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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a shot at the United States of America after Canada defeated Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game Thursday (February 20) night.
"You canât take our country â and you canât take our game," Trudeau wrote on his X account.
Trudeau's post referenced President Donald Trump's repeated threats to turn Canada into the 51st state following his attempt to tariff the neighboring country. The prime minister was reportedly less confident in private, having been caught on a hot mic telling Canadian business and labor leaders that Trump's threats were "a real thing" in a closed door meeting earlier this month, CBS News reported.
âI suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have, but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,â Trudeau said via the Daily Beast. âTheyâre very aware of our resources, of what we have, and they very much want to be able to benefit from those. But Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing."
Canada defeated Team USA, 3-2, in overtime during the newly launched 4 Nations Face-Off, which also featured Sweden and Finland, as an alternative format for the NHL All-Star Game, coinciding with heightened tensions between the two neighboring countries. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal at 8:18 of overtime to break a 2-2 tie.
"Just to see the reaction. Just to know what it means to us. I know it's just a quick tournament, and it's not an Olympic gold medal or anything like that, but it means the world to our group, as you can see," McDavid said via ESPN.
"I hope [the new fans] love it," he added. "It's a great game, it's a great sport and I hope we put on a good show these last couple days and gained some fans, ultimately. You can't ask for a better show than that."