Tag: attendance

Canada fans, with Trudeau in attendance, again boo ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ before game vs. USA despite pushback

The United States and Canada rekindled their hockey rivalry Saturday in Montreal, and the tension may have been greater than ever.

However, the tension was raised by the fans and their politics.

Before the puck dropped at Bell Centre Saturday, Canadian fans booed the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” for the second time in as many games involving the U.S. in the tournament.

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Charlie McAvoy (25), Jake Guentzel (59), Zach Werenski (8), Auston Matthews (34) and Jack Hughes (86) of the U.S. stand at their blue line during pregame ceremonies before a 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland at Bell Centre Feb. 13, 2025, in Montreal. (Andre Ringuette/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

Fans booed despite the public address announcer pleading with them to “respect” both anthems and the players. The U.S. anthem was sung first and booed throughout.

The boos were louder due to the nature of the contest because the two countries are considered hockey powerhouses and have had classic matchups at all levels. However, the jeers were mostly a response to President Donald Trump and his proposed 25% tariffs on goods coming from Canada to the U.S. Trump has also said Canada could become the “51st state.”

The Canadian crowd did the same Thursday before the Americans faced Finland, and the game sounded like a Canada home game when Finland jumped out to a 1-0 lead early. USA won the game. 6-1.

Raptors and Senators fans also booed the “Star-Spangled Banner” earlier this month when American teams visited Toronto and Ottawa. Vancouver Canucks announcer John Shorthouse even joked that a penalty would be 2½ minutes because of the 25% tariffs.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also in attendance in a Team Canada jersey. Trudeau said he was resigning after pressure from within his own Liberal Party increasingly grew amid heightened criticism over his handling of the economy and threats from Trump.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Michelle Kwan, a California native, was also booed while introducing the Team USA players. Kwan served as the United States Ambassador to Belize during Joe Biden’s presidency.

Matthew Tkachuk (19) and his United States teammates celebrate after Tkachuk scored his second goal of the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland at Bell Centre Feb. 13, 2025, in Montreal. (Andre Ringuette/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

TEAM USA STAR MATTHEW TKACHUK DELIVERS STERN ONE-LINER AFTER CANADIAN FANS BOO DURING AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

Saturday marks the first time the United States and Canada are facing each other in a best-on-best format since 2016 during the World Cup of Hockey, which will return in 2028 after a 12-year hiatus.

Canada has won 13 consecutive games when NHL players fill out rosters. Perhaps the most famous USA-Canada game was the 2010 Olympic gold medal game in Vancouver, when Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to give the home team gold.

NHL executive Bill Daly said this week the league was “monitoring” the “unfortunate” situation and was hoping fans would respect the national anthem.

“I do think it’s ebbing a little bit,” Daly said. “Our experience just this past week in Montreal was a positive experience, with two American teams playing there. So, I hope that that will continue. Sport is a way of breaking down barriers and bringing people closer together, and we hope that this tournament can help do that, for sure.”

Charlie McAvoy (25), Jake Guentzel (59), Zach Werenski (8), Auston Matthews (34) and Jack Hughes (86) of the United States stand at their blue line during pregame ceremonies before a 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland at Bell Centre Feb. 13, 2025, in Montreal. (Andre Ringuette/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)

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A win in regulation on Saturday would clinch an appearance in a one-game final for the U.S.

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February 16, 2025
Security expert gives insight on what Super Bowl protection, experience may be like with Trump’s attendance

President Donald Trump is expected to attend the Super Bowl on Sunday, which would mark the first time a sitting president attended the game.

The game is already a spectacle, but with Trump set to make an appearance, this contest will be on a whole other level than in years past.

With Trump’s expected attendance, this is now no ordinary event (it wasn’t one anyway), and those in attendance should expect a rather different experience, said Adam Gonzales, a former military service member who is the CEO of Hyperion Services.

Gonzalez was in charge of a six-man surveillance team while in the military, and then spent 10 years in a private military sector where he used to “call in airstrikes on the Taliban.” He then got into the private security space, “protecting ultra-high net worth individuals, celebrities, and rappers,” then hostage rescue space.

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Former President Donald Trump waves during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (John David Mercer-Imagn Images)

So, safe to say Gonzales is an expert on what it will take to protect Trump at the game – especially considering he was at the Army-Navy game in December with Trump in attendance.

“When President Trump came to that game, his protection detail shut down the stadium for an hour prior to his arrival. They shut down all gates, no one can leave, no one could come in, and then while he was coming in, for another hour, completely shut down. After he got in, another hour completely shut down,” Gonzales told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “So that really kind of changes the environment quite a bit, at least from the average spectator coming into the gate.

“You’re really going to have to give yourself a lot of time, because the Secret Service will have that place locked down. It’s going to be a fortress for three hours.”

So, his advice? Get in early.

Gonzales has been to Army-Navy games while Trump was in attendance, but he said the protection for the 2024 edition was by far the biggest – likely because of the assassination attempts on his life last year.

Former President Donald Trump attends a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)

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“We could expect to see that again here at the Super Bowl, especially with the recent terror attack,” Gonzales noted.

The big game will come roughly six weeks after 14 people were killed on nearby Bourbon Street. However, Gonzales praised New Orleans police and said their quick action sent a message to those who even thought about making an attack at the Super Bowl.

Thus, Caesars Superdome may wind up being maybe the safest place to be on Sunday night.

“The New Orleans PD eliminated him on the spot, which sends a message to any other terrorist in the world who’s thinking ‘I want to disrupt the Super Bowl…’ So that actually kind of helps the security situation for the Super Bowl, because now the city of New Orleans is plussed up in ways that they weren’t for the New Year’s Eve celebration,” Gonzales said.

“So you’ve got local forces, you’ve got state forces, you’ve got all the federal forces, to include the Secret Service, and all the other government agencies that support behind the scenes. The FBI, all the intelligence agencies, everyone’s gathering intel on everything that might be happening underground that no one’s privy to on social media, in the dark web, and identifying these threats and dealing with these threats before they actually become threats. But if they do become threats on that day, you can guarantee that those law enforcement agencies will eliminate that threat super fast.

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“Not to mention all the private security details. You’ve got private security details that are going to be there like the one for Taylor Swift and all the other ultra-high net worth individuals who are gonna be in attendance are likely gonna have some sort of small security detail that’s probably gonna be armed as well. So there’s a lot of eyes out, a lot of coverage, a lot of security that will help protect the Super Bowl and all the people in attendance, essentially by virtue of just association with the event.”

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February 9, 2025