It was the road trip of a lifetime for Bryan Hanna and his buddies, who drove 30 hours to cheer on their lifelong friend and fellow Winnipegger in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.
“It was unlike any atmosphere, environment that I think any of us have ever really been a part of,” Hanna told CTV News in an interview.
The group of Winnipeggers are close friends with Winnipeg-born Team Canada forward Seth Jarvis. When their flights to Boston were cancelled, the group decided to hop in the car and drive the nearly 3,000-kilometre trek.
“Driving was not the first option. It was probably the last, and yeah, we picked the last option. We weren’t going to miss it,” said Lucas Fry, who is on the trip with Hanna.
But it was worth the trip for the group, who got to see firsthand Jarvis and the rest of Team Canada clinch the final in overtime, with a 3-2 victory over the United States.
“Obviously, it’s an immense amount of pride,” Hanna said, who noted the group got to celebrate the win with Jarvis and his family – a moment they were all looking forward to.
“It was just a really cool moment. I mean, he’s just one of our buddies,” Hanna said. “It’s super cool to see him on the ice doing his thing, and then after the fact, just give him some hugs and tell him that we’re proud.”
‘We are strong’: Winnipeg-born singer makes change to national anthem
They weren’t the only proud fans cheering on Canada.
Tyler Crichot was at a watch party Thursday night at the Silver Heights Restaurant and Bar in Winnipeg. When Connor McDavid scored the goal in overtime, he said the room erupted.
“It was wild in here. The whole place just lit up and everyone was screaming and high-fiving,” he said. “It feels like we needed that, you know?”
This win comes amid tensions between Canada and the U.S. off the ice. These tensions prompted Winnipeg-born Chantal Kreviazuk, singing Canada’s national anthem at Thursday’s game, to add a slight twist.
Rather than singing ‘In all of us command,’ Kreviazuk sang instead, ‘That only us command.’ The change, an act of protest over U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st state comments.
“Canada, not unlike Ukraine, is a sovereign nation. Period,” Kreviazuk said in a post on social media after the game. “We have a culture individual to others. We are united in our values. We care. We’re kind. We are strong.”
It was a sentiment shared by Canada’s Minister of Sport Terry Duguid during an announcement in Winnipeg on Friday. He echoed the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“You can’t take our country, and you can’t take our game,” he said.
Hockey brings Canada and U.S. together, fan says
Patriotic enthusiasm was felt on the streets of Winnipeg Friday.
“It always feels great to kick the USA’s butt,” Laura Coupland told CTV News. “But it feels even better this time around.”
Despite the loss, even some visitors from south of the border were excited about the game.
“We’re in this world where things are kind of back and forth between Canada and the U.S.,” said Richie Velasquez, who is visiting Winnipeg from Pennsylvania. “So seeing something like that, that brings us together and just kind of reminds us, you know, this game we love, it’s great.”
For Hanna and his friends, now on the long road back to Winnipeg, Thursday’s win for Canada is a moment they will never forget.
“It was cool to be a part of history,” Hanna said. “This is Canadian history now.”
