Ex-Vancouver Canucks star Miller shares his thoughts on Canadians booing American anthem
Former Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller heard the fans booing his country’s anthem last night.
Canadian hockey fans at the Bell Centre booed the American anthem ahead of the game between the USA and Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The booing happened despite a message being played over the speakers asking fans to stay respectful of both nations and the players representing them.
“I think we like it, not politically, but we just had a sense of, we know where we’re at in Canada, and I think that fires us up more than anything,” said Miller postgame.
Hockey fans nationwide have been booing the American anthem in response to Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and comments about annexing Canada. While the booing wasn’t incredibly loud last night, it was definitely noticeable.
Not all of Miller’s American teammates shared his view. When asked about the incident postgame, star winger Matthew Tkachuk kept his comments brief, although he only needed a few words to get his point across.
“I didn’t like it; that’s all I’ve got.”
Whether it was the booing of the anthem or just the energy of the moment, Team USA seemed to have an elevated intensity level throughout the game. They overwhelmed Finland and eventually broke the game open in the third period, winning 6-1.
“These guys are hockey players and they’re here to play hockey. They’re also proud Americans and it’s a privilege to represent your nation and all of us that have the opportunity to participate and be a part of this US team, it means a lot to all of us,” said head coach Mike Sullivan.
“From that regard, we have guys that are proud Americans. As far as the national anthem, I’m not sure there’s influence there. That’s really not something we can control; we just want to play hockey.”
The Americans face Canada tomorrow night at Centre Bell in Montreal. Neither team will need any extra motivation as they understand what’s on the line, but if the anthem is booed again, which is likely, it could give Team USA another boost.
For many of these players, tomorrow night’s game will be the biggest stage of their career thus far. It should be another exciting chapter in the historic Canada-USA hockey rivalry.