According to TSN Senior Correspondent Rick Westhead, he has spoken to one Canadian NHL team who told them there are no plans to ditch the long-standing tradition of singing the American and Canadian National Anthems before every hockey game.
That said, Westhead added that some Canadian teams may opt-out of the US Anthem as young singers may be rattled by the booing, even though it is not directed at them.
Fans at the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Scotiabank Arena, booed "The Star Spangled Banner" in advance of the game between The Toronto Raptors and LA Clippers as well, showing that the problem isn't going anywhere.
In his latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet Elliotte Friedman wondered if the league wouldn't put a stop to the signing of the national anthems, given everything that's going on.
"If they start booing the Canadian anthem as well, especially in the United States, I wonder if anyone's going to say we should stop playing the visiting anthem."
It's possible the tariff battle between the two nations will have cooled off by then, but it's difficult to say for sure. In the meantime, the 4 Nations Face-Off will likely be filled with boo-birds when Team Canada takes on Team USA Saturday, Feb. 15.