The highly-anticipated hockey game between America and Canada descended into chaos on Saturday night with players fighting on the ice moments after the US national anthem was booed in Montreal.
There were three separate fights within the first nine seconds of the game as tensions continue to flare between the two nations.
It comes amid growing political tensions after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada.
He also suggested the country could become America’s ’51st state’, prompting backlash from a close neighbor and longtime ally.
With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat in the stands, the home fans once again showed their anger towards Trump by jeering ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ as it played before the highly-anticipated hockey game.
The booing came despite desperate pleas from PA announcers inside Centre Bell to ‘respect the national anthems’.
Canadian fans loudly booed the US national anthem before their hockey game on Saturday
President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and suggested the country could become America’s ’51st state’, prompting backlash from a close neighbor and longtime ally.
The anthem was also booed in Montreal when the US played Finland on Thursday night, as well as before the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota.
It coms after President Trump ordered 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10% on goods from China, sparking major trade war fears.
Trudeau said Canada would respond with 25% tariffs against $155billion of U.S. goods, including beer, wine, lumber and appliances, beginning with $30billion taking effect Tuesday and $125billion 21 days later.
Trump has – temporarily – paused his plans, giving Canada and the US a month to negotiate the planned import tax on all steel and aluminum products entering America from March 12.
On Thursday, though, Trump did threaten further tariffs on both Canada and France over their digital services taxes on US technology giants.
Canada, seeking to address the challenge of taxing digital giants like Google parent Alphabet and Amazon.com that can book their profits in low-tax countries, began imposing the tax in June last year.
Trump tasked his economics team on Thursday with devising a plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on every country that levied duties on U.S. imports.
A White House fact sheet, stating that ‘only America should be allowed to tax American firms,’ complained Canada and France used digital services taxes to each collect over $500 million per year from U.S. companies.
‘Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America’s firms over $2 billion per year. Reciprocal tariffs will bring back fairness and prosperity to the distorted international trade system and stop Americans from being taken advantage of,’ said the fact sheet. It gave no further details.
More to follow.
