Former US President Donald Trump reignited a long-standing sporting rivalry with Canada on Thursday, using a White House ceremony honouring the NHL's Florida Panthers to take a pointed jab at the nation to the north.
A Tradition with a Barbed Edge
The 79-year-old hosted the reigning Stanley Cup champions for a second consecutive year, upholding the tradition of American presidents celebrating domestic sports triumphs. However, amid the congratulations, Trump seized the opportunity to highlight Canada's lengthy winless streak in its national sport.
'You denied Canada the Stanley Cup for the 32nd straight year,' Trump told the assembled Panthers players, referencing the victory over the Edmonton Oilers that extended the drought. The last Canadian-based team to lift the cup was the Montreal Canadiens back in the 1992-93 season.
'We have a little competition with Canada,' Trump continued after applause. 'They're great people, though. They're great people. We're doing much better than Canada, but that's OK, right? We want them to do well, and they're gonna do well.'
History of Hockey-Fuelled Tensions
This was not the first instance of Trump leveraging the historic hockey rivalry to needle a key ally. The barb came almost a year after he fanned the flames during the Four Nations Face-Off tournament last February.
That event was played against a backdrop of rising political tensions, including Trump's threats to impose additional tariffs on Canadian imports. The former president had also repeatedly poked fun at Canada by referring to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as 'governor' and the nation as the '51st state.'
The rivalry turned notably sour, with both the 'Star-Spangled Banner' and 'O Canada' being booed by opposing fans ahead of USA-Canada clashes.
Olympic Showdown Looms
Trump's latest sports-fuelled comment arrives less than a month before the Winter Olympics kick off in Milan Cortina. The sporting extravaganza, beginning on February 6, is expected to see the men's and women's ice hockey teams from the US and Canada face off for gold once again, ensuring the rivalry remains fiercely competitive.
During the Panthers' celebration, Trump also joked about the players' appearance, quipping, 'Good-looking people, young beautiful people, I hate them,' in a light-hearted allusion to them stealing his spotlight. He added, 'You hate standing here with all this power behind you. But I got power too. It's called the United States military.'
The team presented Trump with a golden hockey stick, a gift that fit with the White House's opulent decor. Noticing the glistening stick, Trump joked that as president he could take it if he wanted to. Player Matthew Tkachuk handed it over, noting its usefulness for 'slashing' opponents, to which the former president smiled and repeated, 'Good for slashing.'
