The U.S. national junior hockey team was showered with praise for proudly singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” after winning the world championship Friday in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Team USA defeated hockey powerhouse Sweden 6-2 to win the gold medal in the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation world junior hockey championship.
“The guys played excellent today,” head coach David Carle told USA Hockey. “It’s a joy for them.
“They focused on getting to this game and playing their best for the last game of the tournament and I thought they did that. It’s a great honor to be a part of a winning team.”
Gabe Perreault of Boston College — a first-round pick of the New York Rangers — led the Americans with a goal and two assists, according to The Associated Press.
The game ended with the frustrated Swedes brawling with players from Team USA.
This is the sixth gold medal the United States has won in the under-20 international tournament. The previous five wins occurred in 2021, 2017, 2013, 2010 and 2004.
While the achievement was a triumph, it was the young athletes’ exuberant display of patriotism that won kudos on social media.
The American players singing their national anthem together after winning Gold at the #WorldJuniors 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JenCCaVTLO
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 5, 2024
“So nice to see young Americans proudly stand for our flag & sing the national anthem. We don’t see that as often any longer,” one commenter wrote on X.
So nice to see young Americans proudly stand for our flag & sing the national anthem. We don’t see that as often any longer. Good job gentlemen on the W.
— Misty Dawn (@MiztDawnCO) January 6, 2024
That is called singing with love and patriotism.
Proud of them boys.— Mario Duarte (@MarioDuarteGar) January 7, 2024
Nothing better than celebrating victory with your teammates and loving your country
— Meta Prime 👾 (@MetaPrime001) January 7, 2024
One of the most gracious and touching reactions came from a Canadian.
“I am Canadian and this made me so happy to see them singing and [appreciating] their win on behalf of their country😀 (even though our team didn’t make final 4),” she gushed.
Congrats to team USA!.
I am Canadian and this made me so happy to see them singing and appreaciating their win on behalf of their country😀 (even though our team 🇨🇦 didn’t make final 4)— SAE 🇨🇦 (@SueCresFair) January 7, 2024
Hopefully, the disgraceful trend of American athletes disrespecting the national anthem is waning with the collapse of the race-hustling Black Lives Matter movement.
As a reminder, BLM was the catalyst for countless riots as well as anti-American “protests” in which athletes kneeled during “The Star-Spangled Banner” at NFL, NBA and other sports events.
You don’t have to be a flag-waving zealot, but at least have some decorum by not openly showing contempt for your country. It’s just common courtesy.
When you attend the wedding of a couple that you just know will end in disaster, do you stand up and make a scene? Probably not.
Emotionally incontinent leftists should exercise the same minimum amount of restraint when the anthem plays.
