Heading into Thursday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada, tensions ran high off the ice. A notable change in the in-arena pregame performance of “O Canada” by three-time Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk appeared to reflect the political climate, igniting significant social media conversation.
This match took place amid a backdrop of trade disputes over U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Although the tariffs were temporarily paused, tensions were palpable when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance jokingly suggested that if Canada didn’t win, “the tariffs are even higher.” Additionally, Trump called the U.S. team pregame, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating “we look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state,” a sentiment he echoed in a Truth Social post that ESPN analyst P.K. Subban shared on X, which led to a response from Akim Aliu challenging Subban.
Given the ongoing conversation around anthem booing during the tournament, Kreviazuk’s rendition came with considerable scrutiny:
That was an interesting version of the Canadian national anthem…
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/vw6IptkwEL
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025
Initially, the most striking aspect was Kreviazuk’s alteration of the lyrics, specifically changing “True patriot love, in all of us command” to “that only us command.” While some criticized her for the change, many interpreted it as a declaration of Canadian sovereignty and praised her for it. Reactions varied widely:
Love that Chantal sang “That only us Command” for the anthem 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🥰
— Josanne Landry (@JosibeanL) February 21, 2025
I thought “only us command” was a deliberate shot at the annexationists
— Christo Aivalis 🌹🍊 (@christoaivalis) February 21, 2025
that only us command??? she cooked holy
— Alex (@Zygun_) February 21, 2025
“True patriot love that only us command….”
Slip of the tongue or deliberate word choice, do you think?
— License to Will (@wharrison51) February 21, 2025
I think she changed it on purpose, she said “that only us command”. Still terrible either way lol
— Funnifrog (@ALonaich15) February 21, 2025
There is a long history of alterations to “O Canada,” which is further complicated by its official versions in both languages. The original 1880 version contained only French lyrics by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. Over the years, various English translations emerged, with Robert Weir’s 1908 version, loosely translated, becoming the official English anthem by 1939 and cemented as such in the National Anthem Act of 1980 after specific lyrical changes by the Canadian Parliament. In 2018, Parliament revised the lyrics from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.” However, there has been no official acknowledgment of “that only us command.” Whether Kreviazuk’s alteration was a simple error or a deliberate statement, it certainly caught attention.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Canadian national anthem has faced a politically charged alteration at a major sporting event, excluding genuine missteps like Dennis KC Parks’ “O Christmas Tree” version. At the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, a member of Canadian group The Tenors altered the line “With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free!” to “We’re all brothers and sisters, all lives matter to the great,” sparking significant discussion.
It remains to be seen if Kreviazuk’s performance will elicit a similarly strong response.
