Canadians ponder whether sports should be free of politics

First at five we examine the fallout of a politically charged final at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Canadian anthem was unsurprisingly met with boos in Boston Thursday night, as the best hockey players from Canada and the United States squared off in the final game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The opposite occurred in Montreal a week earlier, when the two teams met for the first time in the series.

Singer Chantal Kreviazuk’s rendition of ‘O Canada’ had its share of critics, as she changed the words to deliver a message amid heightened political tensions between the two countries.

“True patriot love,” she sang. “That only us command.”

Those lyrics replaced the traditional “in all of us command.”

Some of the Dalhousie Tigers women’s hockey players say the lyric change was a questionable move.

“I mean it was a bit of a surprise, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, people are watching for the game, not the anthem,” says Daisy Varga.

“I think the change of the words was a little iffy, but the booing, I feel like could be all in the spirit of good fun,” said Mackenzie Drake.

Before the game, President Donald Trump took another shot at “Governor Trudeau” and made one more written push for Canada to become the 51st state “someday, maybe soon.”

The prime minister had the final word of the night, commenting on social media after Canada scored the winning goal, “You can’t take our country - and you can’t take our game.”

That was a sentiment passionately shared by Ontarian hockey YouTuber Steve “Dangle” Glynn.

“You will never have this country, and you will never have that trophy!” he shouted.

Speaking before the game, Nova Scotia native and Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand was quick to shut out the political back-and-forth.

“I don’t get caught up in politics,” Marchand said. “I don’t think there’s a place in the game for it, this is a place for people to escape that.”

St. Thomas University sociology professor Kristi Allain says there is a connection between sports and politics – with the national relationship quote “penetrating all aspects of our social life.”

“We, as a country, have deep concerns about our relationship with the U.S.,” said the Canada research chair in physical culture and social life.

Allain adds sport can be a lightning rod for these types of tensions.

“Winning a hockey game is not winning the trade war,” she says. “It’s not maintaining Canadian sovereignty, but it gives us a win and helps boost our spirit at a time where there’s a lot of political uncertainty about what the future might hold for Canada.”

The crew from Nova Scotia-based podcaster and broadcaster High Button Sports made the trip to Boston, taking in the historic game.

Founder Justin Belanger says it ultimately came down to fans enjoying the game.

“There was definitely a ‘feeling out’ part when you see an American fan and a Canadian fan, maybe in the same lineup,” he says. “There was definitely a little bit of tension, but by the time the puck dropped, all that went away and at the end of the day, everyone was there just to watch a hockey game.”

And for Gary O’Connell, who was heading into the Halifax Forum for a skate on Friday, sports and politics don’t go together.

“Keep (politics) out of it,” he says. “(I’d) rather just leave sports as is.”

“We’re getting into deep waters here with the anthem,” says Robert Knapp, who spent part of his Friday at the Emera Oval. “I’m not a big fan of booing anyone’s anthem. I don’t think it’s, you know, terrific sportsmanship.”

He says it was a “fantastic game and we were on the right side of the winning score.”

What does remain clear is the trade tensions and political uncertainty between the nations may not be slowing down anytime soon, but Team Canada certainly showed hockey is our game.