NHL Takes Troubling Stance on Canadian Fans Booing the American National Anthem
Photo credit: Montreal Gazette
The booing of the American national anthem at Canadian arenas has become a growing trend and it's leading to speculation about how the NHL might respond.
In recent games, fans in Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto have loudly booed The United States Banner and it's attributing it to rising political tensions between Canada and the U.S.
Some team might consider to stop singing the American National Anthem because of the boos
According to TSN's Rick Westhead, at least one Canadian NHL team has confirmed there are no plans to eliminate the singing of both national anthems before games.
However, some teams may consider skipping the U.S. anthem if young performers are affected by the negative reactions like we have seen at the Raptors game.
The issue isn't just happening in the NHL but also in the NBA where Toronto Raptors fans at Scotiabank Arena recently booed the anthem before an NBA game against the LA Clippers.
In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman asked whether the NHL might eventually stop playing visiting team anthems if the situation escalates and becomes worse.
"If they start booing the Canadian anthem as well, especially in the United States, I wonder if anyone's going to say we should stop playing the visiting anthem."
So far, there has been no official response from the NHL, but the situation could change if American crowds begin to boo the O Canada.
The upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where Team Canada faces Team USA on Feb. 15, could be another place where there will be protest anthem-related.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' next home game against a US team is after the tournament, when they host the Carolina Hurricanes.
If tensions remain high then the controversy surrounding national anthems could dominate headlines during all the NHL season.
Previously on TorontoLeafsInsider
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 4 | 331 ANSWERS NHL Takes Troubling Stance on Canadian Fans Booing the American National Anthem Do you think the NHL should do something about the boo's during the American National Anthem? | ||
| Yes | 114 | 34.4 % |
| No | 217 | 65.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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