The 4 Nations Face-Off has gone as well as anyone at the NHL could have imagined, except for one interesting element: the booing.
Coming shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the 4 Nations Face-Off has given Canadians an opportunity to let the U.S. know how they really feel. Pregame at both matchups in Montreal last week, fans at the Bell Centre loudly booed during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” seemingly in protest of Trump’s tariff policies and comments about making Canada the 51st American state.
As the two countries go head-to-head on Thursday in Boston for the final, ESPN lead announcer Sean McDonough is hoping fans stateside do not repay the favor.
“I really hope our people don’t boo the anthem,” McDonough said on WEEI Afternoons on Tuesday. “Let’s be better than that. I think we all have a lot of respect for what a great country Canada is. And the political things that have led the Canadians recently … I understand it from their perspective, especially having been up there for several days. So let’s be better than that and be respectful of their anthem and cheer like hell for our own.”
“Let’s be better than that”
4 Nations Face-Off play by play announcer Sean McDonough doesn’t want American fans booing the Canadien National Anthem on Thursday night pic.twitter.com/yuNmxKuFPi— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) February 18, 2025
Heading into Saturday’s clash between the two countries, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly pled with fans to keep things polite and not boo again. They did not oblige him.
In that game, the players on the ice also fed into the intensity of the game as the Tkachuk brothers started multiple fights in Team USA’s win.
This Thursday, with Sean McDonough on the call on ESPN, the neighboring countries will face off in Boston for a victory in the first-ever exhibition tournament, which the NHL created in place of its usual All-Star game. Given the political tensions, recent beef and the stakes of the matchup, everything is on the table.
Not the least of which is more booing.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.