canadians would question the overall quality of hockey’s national identity to the country.
The sport is the backdrop of the most patriotic moments in Canadian history, such as Sidney Crosby’s overtime gold medal goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Historically, Canada has the upper hand in the United States. Since the 1976 Canadian Cup, the two countries have reached 20 best matches, with Canada winning 14 games. Thursday is an opportunity to consolidate this history in a major game.
But Mr. Nugent-Bowman pointed out that the United States is in a “golden age” in hockey. “On paper, America is the better team.”
“Then, you add, it’s the role it plays on the American ice, and the political tensions that are happening here,” he said. “I think it’s the powder keg of a huge game tonight.”
