Trump’s comments heighten tensions as Canada, U.S. meet in 4 Nations final
Posted Feb 20, 2025 04:00:11 AM.
Last Updated Feb 20, 2025 03:43:30 PM.
The charged political atmosphere surrounding the 4 Nations Face-Off final between Canada and the United States escalated further before Thursday’s puck drop with another inflammatory social media post from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The hockey tournament designed to showcase the return of elite NHL talent to the international stage has taken on increased significance thanks to the frosty relationship between the normally friendly countries, exacerbated by Trump’s threats of sweeping tariffs on Canadian products and repeated suggestions the U.S. should absorb Canada as its 51st state.
In a Truth Social post early Thursday, Trump once again brought up Canada becoming a state as he wished the U.S. hockey team good luck.
“I’ll be calling our great American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada,” he said, adding that he won’t be at the game because he will be speaking with governors in Washington.
“We will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome,” Trump said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down later Thursday when she said Trump was looking forward to watching the game and added: “And we look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada.”
While such comments may be seen by Canadians as a threat, there is no doubt that the political drama has greatly raised the profile of this tournament from an exhibition event ahead of the NHL’s return to the Olympics in 2026.
Trump followed through on his promise to call the U.S. team, speaking with the players for five minutes Thursday morning. The team attempted to connect through Zoom but ultimately used U.S. general manager Bill Guerin’s phone on speaker for the conversation.
“It was cool, right? It’s the president of the United States,” U.S. defenceman Brock Faber said. “When you’re a kid, you don’t really think that that’s ever going to be a possibility, but it’s really cool.”
Faber said Trump’s message was simple: “Just have fun, enjoy it. It was pretty quick, but just enjoy the pride of wearing the red, white and blue.”
U.S. forward J.T. Miller echoed the sentiment.
“It was pretty cool. So awesome to hear the support,” said Miller. “It’s a pretty big deal for him to take time out of his schedule to talk to us for five minutes, and just another one of those things where we’re kind of pinching ourselves this tournament. It’s been really fun so far, and seeing the support from everybody up to the president, it’s been pretty wild.”
According to U.S. defenceman Zach Werenski, Trump did not mention the 51st state suggestion during the call but did share golf stories.
“It was cool to get the call,” said U.S. defenceman Noah Hanifin. “Hopefully we can get the win tonight for our country and for Trump.”
Canadian sports fans have responded to the tensions by booing the U.S. anthem at several sporting events, including the Americans’ 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday in Montreal in the round-robin portion of the competition. That game featured three fights in the first nine seconds, setting the tone for what is sure to be a physical rematch.
Canada reached the final with a 5-3 win over Finland on Monday in Boston. A smattering of boos greeted O Canada before the matinee at TD Garden, but a louder response is expected in the final.
Guerin added to the already charged atmosphere on Tuesday when he suggested that Trump should attend the game.
“We have a room full of proud American players and coaches and staff. Listen, we’re just trying to represent our country the best way we can,” he said, adding that his players are using the political fire “as an inspiration.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, when asked about the appropriateness of booing at hockey games during a visit to Toronto, took a diplomatic tone, emphasizing the distinction between the actions of the U.S. government and the people.
“I would just encourage everyone to remember that our disagreement is not with the American people, it’s with the American president’s unjustified threats of tariffs,” he said. “And let’s focus on building our own country up.”
Sweden is the other team at the tournament, which is the first international competition featuring the NHL’s biggest stars since the 2016 World Cup in Toronto.
The NHL has committed to allowing its players to participate at the 2026 Milan and Cortina Olympics in Italy after sitting out the last two Winter Games.
Canada defeated Sweden 3-0 in the gold-medal game at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which is the most recent to feature NHL players.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025.
