Ahead of the Windsor Spitfires Wednesday night matchup against the Saginaw Spirit, many fans were awaiting the action before the puck drop.
The Spitfires played host to an American team for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump introduced and then paused tariffs on Canadian goods.
Those actions have prompted Canadian sports fans across the country to retaliate in a non-violent, yet passionate manner – by booing the U.S. national anthem.
“I think it’s inappropriate to boo it. I won’t,” Spits fan Jim Rodger told CTV News before the game.
However, the booming response to the tariffs is in poor taste, according to many Spitfires fans. On Wednesday, the U.S. anthem played without a hitch, with some singing along, before the Canadian National Anthem.
Longtime fan Dick Tracey Jr. felt the trend is a “ridiculous” reaction to political decisions abroad.
“You know what our politicians get into and what they do is, is ridiculous. But, when it comes to hockey and the national anthems, everybody should be proud of what their national anthem stands for,” Tracey said.
In the case of the Spits and Spirit, Tracey felt their rivalry brings enough tension. Saginaw, MI is about 170 kilometres northwest of Windsor.
When asked about how he would react to fans booing, Tracey noted he wouldn’t stand for it.
“If I heard somebody standing beside me booing, I’d ask them to leave. I tell them, ‘Hey, you don’t need to be here, if you’re going to be like that, you need to leave,’” he said.
In terms of retaliation, many fans feel the most effective tactic is to take it out on the ice.
Unfortunately for the Spitfires, that wasn’t the case on Wednesday evening as they dropped their contest against Saginaw 6-3.
