No quit in these boys, eh?

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This article was published 21/02/2025 (212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been dubbed “so Canadian” — five of Seth Jarvis’s childhood friends drove 30 hours to cheer on the NHLer, who is from Winnipeg, in Canada’s thrilling overtime victory over the U.S. Thursday.

Nothing, including flight cancellations, was going to stop the group — Lucas Fry, Bryan Hanna, Lucas Humble, Matt McLeod and Sloan Tremblay — from getting to Boston to support their pal in the tense 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.

“It was crazy and definitely a long drive, but definitely worth it,” Tremblay said Friday, hours after the group took part in a post-game celebration with Jarvis, his teammates, their families and Team Canada staff.

Jarvis, who was wearing a medal around his neck, embraced his friends and thanked them for making the trip to share in the moment.

“He said it meant a lot to him. It meant a lot more for us to see him play and win that medal,” Humble said.

“We were all pretty pumped up (for him). You dream of that moment as a kid. We lived it through him, I guess,” Tremblay said.

The friends grew up playing hockey with Jarvis, a 23-year-old forward who is starring for the Carolina Hurricanes this season.

He’s on a nearly point-per-game pace in his fourth NHL season, leading to his selection to a team that featured superstars Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

Jarvis’s friends were supposed to fly to Boston via Ottawa Sunday. Their flight from Winnipeg was cancelled due to a winter storm in Eastern Canada.

They were rebooked on a Tuesday flight, but it was cancelled for reasons not explained to them. After a virtual call to discuss their options, they decided to pack up an SUV and drive to Boston.

They stopped only for food and gas, napping in the vehicle while taking turns behind the wheel. When they finally arrived in Boston, they didn’t know whether Jarvis would be in the championship game’s lineup.

He recorded an assist in Canada’s round-robin opener — a win against Sweden — and played in a crushing 3-1 loss to the U.S. a week ago, which may be best remembered for three fights in the first nine seconds, but was a healthy scratch during a victory over Finland Monday.

Hours before puck-drop Thursday, head coach Jon Cooper confirmed Jarvis would suit up for the rematch with the American squad.

“We were all pretty pumped up (for him). You dream of that moment as a kid. We lived it through him, I guess.”–Sloan Tremblay

The final took place against a backdrop of tensions between American and Canadian leaders, fuelled by President Donald Trump’s threat of crippling tariffs on goods imported from north of the border. The atmosphere on U.S. soil was something they road-weary Winnipeggers had never experienced.

“The tension in that arena was high. With the chants and the cheering, there wasn’t a silent moment all night,” Fry said.

The U.S. fans in Boston booed the pre-game Canadian anthem sung, coincidentally, by Winnipeg’s Chantal Kreviazuk. She changed the line “in all of us command” to “that only us command” as a protest against Trump’s oft-repeated rhetoric about making Canada the 51st American state.

Jarvis’s friends said they received some “chirps” from U.S. fans, but they chalked it up to friendly banter. Some American fans shook their hands after McDavid’s goal just over eight minutes into overtime sealed the 3-2 victory.

“We were all hockey fans at the end of the day,” Fry said.

The group had its own moment on national TV, after Jarvis revealed his friends’ 30-hour trip in a pre-game interview.

“Shows how crazy Canadians are,” he said, quoted by The Canadian Press. “It means a lot to everybody. That’s just a really good example.”

The group, all clad in Canada jerseys and some with cups of beer in hand, was interviewed by a Sportsnet reporter during a break in the second period, when the game was tied 1-1.

“That’s incredible,” commentator and former NHL player Craig Simpson said afterward during the live broadcast. “That’s a great story. It’s so Canadian.”

The men were inundated with text messages from family and friends who were watching the game at home.

“It’s been pretty cool to hear from all those people, and kind of funny to know that they saw us and what we were experiencing in the arena, as well,” Hanna said.

After the game, they soaked up the atmosphere and spent time talking to some of their buddy’s teammates and their families.

“It was pretty surreal. We saw a lot of our childhood idols,” McLeod said, singling out Crosby. “It was pretty fantastic.”

The friends were still on a high when they spoke to the Free Press by phone somewhere in Massachusetts on Friday. They weren’t sure exactly where they were, but they knew they were headed home with memories that will last a lifetime.

Jarvis was set to rejoin his NHL club, which visits the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night, as the push for the playoffs continues.

The tournament was held during a break in the NHL season, one year before Italy hosts the Winter Olympics.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

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