Olympic gold, online jabs: hockey win spills into US–Canada politics

What would normally pass as routine cross-border sports rivalry turned into something sharper after the United States beat Canada 2–1 in sudden-death overtime to win men’s hockey gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The White House chose to mark the moment not just with congratulations, but with an image: a bald eagle appearing to assault a goose — a visual shorthand for the two countries that carried a distinctly political tone.

The post echoed a line from a very different moment in the rivalry. In 2025, after Canada defeated the US at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had declared:

“You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.” That remark came as Donald Trump was publicly floating the idea that Canada should become the 51st state.

No Canadian officials responded directly to the latest image, but the reaction from commentators and journalists was immediate and critical. Stewart Prest of the University of British Columbia wrote, “Stay classy, America,” while journalist David Rider pointed to the economic fallout from strained relations, arguing that the White House’s tone risked accelerating the decline in Canadian tourism to the United States.

Trump himself kept to a familiar register, posting on Truth Social:

“Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!” and adding, “LOTS OF WINNING!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP,”.

The intensity of the reaction reflects how far the political backdrop has shifted. Hockey games between the two countries have always carried symbolic weight, but this final arrived after months of escalating friction. Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly framed Canada less as a traditional ally and more as an economic competitor, using tariffs and trade threats as leverage and reviving talk of annexation that drew swift condemnation in Ottawa.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos captured the depth of that unease without naming Washington directly.

“Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said, arguing that economic integration is increasingly being used as a geopolitical weapon rather than a shared system of mutual benefit.

The symbolism has also seeped into domestic politics on both sides of the border. During his campaign, Carney appeared in a video wearing Team Canada hockey gear alongside comedian Mike Myers, whose jersey read “Never 51”. Trump, for his part, posted repeatedly about the Olympic final, while the official White House account amplified the victory with a series of celebratory messages.

Even the post-game conversation drifted beyond sport. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee introduced an unrelated and controversial angle in a social media comment about the player who scored the winning goal, urging people to “just celebrate the incredible victory for the USA & be grateful for Jack Hughes love for the USA & his teammates!”.