HALIFAX — Hockey fans in Halifax said the excitement of watching the Canadian women's hockey team face off against archrival United States overshadowed political tension between the two countries.
Canada and the U.S. clashed Thursday in the fourth of a five-game Rivalry Series.
The U.S. levelled the series at two wins apiece with a 2-1 shootout victory in front of 9,265 at Scotiabank Centre. The series winner will be decided Saturday in Summerside, PE.I.
While fans at some NHL and NBA games have booed the American anthem over the past week — likely in response to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada — there was no audible booing during Thursday's anthem at Scotiabank Centre.
An instrumental recording of the American national anthem played first, followed by O Canada sung by 11-year-old Emery Nelson.
Hockey fans Lisa Fenton and Cindy Miller said political tensions took a back seat to the hype of watching the two women's hockey superpowers, but both were relieved the U.S. anthem wasn't booed.
"Nova Scotia's got more class," Fenton said. "At the end of the day, people just want to see some good hockey."
Miller agreed, and said she was blown away by the energy of the Halifax crowd.
"It's been incredible. It’s just amazing to have live female hockey in Halifax. We need more of it," she said.
Blayre Turnbull of Stellarton, N.S., scored Canada's only goal of the game in her home province. She wasn't surprised when there wasn't booing during the anthem, due in part to Halifax's "Maritime hospitality."
"And I feel everyone understands these girls on team U.S.A. have nothing to do with the politics and what's going on in the States," Turnbull added.
The 2021 women's world hockey championship in Halifax and Truro, N.S., was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held in Calgary later that year.
So the game was special for Turnbull and head coach Troy Ryan from Spryfield, N.S., who said he felt a "sense of pride" in the game's reception in Halifax.
"From the moment we stepped off the bus, we had a bunch of girls in the rink cheering us on," Turnbull said. "Stepping on the ice for warm-up, (the rink) was full of signs and people, and throughout the game everyone was super loud."
Her hometown crowd jumped, danced and screamed to make the arena shake when she scored to tie the game with two minutes 19 seconds left in the third period.
Hockey fan Melissa Zizek said she was proud that the crowd cheered hard and hollered for the Canadian players and O Canada, while also respecting the opposition's anthem.
She spoke with her sons about the possibility of booing at the game ahead of time, she said, and they talked about why that wasn’t an appropriate thing to do.
“I’ve seen in the news there has been some booing and things, and respectfully, I think as Canadians and that's just not how we are and especially Nova Scotians… We’re happy to have the U.S. here to compete.”
U.S. coach John Wroblewski was pleased the fans in the building put hockey before politics.
"I was frankly a little bit worried about what the reception would be like, after some of the other things" that have happened at recent sporting events, Wroblewski said.
"So I want to thank Hockey Canada, Nova Scotia and the City of Halifax for a warm reception for these athletes so they can go out and perform."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
