Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere under fire for gesture during American anthem last night

There is so much politics in the National Hockey League, it is driving me crazy. It’s also driving some fans to be extremely critical of some teams, players and rival fanbases, especially amid the tariffs war between Canada and the United States.
For almost two months now, the national anthems and whether one or both have been booed prior to games. It’s happened as tensions continue to flare between the nations after U.S. President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada. Trump also suggested the country could become America’s ‘51st state’, prompting backlash from the close neighbour and longtime ally.

Almost every night lately, one anthem is getting booed before puck drop. On Thursday night in New York however, it was a player that got under fire what what he did during the American anthem.

Fans on social media posted how Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere did not remove his helmet during the anthem of the USA. The Canadian player and the Rangers were facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at MSG last night, and the fact that Lafreniere did not remove his helmet did not please the American fanbase.

Unfortunately for the NHL, it is getting impacted by the ongoing trade war.

Earlier this month, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman has hinted at the fact that the league could be affected by the current tensions between U.S. and Canada. Bettman had first started pointed out how 25% of the league’s revenue comes from its Canadian clubs. Seven Canadian teams, who perform well, could suffer ramifications for the league depending on the state of Canadian tariffs.

If you ask me, like Canadians and Americans getting” caught in the middle”, the NHL is dealing with the same fate.
Same goes for Lafreniere, who probably didn’t mean anything bad in perhaps just forgetting to remove his helmet.