Montreal fans loudly express disapproval during the playing of the US anthem before the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the US and Canada.

MONTREAL — During the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the U.S. and Canada, held in Montreal, fans made their displeasure clear by loudly booing the American national anthem.

It’s the second time “The Star-Spangled Banner” drew that reaction in two games the United States has played at the NHL-run international tournament.

The reaction from the crowd came after the public address announcer, Michel Lacroix, in both French and English, urged everyone to show respect for the anthems and the players representing their respective countries.

Compared to the previous game against Finland, the booing during the U.S. anthem was much more pronounced this time, with a significant portion of the Bell Centre crowd participating and the negative reaction lasting throughout the anthem.

“I paid no attention to it,” U.S. starting goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said after beating Finland 6-1 on Thursday. “You have free speech. You can do whatever you want. If you’re going to boo the anthem, we sing it for the troops that protected our freedom. That doesn’t really mean anything to me. You can do whatever you want. But I don’t use it at all.”

U.S. coach Mike Sullivan did not think the booing had anything to do with the U.S. starting strong Thursday night.

“That’s really not something that we can control,” Sullivan said. “We just want to play hockey. We want to compete. We want to represent our nation in the right way.”

Fans across Canada have booed the U.S. anthem at NHL and NBA games since President Donald Trump began making repeated references to the country becoming “the 51st state.” Trump also threatened tariffs against the country, prompting backlash from a close neighbor and longtime ally.

Asked Friday at practice about fans booing the U.S. anthem, veteran Canada defenseman Drew Doughty voiced opposition to it.

“Obviously I know what’s going on, and I understand the Canadians’ frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems and stuff like that,” Doughty told reporters in Brossard, Quebec. “I don’t think anyone should be booing.”