Canadian Paper: SOTU Was a Zoo, and Team USA Were the Monkeys

It seems the Canadians are still mad that they lost the Olympic gold medal to the U.S. Canadians, and plenty of easily triggered American liberals, were still seething on Tuesday before President Donald Trump brought out the men's hockey team to honor them at his State of the Union address. That was apparently more salt in the wound, judging by the response of Canadian media.

As we recently reported, The Globe and Mail sent a correspondent to Alabama to look around and try to answer the question of how Alabama could possibly be richer than Canada "out of nowhere." The paper's curiosity about the superpower to their south led it to watch and opine on America's State of the Union address, which The Globe and Mail called a circus, with Team USA serving as the monkeys.

The State of the Union was a zoo – and Team USA the monkeys https://t.co/GaDUly8zGi pic.twitter.com/HpVjyLxgNc
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) February 25, 2026

Cathal Kelly writes:

It was a terrible idea. The whole thing. They could’ve just gone to a night club for three days and had everyone’s phone confiscated at the door, but ooohhhh no, someone had to get ambitious.
Ambition is at the core of this. In American pro terms, hockey is a third-class endeavour. This was Team USA’s big chance to move to the front of the culture. They weren’t ready for it.
I think it was the sweaters. Going around in public dressed up like an early middle-aged Glee Club is not very Michael Jordan. It was the sweaters, with a side of sycophancy.
The USA players could have played this straight down the middle. Been modest and self-effacing after their victory. Kept the politics to one side.
But where’s the fun in that? How do you mine aura out of humility?
…
They talk about sea-doos, watches and stick tape. A lot of them went to college, but none of them actually went to college. They went to hockey. I’d be shocked if more than a handful of them had ever read a book that wasn’t Harry Potter.
Try to remember that these men were not raised to be independent thinkers. That would be antithetical to getting where they’ve gotten. They are designed from childhood to live in packs.
Whenever a new alpha – like the current U.S. President – wanders into their midst, even telephonically, their instinct is to roll over and start chittering.

Canadian Paper: SOTU Was a Zoo, and Team USA Were the Monkeys

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