Friday, April 16, 2004

ANTHEM POLITICS

As I mentioned below I couldn't watch last night's Habs/Bruins game 5 in which the Habs soundly trounced the Bruins. Message to Bruins fans: Be afraid, the Habs are coming back.

However, I wish to address a larger issue in relation to this series. At the beginning of both games 3 and 4 in Montreal the fans at the Bell Centre booed and jeered during the singing of the American national anthem. This type of behaviour is disgraceful and deserves to be condemned. If the booing was meant to be some type of political statment it was ignorant. It is troubling that some Canadians would stoop to such boorish levels out of an inability to differentiate between a people and government policy. And it would seem to be an expression of petty nationalism that I have said before has no place in professional hockey. If it was some kind of attempt to rattle the Bruins and show support for the Habs it's simply beyond ignorant and insulting.

In response Boston Bruins fans showed the up-most class and put Montreal fans to shame, when, last night before the start of game 5, they loudly cheered the opening line of Oh Canada and showed great respect for the Canadian anthem. Outstanding. That's exactly the type of response that will hopefully put the patrons of the Bell Centre in their place.

Shortly thereafter the Habs will put the Bruins in theirs.

Posted by Matthew @ 1:23 p.m.