Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a jab at President Donald Trump on Thursday after Canada beat the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game.
Trudeau posted on social platform X, “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.” His comment seemed to reference Trump’s past suggestion of making Canada the 51st state.
Canada won 3-2 after Connor McDavid scored in overtime. Fans are already looking ahead to the 2026 Olympics, where Canada defeated the U.S. in 2002 and 2010.
Nathan MacKinnon, named Canada’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the game, commented on the ongoing tension between the two countries.
“There’s a lot going on between Canada and the U.S. right now, and us playing against each other was kind of a perfect storm for our sport,” MacKinnon said.
The U.S. team had invited President Trump to attend the game in Boston, but he couldn’t make it due to prior commitments. However, he did speak to the players by phone before the game to wish them good luck.
Tension between the two countries was felt by the audience during the national anthems. When Canada’s anthem “O Canada” was played, some Americans in the crowd booed. Canadians did the same when “The Star-Spangled Banner” was sung last week.
In a show of defiance, performer Chantal Kreviazuk changed a lyric in “O Canada,” singing, “that only us command” instead of “in all of us command,” which she said was a response to Trump’s comments about making Canada part of the U.S.
Trump has continued to push for Canada to merge with the U.S. since Trudeau announced he would step down. The president has hinted at using tariffs as a bargaining tool, but Canadians have stood firm.
