The Panthers beat the Oilers in last year's Cup Final
There does not seem to be an end in sight to the tensions between the United States and Canada.
Whether it is on the ice or through tariffs, the two countries are at odds with one another, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined the fray on Tuesday.
DeSantis spoke in front of a crowd on Tuesday, when he bragged about the over 140 million tourists who paid a visit to Florida throughout 2024.
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk, #19, kisses the cup after winning game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
The Florida governor said that 3.3 million of those people came from Canada.
"That's not much of a boycott, in my book," DeSantis said, taking a parting shot at those from the country who have threatened to boycott the U.S. amid the tensions.
He then brought sports into it.
"Maybe they wanted to get a glimpse of what a Stanley Cup-winning hockey team actually looks like."
OMG. RON DESANTIS with the MIC DROP. 🔥
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 4, 2025
"3.3 million visitors from Canada. That's not much of a boycott, in my book. Maybe they wanted to get a glimpse of what a Stanley Cup winning hockey team actually looks like."
CC: @JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/IGu3xoDp6P
Of course, the Florida Panthers are the reigning Cup champions, all while no NHL team from Canada has won the Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers, despite the Oilers forcing a Game 7 after trailing that series, 3-0.
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk, #19, center Aleksander Barkov, #16, and teammates celebrate with the cup after winning game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)
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In fact, the state of Florida has actually brought home four Stanley Cups since the turn of the century; three others by the Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, 2020, 2021) as opposed to zero by Canada, which is synonymous with hockey.
While the Stanley Cup has not headed north in more than three decades, Canada has dominated the United States in international play.
Team Canada took home the newly-founded 4 Nations Face-Off last month in an overtime win against the USA. The country is 14-4-1 against the red, white and blue in best-on-best format, including the 2002 and 2010 Olympic gold medal games and the 2014 Olympic semifinals.
Matt Boldy, #12 of Team United States, and Sidney Crosby, #87 of Team Canada, shake hands after the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship game between Team Canada and Team United States at TD Garden on Feb. 20, 2025 in Boston. Team Canada defeated Team United States 3-2 in overtime. (Chase Agnello-Dean/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
The best win the Americans have had since their rivalry started in the 1970s was the 1996 Canada Cup victory. The Americans won round-robin games against Canada in both the 2010 Olympics and last month's 4 Nations Face-Off.
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