'We obviously don't like it': Team USA defenseman responds to Canadian fans booing 'Star-Spangled Banner'

A rivalry between Canada and the United States has been revitalized after Canadian fans booed the U.S. national anthem, with one American player finally revealing that the team does not like it.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had one assist in nearly 14 minutes on the ice in the epic 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday, and the tension between the two nations has only escalated as players have reacted to the chorus of boos from Canadian fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Canadians have been unhappy with the tariff battle between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump and have taken out their frustration on their hockey rivals.

"We knew it was going to happen," Werenski said. "It happened the last game, it's been happening in the NHL before this, and we knew tonight was going to be the same way," he added, according to Fox News.

Werenski was referring to similar instances in Vancouver and Ottawa. Vancouver Canucks fans booed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a game with the Detroit Red Wings in early February, as did Ottawa Senators fans before a game with the Minnesota Wild the next day.

Werenski continued, "We obviously don't like it."

"It is what it is," he went on. "We kind of had an idea. We used it as motivation the best we could and found a way to get a win. But we had an idea going into it, so it wasn't a surprise. Definitely don't like it, though."

'I don't think it's right.'

Even Canadian forward Brad Marchand commented on the boos, saying the players have "nothing to do with the political things that are going on."

Although Marchand was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, he has played his entire career with the Boston Bruins.

He then added, "I do feel bad for those guys in that moment. I don't think it's right."

Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA fights Brandon Hagel of Team Canada at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Saturday's battle took North America by storm when it started off with three fights in just the first nine seconds. Canada quickly went up 1-0, but Team USA stormed back for a 3-1 victory, which forced Canada into a must-win situation.

The broadcast averaged 4.4 million viewers according to the New York Times, with a peak of 5.2 million viewers. That was a bigger audience than any non-Stanley Cup game in the NHL since 2019 and far more than the 766,000 viewers who watched the two countries battle at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

The U.S. clinched its spot in the final with Saturday's win, but Canada managed to knock off Finland on Monday afternoon to set the stage for a tense rematch this Thursday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off final.

The international tournament has replaced this year's NHL All-Star Game and featured just four teams, which also included Sweden.

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