U.S.-Canadian relations on thin ice ahead of hockey rematch

Americans and Canadians are punching and booing each other in the wake of President Donald Trump's taunts about making Canada a U.S. state -- at least on the ice hockey rink.

Canadians have a long history of taking their national team hockey seriously. But with Trump goading their country and questioning its sovereignty, the temperature ahead of Thursday's NHL Four Nations Face-Off tournament final is decidedly icy.

"We hear the comments. We feel like we're being mocked," said Cedric Bernard, out playing recreational hockey on a Montreal rink.

"Our way of honoring ourselves (as Canadians) is to win at hockey," added Bernard, leaning on his hockey stick with pucks scattered around his skates.

Canada fell short in an opening round match on Saturday, which the United States won 3-1. But both teams advanced to the final after eliminating Finland and Sweden and for Canada, the revenge match is on.

The first meeting did not go smoothly.

There were three fights in the first nine seconds, an emotionally charged opening that many linked to the ugly politics.

The first fight was instigated by U.S. winger Matthew Tkachuk, who made clear he did not appreciate fans in Montreal booing the American anthem, a protest that has become common at sporting events in Canada since Trump signed an executive order detailing tariffs on Canadian imports.

Dan Guiry, a stand-up comic and bartender in Toronto, recalls his reaction to the mayhem at Saturday's game, was, "You want to go to war? Let's do this!"

Guiry, 40, suggested the drama on the ice reflects the broader jolt to Canada since Trump's election in November.

Political leaders have said Trump's trade war threats and verbal assaults on Canadian sovereignty should be a "wake up call" for a nation that had grown complacent, believing its relationship with its superpower southern neighbor would always remain stable.

"We've got to wake the heck up as a country and as a hockey team," Guiry said.

- The Summit Series -

Before Saturday's match, a Toronto Star op-ed carried a headline that said Canada vs. the U.S. "is more than a game, and more political than the Summit Series ever was."

That legendary series featured eight head-to-head matches in 1972 between Canada and the Soviet Union, which had become a major hockey power -- something few Canadians understood until the Soviet's shocking 7-3 win in the first game.

The series, which Canada ultimately won, was charged by Cold War tensions but there "was never really a question of whether Canada would cease to exist," wrote Star columnist Bruce Arthur on Saturday.

Today, however, "the United States has become a threat to our way of life," Arthur wrote. "The hockey game's big."

Serge Savard, a renowned Montreal Canadiens player and executive, was on Canada's team in the Summit Series. And he told AFP he understands the national furor over Trump's mockery.

"When we're told we should be the 51st state and that someone is going to annex Canada these are insulting words," he said.

But Savard criticized disrespecting the Star-Spangled Banner, saying "the flag and the anthem, regardless of the country, is something sacred."

- Staying silent -

Thursday's final is in Boston, so the 20,000-capacity arena will be packed with Americans and U.S. team general manager Bill Guerin says he'd "love it if President Trump was in attendance."

Whether or not Trump is there, the Republican is already seeking to make inroads into Canadian politics -- and ice hockey.

Two of the sport's greatest ever players, Canadians Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr have expressed support for Trump.

Gretzky was at Trump's Mar-a-Lago election victory party in November and Trump has said he encouraged Gretzky to be "governor" of an annexed U.S.-Canadian state.

Orr, who lives in the United States, publicly endorsed Trump in a full page newspaper add before the 2020 election.

Both Gretzky and Orr have not responded to Trump's Canada mockery, earning a scathing rebuke in The Globe and Mail, days before Trump's inauguration.

Trump "is treating Canada -- historic friend, great trading partner, ally in war and peace -- like an enemy. Are you, our two greatest hockey legends, going to speak out and stand up for Canada, or will you remain silent?"

© Agence France-Presse