Smattering of boos from Jets fans during U.S. anthem

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This article was published 04/02/2025 (219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Star-Spangled Banner was given a not-so-Friendly Manitoba reception inside Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.

A steady smattering of boos greeted the beginning of the U.S. anthem, sung by Stacey Nattrass, prior to puck drop between the Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes.

The jeers slowly subsided, then picked back up again near the end. To be clear, the majority of fans in attendance were silent, but the vocal minority certainly made themselves heard both inside the rink and to those watching on television on both sides of the border.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the cheers for O Canada seemed louder than usual, especially when fans jumped in for the usual “True North” chant.

All of this is centred around the simmering trade war between Canada and the United States, which reached a boiling point over the weekend with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing to implement sweeping tariffs on imported goods, and then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing retaliatory sanctions.

The result was politics entering the sporting arena.

The first booing occurred Saturday afternoon in Ottawa just prior to the Senators game against the Minnesota Wild. A few hours later, fans in Calgary responded loud and clear as the Flames hosted the Detroit Red Wings.

On Sunday, it was Toronto’s turn as the American anthem was jeered prior to the Raptors NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers. And then later that evening, the faithful at Rogers Arena in Vancouver got in on the act just before puck drop against Detroit.

The noise level in Winnipeg didn’t quite reach the levels of the other Canadian cities, perhaps due to Monday’s announcement of a 30-day pause on tariffs.

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It’s also worth noting two of the Jets most beloved players come from the land of Uncle Sam in goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and forward Kyle Connor, who both hail from Michigan. Other American players include forwards Mason Appleton, Alex Iafallo and Parker Ford and defencemen Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg.

Tuesday was the start of a two-game homestand for the Jets, which concludes Friday with a visit from the New York Islanders.

It will be interesting to see if this booing spills over into the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, in which NHL players from Canada and the United States (along with Finland and Sweden) will compete starting next week in a best-on-best tournament being held in Montreal and Boston.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.