Buzz & Beyond: Nhl

The Star-Spangled Banner has been heartily jeered north of the border after Donald Trump announced tariffs. Similar protests have happened before. It’s not as if national anthems are the only way of telling that many pro sports leagues straddle the border between Canada and the US. The line can’t be ignored. There’s an exchange rate, for one thing, as well as different tax rates. There are cultural differences, too, if slight, but present enough that in some cases, pro players eschew Canadian teams in favour of American ones (it’s rarely the other way around). The border is always there. Still, on any given game day, it could be ignored. It could just be about the sport. If it weren’t for the anthems.