‘Battle of Ontario’ has NHL fans louder, more united amid Trump attacks
With the federal election over, the spotlight is back on the NHL playoffs with thousands of fans gathering Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre to display their Canadian pride and cheer on teams in the “Battle of Ontario.”
Hockey has been part of Canadian identity for decades, but right now, the sport may once again provide a symbol of unity and sovereignty for many Canadians in the shadow of the Trump administration.
Add to that the fact that two Canadian teams — the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs — are facing off in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, with a do-or-die game Thursday night, and fans who spoke to Global News outside the Canadian Tire Centre said they’re seeing more pride.
“Hockey represents our nationality, it’s everywhere, it’s what we do,” said Maureen Dubé, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, to Global News.
“I think there’s more pride because of what’s going on in the U.S. I think that we’re prouder and we’re louder and we’re more united together.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has levied repeated rounds of damaging tariffs on Canada since March, and repeatedly said he wants to make Canada the 51st state — a push roundly rejected by Canadian leaders and voters.
For fans, the sport represents Canadian identity, national unity and source of social cohesion and belonging, according to recent surveys.
Seventy-four per cent of respondents felt hockey holds a deep significance to Canadian national identity, according to a 2022 Environics Survey.
Another 62 per cent of Canadians reported they felt a connection to hockey when playing, watching or just being involved in the sport, according to a 2021 Angus Reid survey.
“Everybody grows up with a team, something they can put their heart behind – get together as a community behind that common cause,” said Phil Bilon, an Ottawa Senators fan who spoke to Global News.
“For Canada hockey has been that thing because so many kids grow up playing it, something that unites us all and it all goes back to when we were kids we all grew up with this familiar game.” Aaron Johson, another Ottawa Senators fan added.
The game’s aggressive and sometimes violent style is what separated hockey from other European sports in the 1890s, allowing Canadians to create a distinct image making hockey perfect for expressing national identity, according to a 2002 paper published in the Journal of American Folklore that studied Canadian identity through sport.
The “Elbows Up” movement — which riffs off the term popularized by hockey legend Gordie Howe and has become a rallying cry for national unity and defending Canada against Trump’s threats — is one such phenomenon where sports and politics collide.
The movement has been central to the pushback against American taunts and tariffs, becoming a prominent political slogan during the recent federal election.
While the “Battle of Ontario,” along with the playoff series may only be just a game, hockey’s continued popularity transcends the rink.
“It would be great to see a Canadian team bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada where the game was founded,” Devon Shuker, an Ottawa Senators fan said.
“This is our game and this is where it’s going to stay.”
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