The Big Lead

Charles Barkley chimes in on Four Nations Face-Off: Canada was politically motivated to win

By J.P. Hoornstra

Feb 12, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Hall of Fame NBA player Charles Barkley , Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) and Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) poses during a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Hall of Fame NBA player Charles Barkley , Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) and Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) poses during a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
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After getting off the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin tried to downplay the idea of political undertones motivating his players.

"I’ve said it before: We’re here to play hockey. This is not a political forum," Guerin said, via The Athletic. "This is a hockey tournament. And (Trump) is just trying to be supportive in the best way that he could, and we appreciate it.”

Charles Barkley ain't buying it.

"They were playing harder because of the tariffs and they didn’t want to be the 51st state," Barkley said of Team Canada on Inside the NBA. "That’s motivation!"

The chuckles from the Inside the NBA panel, including Shaquille O'Neal, were audible. But Barkley's sly smile said a lot. Guerin can say what he wants — the game became a political forum. Canada's 3-2 overtime win delivered such a strong political statement north of the border, even prime minister Justin Trudeau leaned into it.

"You can't take our country — and you can't take our sport," Trudeau wrote in French on Twitter/X:

While Trump's rhetoric around incorporating Canada into the United States has so far fallen short of effecting any federal policy proposals, his threat of tariffs on Canadian goods was part of his broader policy negotiations with Trudeau earlier this month.

The rhetoric even bled into the Canadian National Anthem. Before the game, singer Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyrics from “in all of us command” to “that only us command,” and a spokesperson confirmed Trump’s 51st state comments were the reason why.

”A lot of stuff going on with Canada and the USA right now, and us playing against each other was kind of a perfect storm for our sport,” tournament MVP Nathan MacKinnon said after the game. “It was much more popular than even we would have imagined. It was getting so much attention from our whole continent.”

That includes Barkley, a longtime hockey fan and political observer.

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