Image Credit: The Associated Press / Charles Krupa

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: More than just a hockey game

Feb 21, 2025 | 12:30 PM

LAST NIGHT’S FOUR NATIONS FACEOFF final pitting Canada against the United States transcended the sport of hockey.

Generations from now, Canadians will tell their children and grandchildren where they were when Connor McDavid scored the overtime winner – just the way our parents and grandparents tell us about Paul Henderson’s winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series.

Similarities between the two landmark moments for Canadian hockey extend far beyond the ice.

In 1972, the West was in the throes of its Cold War with the Soviet Union.

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As much as it was a clash between world powers in the realm of covert intelligence and military might, it was also a clash between ways of life in the face of threats to national sovereignty.

The games on the ice took on a deeper significance, whipping up a fervor of national pride in Canadians fuelled by the geopolitical context of the time.

Does that sound familiar here in 2025?

Since he returned to the Oval Office, President Donald Trump has spent almost every day spewing threats about annexing Canada. That rhetoric should have us all concerned.

He calls Canada the 51st state. He refers to our prime minister as ‘governor.’

As much as his quislings and acolytes may deny it, Trump’s words do matter.

Beyond his words, Trump is punishing both our people and his own with exorbitant import tariffs, a blunt instrument meant to bend us to his will.

Canadians are responding by letting our dollars do the talking, buying more Canadian-made goods and curbing travel south of the border, but it’s hardly an equal playing field.

It’s unlikely those actions will compel Trump to relent.

The hockey arena is an equal playing field, so to speak.

Our victory there means something. It’s a shot to their pride and a boost to ours.

Most David-and-Goliath fights don’t end up like the original from the Old Testament did.

Last night’s win, though, was at least one stone slung right between the eyes of the behemoth and should give Canadians the spirit to carry on in this fight for our national sovereignty.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.