Canadien Fans BOO U.S. National Anthem

SportsLine.com wire report



MONTREAL -- Fans booed during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before the New York Islanders' 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Sellout crowd of 21,273 at Bell Centre was asked to "show your support and respect for two great nations" before the singing of the American and Canadian national anthems.

But a significant portion of the crowd booed throughout The Star-Spangled Banner in an apparent display of their displeasure with the U.S.-led war against Iraq. More than 200,000 people turned out for an anti-war demonstration in Montreal last Saturday.

"I'm sure there are a lot of people against the war, but some things people can't control," said New York's Alexei Yashin, who is from Russia. "They were probably showing what they feel about it."

Teammate Mark Parrish, a native of Bloomington, Minn., was upset hearing the boos.

"I came to the game pretty pumped up, but once I heard that it really got me going," Parrish said. "So I guess I can thank them a little bit for getting me more pumped up."


"Oh Canada" Wil.

 

[Jazz]

Yeah, happened a few days ago at another game. Bad manners is my only comment.

 

[FunkSoulBrother]

here we go again. Once the talk radio guys get ahold of this, it will probably turn into chaos for multiple canadian hockey teams, and probably the Expos and Blue Jays too.

I mean if people will show up to a Division III Basketball game to jeer and insult a 20 year old girl, then NHL games are going to get nuts.

 

[FunkSoulBrother]

EDIT: Double post.

 

I respect their right to Boo. Have we forgotten what freedom is?

 

[kayaman+]

General,

Seems like a lot of people here think you're only allowed freedom if you agree with Bushwacker 100%. Apparently it's un-American not to support the little tyrant.

 

Nothing new.

I remember when I was 12 or so, I went to watch my beloved Buffalo Sabres play Quebec (before our owner went to prision & they moved) ...

.. anyway, their fans not only boo during the Anthem them threw beer on everyone and ended up in a brawl.

But, in fairness, the French Canadians see to equally hate everyone (including non-French Canadians), not just Americans.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

Bad manners is my only comment.

What a priss.

Don't like the "bad manners"...put a leash on Uncle Sam, he might get bitten.

 

[Gargoyle]

Booing the national anthem is no different than burning our flag. It's insulting and inciting. Those of us that are veterans of our great military are passionate about both the anthem and the flag. You have your freedom of speech because an American soldier died for that freedom that so many take advantage.

eom

 

[radiofreecostarica]

and we have every right to boo and burn.

You have your freedom of speech because an American soldier died for that freedom that so many take advantage.

No. we have THAT freedom because the constitution allows for it.
Its those inalienable rights...real humdingers.

 

[grantt]

There you go Gargoyl make it like the U.S. is the only nation to ever fight or loose people in a war. Your arrogance is not respected here.

 

[Jazz]

radio: lol! Naw, man, just saying I could care less if some people in their own country boo our national anthem, hell, they're HOCKEY FANS for crying out loud. Bad manners is all it is, nothing to wet myself about.

lander: that's a terrific point, actually. Kind of a corollary to the common saying that everyone hates the French.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

kind of similar to the Dixie Chicks coming out against the war...

"cause its the hip thing to do."

 

[Jazz]

radio, that's actually a good and probably true analogy

 

[kayaman+]

Radio,

Actually I believe that the inalienable rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Freedom of speech is covered in the 1st Amendment.

You are still right, the Constitution is what gives us those rights. However Gargoyle is also correct, those who fought in the American Revolution made it possible to give those rights. Many have fought since then to protect those rights. The problem when soldiers (or anyone for that matter) get upset about flag burners, anthem booers, etc. what they are forgetting is that part of defending a free nation means also defending the right to disagree with that nation's policies and actions.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

Not just that, kaya..

A just war would be different. A war fought in direct defense of the US would be cause to say that "they fight so that I might have that freedom".
But their anger presupposes that without the various struggles that the US has been in SINCE wwII have been to preserve that freedom.
Not one wants to admit that some of these "wars" have had little to do with American Freedom.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

From The Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.


The self-evidence of these rights accepts the idea that even before the naming of these rights they did indeed exist. Therefore, before there was any military to defend said rights, we the people were endowed with these by the Creator.

 

[kayaman+]

Radio,

You love the semantics game don't you, lol.

"We hold...."

"We" being the founding fathers, it's kind of like beauty in the eye of the beholder, the phrasing indicates that the authors of the document found those rights to be self-evident and them expressing that created the ground work to secure them for U.S. citizens. We still have them to thank no matter how evident or not those rights might be.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

I think, regarding politics, you have to play the semantics game. Politicians pass laws based on semantics.

I don't mean to sound picky here but I have always understood self-evidence as being just that: That these rights are god-given, not bestowed on a citizenry by its government.

 

[radiofreecostarica]

We still have them to thank no matter how evident or not those rights might be.

I completely agree. Did I come off as disagreeing with you on that?