Whatever happened at the Montreal Bell Centre during Team USA vs. Team Finland shocked a lot of people. Indeed, the booing from the crowd during the American anthem has triggered a lot of controversies that have even questioned the integrity of hockey overall. However, the biggest rivals of Team USA, which is Canada, and its star forward Brad Marchand have sent out a certain message.
Obviously, the hockey player is aware of the situation and has commented, sharing his thoughts before. However, with Canada’s next 4 Nations Face-Off match being with the United States, the star forward made his intentions clear, as he showcased something but empathy for his greatest rivals.
According to Chris Johnston on X, Brad Marchand shared his final verdict on the controversy, stating, “They should not be booing the Americans during that anthem. They have nothing to do with the political things that are going on. I do feel bad for those guys in that moment. I don’t think it’s right.” Just like a lot of players, the Canadian forward had a similar opinion.
Indeed, he just can’t understand why politics are getting into the sporting side of things. Well, even if Marchand won’t be beating the “Nothing about this punk*ss b*tch is Canadian,” allegations from the hockey purists, he stands with his rivals on this particular situation. Putting himself in their shoes, he could understand the gravity of the incident, and he wishes that this doesn’t carry forward in future 4 Nation Face-Off games.
However, is it Marchand’s first time standing up for Team USA? Not really. Sharing his thoughts on the What Chaos! podcast, he stated, “I mean, the anthems are there as a sign of respect. And because of our veterans and all that they’ve sacrificed, and the entire reason we even get to play this game and have freedom. So for them to be booing that, it’s extremely disrespectful to the veterans, which I don’t agree with at all.”
Brad Marchand, on fans booing the U.S. anthem at Bell Centre last night: “They should not be booing the Americans during that anthem. They have nothing to do with the political things that are going on. I do feel bad for those guys in that moment. I don’t think it’s right.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 14, 2025
Many prominent people have uttered the word “respect” following the incident. Indeed, they demand it from the crowd who come to watch these games, as it is about sporting integrity, setting politics aside from hockey. And by making this point, Marchand also pointed out how this is just a big disrespect towards the veterans, who have sacrificed their lives for the safety of their country. Many of the star forward’s teammates and rivals also stand with him in this, as they also don’t want any kind of hate escalating in hockey.
Following the same path that Brad Marchand took
Indeed, Brad Marchand isn’t the only Canadian player who has sympathized with Team USA’s situation. The team’s captain, Sidney Crosby, also shared his thoughts on the anthem controversy, stating, “I’m not going to get into that. We respect the anthems, and I’ll leave it at that.” Now, that was a simple but impactful statement from the Pittsburgh Penguins star.
Crosby is aware of the incident, and he wants his team, and also the fans, to stay away from politics. Why so? Well, it will just ruin the sporting atmosphere, and Crosby doesn’t want the flow of the tournament to change from pure hockey action to a pile of controversy between the two countries.
Apart from the Canadian players, the American players who were humiliated on the rink also stood up to this. Team USA’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, was clearly upset with the way the crowd reacted, 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.”
Indeed, there are a lot of emotions going around in these international tournaments. The national anthem for the respective countries is played, owing to respect for those who are representing their nations in these events, and it was clearly heartbreaking to see the way the crowd reacted by booing and making other derogatory remarks.
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