Jade Gagné

Sports editor

Photo Via @msn.com

“We look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt communicated during the White House Press Briefing on the morning of February 20, the same morning of the final game of the 4 Nations: “Canada vs USA.” Ever since the competition started, the USA has been more patriotic than ever, talking about the “51st state” over and over again. While Sweden and Finland fans were there to appreciate real hockey, Canada was there to protect the history of hockey and to defend their nation. The USA on the other hand wasn’t in good spirits.

Why this tournament though? Well, the Winter Olympics are happening next year, but the NHL wanted to give some treats to its fans by doing this tournament where the four best nations in hockey fight each other on the ice to win the title of the best country in the world. The best four countries are Canada (of course), the USA, Finland and Sweden. The games would be played either at the Bell Center in Montreal or at the TD Garden in Boston. Whether it was here or in the USA, Canadians were already in the defensive position ready to protect our country. During the first game against the USA, at the Bell Center, Quebecers allied with their fellow Canadians and booed at the American anthem. When it was time to sing theirs, better believe that they went all in. In Canada’s team, there was Sam Montembault, who is the goalie for Les Canadiens de Montréal, and the famous Sidney Crosby, who plays as a forward for the Pittsburg Penguins. The former Prime minister Justin Trudeau was present and cheering for the Canadian team. On Instagram, Trudeau posted a picture of himself wearing a Canadian jersey on February 15, the same day of the first Canada vs USA game, he wrote: “Best on best. Let’s go Canada.” He later on posted a video of himself and his son attending the game where we could hear and see Canadians sing the national anthem. He captioned the video “True North, strong and free.” It looked like this competition would be only about hockey, right? Well, three different fights broke out between Canadian players and American players within not even the first nine seconds of play. It seemed that this was more than just hockey. 

For Americans, this competition was to prove that they could beat Canadians at their sport, but also that they could be the master of their country. While Canadians were there to fight for their honor, Americans were there to show off a talent that wasn’t like the Canadians’. The first game ended at 3-1 for the Americans, and this is where their egocentric values came out of the roof. While the USA kept on showing off their win against Canada, our team made sure to meet them in the finals, which they did. 

Of course, Trump had his two cents. On the same day as the final game, Trump posted on his social media “Truth Social” a message mentioning again the 51st state, and went as far as calling Trudeau “Governor Trudeau.” The message said: “I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.” This “governor” of his published a video on Instagram, two days earlier, sending a loving and peaceful message to the fellow Americans. He says: “[we] are just as proud to fight for our flag as you are […] We all stand proudly together. […].” Trudeau kept his ongoing peace with Americans, while Trump continued being the opposite. 

The Americans thought that they could beat Canadians at their own sport, but they were wrong. Canada won the final game on February 20, with McDavid making the game-winning goal. Many Canadian politicians left heartwarming messages, showing their gratefulness for the country. Trudeau posted on many social media platforms saying: “You can’t take our country and you can’t take our game.” Other politicians followed suit, like Pierre Poilievre who posted a message on “X” saying: “Canada’s game. Canada’s legacy,” followed by an edit of the winning team.

After the win, many people showed their support for Canada on every social media platform. Tiktok was filled with edits, while on “X” you could find those kinds of messages: “Now they’re saying it was a nothing tournament […]. You were talking all the smack all week. Don’t you forget who your hockey daddy is, America.” said Paul Bissonnette (@Biznasty2pointØ).

All I’ve got to say is: Go Canada!