The hockey world got divided following the 4 Nations Face-Off match between Team USA and Suomi. But what happened? Well, the crowd at the Montreal Bell Centre was ruthless towards the American players and even booed by giving a certain derogatory remark. This triggered a lot of discussions in the community, and even players shared their thoughts on this situation, which has now included Canadian captain Sidney Crosby.
The Pittsburgh Penguins star never liked controversy in hockey, as he’s one of the most respected people out there. However, just like many people associated with hockey, he also watched the behavior of the crowd at the Montreal Bell Centre, and guess what? He wasn’t quite happy about it.
On X, according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, Sidney Crosby shared his thoughts on the whole anthem controversy, stating, “I’m not going to get into that. We respect the anthems, and I’ll leave it at that.” Well, obviously, he wants to keep himself and his team away from all the politics that are happening out there in the world.
As the captain of Team Canada, Crosby is aware that his next game will be against the United States, who apparently dominated Team Finland with a score of 6-1. The way the Americans played was way more than a statement to the critics who almost abused them throughout the match, before the final results. However, Crosby wanted to make himself clear here that he isn’t bringing any of that hate to the rink with his team against Team USA.
The Penguins star has values of his own, and he understands the gravity of this particular situation. He would never stand with something as hateful as disrespecting someone’s national anthem, and he also didn’t want to give any more statements on the controversy that erupted at the Montreal Bell Centre.
Sidney Crosby on boos: “I’m not going to get into that. We respect the anthems, and I’ll leave it at that.”
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) February 14, 2025
This particular statement is nothing more than a straightforward confession from the Canadian captain to the fans ahead of their bout with Team USA. Crosby wanted to make himself clear that he wanted to play hockey, rather than getting himself or his team into any kind of controversy like this in the future, which might just hamper the integrity of the sport and the people associated with it. However, the #87 isn’t the only person who shared his thoughts on his situation.
They have similar opinions like Sidney Crosby
Following an amazing game on the rink, Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk, who received the first star of the night, shared his thoughts on the booing and disrespect of the American anthem, stating, “I didn’t like it, and that’s all I got.” Indeed, he was very clear about himself, stating how upset he was with the way the crowd treated not only the players but also the entire country.
Similarly, another key player of Team USA, goalie Connor Hellebuyck, was candid about his dissatisfaction with the crowd, stating, “I paid no attention to it. You have free speech; you can do whatever you want if you are gonna boo the anthem. We sing it for the troops that protected our freedom.” Politics should always remain out of any sport, and this also includes hockey, which is something he wanted to point out.
Furthermore, Team USA’s coach, Mike Sullivan, had similar thoughts, stating, “As far as the national anthem, I’m not sure there’s influence there. That’s really not something we can control; we just wanna play hockey and represent our nation in the right way.” The motto is pretty clear here; as a team, they just want to represent their country in this international event like others. And even if there’s influence, owing to the global problems outside of the rink, Sullivan demanded nothing but respect for his nation and his players.
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