Maybe if we’re talking about retaliatory measures that Canada could take against the US in the near future, hockey should be part of the conversation – say, a 25% tariff added to every Canadian player on an American team, payable to the government of Canada.
When it designed the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, the NHL could never have predicted that this marquee matchup would land at a time of such bilateral political acrimony, nor that the atmosphere both inside and beyond the Bell Centre would be so febrile, nor that everyone would be so worked up about a trade issue that, on the surface, has nothing to do with hockey players.
“If not exported directly for sale in the United States, the best games are sold here in Canada under monopoly conditions at outrageous prices.” Canada pumps out hockey players, and the Americans get rich.
So, if reputation redemption, or a simple recalibration of hockey dominance, was all that was at stake during Saturday night’s spicy contests between Canada and the US – the Americans came from behind to win 3-1 – it still would have been a doozy.
Canada crashed out of that tournament on home ice with a squad few thought accurately represented the country’s top talent (which Hockey Canada, in typical national fashion, all but apologized for this week).
