A week ago a Norwegian friend of mine asked if i had noticed the total medal count at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
“No,” I replied. “No one will remember any of it a few days after the Games end … except the hockey.”
That’s what hurts, will hurt for some time … and not be forgotten for decades … from coast to coast to coast, in Canada.
The Gold Medal hockey games … both the Men’s and Women’s … between Canada and the United States, during the Milan Olympics, were much more than just sports competitions: many, many Canadians REALLY wanted to beat the AMERICANS!
With enmity! With vengeance in mind! Even humiliate them if we could!
Not something I detected similarly from American sports fans, who, of course, wanted the US to win, but to whom the issues involved didn’t go much beyond normal national pride. Like at any Olympics, any World Cup, any World Series, any FIFA, or any Rider Cup.
For Canadians, this was different: much different.
It shows, in no uncertain terms, how far Canadians have now distanced ourselves from our southern neighbours … repulsed by not only Donald Trump’s insults, threats, lies, tariffs, thickening border controls directed against our country, but also widespread Canadian disgust and revulsion for Trump himself as a person.
Figures have shown for some time now that huge numbers of Canadians have avoided visiting/vacationing/wintering/shopping in the US.
USA Today reports in 2025 “4 million fewer visits from Canadian travelers, a 22% drop from the previous year.”
Air Transat and WestJet have announced cuts on routes to several U.S. cities, while Las Vegas visits by Canadians are reportedly down 20 to 50%, depending on the month.
“Canadian air travel to the U.S. drops for the 11th straight month,” read the headline earlier this month in the Financial Post. (Read the full article here: https://financialpost.com/transportation/airlines/canadian-air-travel-us-drops-11-straight-month.)
Most Canadian provinces have removed American booze from our shelves … costing the US industry hundreds of millions, while boosting Canadian and other foreign suppliers’ sales.
And now, there’s a new indicator of how serious Canadians have become in sending a message to Americans.
“Canadian consumers are quietly pulling U.S. products off their grocery lists, and the impact is measurable,” says Sylvain Charlebois, a Canadian professor and food researcher.
“Multiple industry sources relying on scanner data from major grocers suggest that volumes of U.S.-sourced products have declined by double digits since last March. That represents a material shift within specific categories, including packaged foods and produce where U.S. imports traditionally hold significant shelf space,” Charlebois reported in a column in the Asia Pacific Post. (Read the full article here: https://asianpacificpost.com/article/10531-us-consumer-boycott-exposes-local-problem.html.)
“For many households, the grocery store has become one of the few places where they feel they can register disapproval of the Trump administration’s posture toward Canada,” Charlebois noted.
Amen!
Beating the US hockey team(s) would have soothed the soul, but for long-term satisfaction, the power of the pocketbook can also feel good … and do more for Canada.
🇨🇦🇨🇦 Buy Canadian 🇨🇦🇨🇦
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new topics on this blog up for discussion.)
The video is Trump trolling, nothing more. He is acting like a 12 year old.
Now there is this. An AI generated tiktok video which alters a Tkachuk brothers interview after the Four Nations tournament last year has Brady saying “They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eating f—s a lesson.”
And Brady is put in an awkward spot especially because he plays for a Canadian city.
“Did you enjoy the video”, he is asked. “Well it’s not my voice.” He probably did like the video, probably thought it was funny in that childish way we all find stupid things funny.
This is all on Trump. Videos get put out and then he magnifies them by reposting. He doesn’t care about the consequences on even his own supporters. I am pretty sure the Tkachuks would be Trump (at least Republican) supporters. But Trump doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.
More distractions while a 12 year old starts a war with Iran.
What I have found so offensive is the Trump AI clip, making the rounds on various media platforms, of him scoring the winning goal and taking out most of the Canadian team.
This is the crap which 39% of American support; This what the Maple MAGA’s support.
Shades of 1939………………
(Response: I keep wondering how even 39% of Americans can say they still support Trump … until I see the usual spokespersons for the Democrats: Schumer, Raskin, Jeffries, Alexandra Cortez … none impress either! Ho)
Sure hope we can get our act together sometime soon.
From Energynow.ca
Australia is shipping LNG much further than its main buyers in Asia as demand for the super-chilled fuel in the region falters.
East Canada is set to receive its first Australian shipment of the fuel on the Maran Gas Hector on Thursday, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Kpler that goes back to 2008. The journey is unusually long, with the tanker traveling around 16,000 miles (25,750 kilometers) to reach its final destination.
Canadian importers are turning to reliable sources like Australia to meet their energy needs. Additionally, the infrastructure in eastern Canada allows for flexible import options, making it feasible to receive LNG shipments from distant producers.
(Response: it is Ludacris, that any part of Canada would have to import natural gas (or oil) from any other country. The federal government, and the provinces have to get their act together… And if it requires the federal government to impose sanity on any province that tries to block Canadians access to our own energy, the federal government should exercise that power. Ho)
And now the story isn’t about Canada losing or even the Americans winning.
I think we can all agree that Canadians were hoping for a win and are more disappointed at a loss because it was against the US but especially the US with Trump as president.
After Canada won the Four Nations tournament, still PM (though lame duck) Justin Trudeau posted “you can’t take our country and you can’t take our game”. Thanks Justin. Does this loss now mean they have taken our game and by his logic can ultimately take our country?
All that aside, I am fascinated by what is now transpiring in the US.
Bill Guerin, GM of the US team and good friends of Kash Patel the controversial head of the FBI invited Patel into the dressing room to celebrate with the team. He celebrates as if he was part of the team. His behaviour is embarrassing. Patel takes the call from Trump who seems genuinely excited about the team’s victory. He invites them to the White House and the State of the Union. An invitation to the White House is pretty standard while the State of the Union is more self serving but let’s give him a break. But then, Trump, being Trump, has to blow it by making some joke about having to invite the women’s team because he would be impeached if he didn’t. The guys laugh.
And now the players have to explain THEIR behaviour. How they feel about the woman’s team and why they laughed etc etc. Good grief. In the moment when they have just won the game of a lifetime, they are not thinking about anything other than that and Trump’s joke was not about the women’s team per se it was about him (it’s always about him) and his past impeachments. I can see myself laughing AT Trump in that moment. We laugh at absurdity.
I have read several US articles in an online sports magazine about this and the emphasis is on the players and their laugh in an awkward celebratory situation. Nothing about Guerin who is also the GM of the Minnesota Wild where ICE murdered two citizens, and his invitation to the FBI director who didnt c0-operate with local police about the ICE murders. Little about Trump and his dumb joke which just continues to show his lack of respect for women.
Five players didn’t go to the White House. Four of them were born and raised in Minnesota. Coincidence? Three more didn’t go to the State of the Union where the team was essentially used as a prop. The women’s team turned down the invitation using scheduling issues but I still can’t blame the male players for showing up. Well except one, Tage Thompson, who wore a Make America Great Again cap. He can support Trump if he wants, but read the room buddy.
Anyway, this would never happen in Canada despite our political divisions. That’s our victory.
(Response: this game was, as I suggested in my blog, much more than just an ordinary, gold medal hockey game. It clearly was highly political, although I am surprised that the Americans are making as much out of it as I thought it naturally meant to Canada. As for going to the White House, I don’t blame anybody who gets invited there who decides to go, even if they don’t like Trump or realize how repugnant a person he is. Getting into the oval office would be a once in a lifetime honor, so if it happened to me I would take it. However, I do admire those who stayed away from the state of the union address… Fully realizing how they would be taken advantage of by Trump and the Republicans. Ho)
Didn’t he say he wanted to close the border. He probably sees the drop in tourism as a win.
As for the Norwegians. They won 41 medals, 18 of them gold. The USA was a distant second with 33 total and 12 gold and then it falls off from there. The only reason I bring this up is because I read an article a few days ago about how well Norway does at the Winter Olympics but the bulk of the article wondered why it wasn’t as good at hockey as their Nordic neighbours, Sweden and Finland. Their population is the size of BC and they dominate in the winter sports but somehow hockey has to find its way into the story. And I am guilty as sin. All I will remember from this Olympic is the hockey final and maybe and I emphasize maybe the Canadian curlers being accused of cheating (not the winning part) Lindsay Vonn breaking her leg and a Chinese-American, born and raised in the US, winning medals for China. Should I be paying more attention.
(Response: People take different interests in watching sports: some concentrate on their local team; others on the skills in the game itself; some on individual players; and, in international competitions, the medal counts by countries; but in the Gold Medal hockey game, and leading up to it, I found it meant much more to many Canadians than just sport: they wanted to beat “America” … and not just the US hockey team. There was hate in their hearts, not just hockey, which shows how much Trump’s statements/policies have damaged our relationship. Sad. Ho)
Not a big Hockey fan and even less than a fan of the Olympics.
This old rugby player, played the game, for the game and in my career, I was on loosing side of the game far more often than winning.
C’est la vie.
I do not like ‘sudden death” overtime as it means luck plays a big part, with no recourse and is done mainly to satisfy the TV types.
I firmly believe that if overtime is needed, play the full 20 minute period where fitness comes into play.
As for the Olympics, I have largely lost interest as winning by hundredths of a second is to me, meaningless.
Then there was the Ukrainian helmet fiasco, where the Olympic Committee further embarrassed themselves.
Personally the Olympics should be strictly a U-21 affair.
As for the USA, stopped going a few years back. We did the family Disney thing twice and Vegas/Reno a few times (one was for my son’s sporting event), but lost the flavour for American Travel. I think it was the “open carry” guys with automatic assault rifles in McDonalds that did it.
Canada is a vast country, we should take the time to explore it and see how lucky we are to live here.
(Response: Agree the sudden death overtime leaves a lot up to luck, not skill, but a full 20-minute extra period, no; maybe 10 minutes. As for going to the US, I see nothing wrong with people going to visit family or for special occasions, like weddings or funerals. Readers know I am a snowbird and since I own a place there, still head south in the coldest months. But I have shortened my season, don’t do day visits or spring, summer, fall excursions, watch my shopping choices and did cancel a booked cruise to the Hawaian islands. I actually like the United States and I find in general. Americans are very welcoming and friendly and good people. But we also have to stand up for our own country! Ho(
The result was disappointing. Canada made defensive errors on both goals, failed to capitalize on its opportunities, and lost possession of the puck far too often. In my ideal world, Canada would have had superior skating, passing, shooting, defensive play and more goals. I would have loved to see Canada 5 USA 1.
(Response: That game could have gone either way: they were very well matched. And a sudden death three-on-three overtime final isn’t fair: should be a 10 minute full period… or periods. But I thought Canada iced the puck far too often in the third period and seemed a bit more tired. However, what impressed me most was how much the game meant to Canadians … well beyond the sports competition angle. Ho)
And the act of trying to stop the opening Gordie Howe Bridge. A Canadian who played hockey like nobody and he played in the USA. Trump does not know that. Like he is saying hell to the hockey legend..
It was a great game but the wrong result. Sad. We will get over it. Just like the Edmonton Oilers losing the Stanly Cup to the American team. We will survive.
(Response: Hockey tournaments to Canadians have always been more than just competitions … but this one was the ultimate! Until the next one. Ho)
How the US is getting Canadien tourists to return
First shut down Cuba and then Mexico https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/puerto-vallarta-advisory-9.7101787
(Response: The real remedy will be a new trade deal … but not one that subverts Canada’s economy … or dignity. And even then, Trump will have to shut his mouth … stop the insults. Not likely, eh? OK … then a new President/administration/Congress will do! Ho)
Quote: “Not likely, eh? OK … then a new President/administration/Congress will do!”
Sorry no, with MAGA still polling 35% and the mass of corruption now in the White House, a new government will do what it has traditionally done, ignore Canada or treat us as a vassal state, while they clean up their mess.
As for the midterms, there is a 50/50 chance that that will not happen
Trump is just reflecting the general view Americans have of Canada and that goes back to the elephant and mouse analogy.
Those easy times traveling to the USA are long gone and will not return and Canadians had better get used to it.