Competitions forge camaraderie and a sense of community. Do you agree with this statement? Despite political differences, players shake hands in sports as a form of respect to acknowledge the skill and effort put into a game. When diplomatic relations are strained, history has no dearth of instances where sports have resolved feuds. The Olympic Games are an example of a global stage that values skill and discipline across borders. Hence, it comes as a shock when that very same medium is used to demonstrate protests fueled by politics.

The 2025 NHL season is underway, and on February 1st, the Ottawa Senators took on the Minnesota Wild at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. The Senators won against the Wild with a clean sweep score of 6-0, but the victory was muddled by the audience’s behavior, which made headlines more than the game itself. Just before the bully-off, the American national anthem was sung to honor the Minnesota team playing on Canadian soil, in this case, ice.

A video that made the rounds on the social media platform X showed the rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner that was met with boos from spectators. The booing had a ripple effect.

Just an hour later after this spectacle in Ottawa, the second NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the Detroit Red Wings kicked off to a similar uproar from the audience during the American national anthem, alluding to the tax policy announcement.

The inopportune NHL moment happened in the wake of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canada, Mexico, and China. The official order was signed by the American president and announced just an hour before the impending game. While the intent of the tariff is to tackle the cross-border movement of banned substances and immigrants, the US government’s move to levy taxes on its neighbors has garnered divided factions of opinions. The timing of the official announcement led to spectators making use of the NHL game to demonstrate dissent.

While the video has left netizens in splits, hockey fans are appalled at the blatant display of disrespect by the audience to the national anthem, which is considered sacrosanct to any country. The reasoning can be inferred as politically provoked, but the NHL is not a novice to such audience behavior. Several NHL games between the American and Canadian teams have witnessed such brazen displays of booing at one another’s national anthem. One such precedent happened in 2003; the game in question was between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders at the Bell Center.

The aftermath of this incident warranted a public apology from the president of the Montreal Canadiens. ”We apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this incident and would encourage all fans at the Bell Centre to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of our game and our two great nations.” The Bell Center was a full house of 21,273 people, and the crowd jeered through the Star-Spangled Banner as an outcry to the U.S.-led combat against Iraq. The intent to dissuade such an act isn’t wrong, but the act of disrespect is.

Against the policy, not the NHL or its players

The video of the crowd booing during the American national anthem has gone viral with over 4.5 million views on the platform X alone. While most of the rallying around in the comments section was either for or against the tariff policy, the true admirers of the game did not find it fair that the players were facing its wrath. “As a Canadian born and raised here with roots going back many generations and a fan of hockey, which we created, I’m disappointed hearing that people booed the American hockey players at this game. We’re better than this. Don’t blame the players because of the poor decisions their elected leader is displaying. 🤔🇨🇦”Just the act of booing was perceived differently.  

In a way, the crowd’s allegiance seemed to corner the American players. Imagine playing at an arena in front of a completely polarized flock. “They didn’t blame the players. They booed the anthem.” The act of protest also evoked a sense of utmost disbelief in those who had experienced nothing but the best in Canada. The policy has earned much ire among Canadians due to its impending repercussions on the country’s economy. “Governments spar, not the people.”

While the Americans themselves have varying political opinions, there were some who took this chance to mock the Trump administration. “As an American, please boo louder and start it earlier in the song, plz next time. Thank you.” There were also some interesting thoughts on why the Canadians chose to protest in this manner. Could it be due to “many generations of colonization? 🤣🤣🤣🤡”? And then there were some who were physically present at the game but thought that it was just a response to bad vocals: “I’m at the game; I thought we were booing the sh*tty singer.”

We are sure that this debate and differences will continue with or without the NHL. But it’s worth a mention that while there have been many instances of mocking at each other’s national anthems, there also have been heartwarming moments, and one not too long ago. Just two years ago, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the Maple Leafs were to play against the Buffalo Sabres when the Star-Spangled Banner was cut off midway due to technical difficulties. The Canadian crowd didn’t miss a beat to chime in and finish the song with all fervor before proceeding to sing their own.

While both nations continue to have a strained relationship, should the sport suffer? What are your thoughts? Do you think the completely one-sided support in the NHL game for the Senators contributed to the Minnesota Wild’s loss?