Montreal Hockey Fans Express Heartbreak After Second Olympic Gold Medal Loss
Hockey fans in Montreal were left devastated on Sunday as Canada's Olympic men's hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game. The defeat came just days after Canada's women's team experienced a similar fate against their American rivals, creating a double dose of disappointment for Canadian hockey enthusiasts.
Silence Falls Over Bruno Sport Bar
The atmosphere at Bruno Sport Bar in Montreal's Little Italy turned from hopeful anticipation to stunned silence when American player Jack Hughes scored the winning goal during three-on-three overtime. Fans who had packed the establishment early Sunday morning for the 8:10 a.m. game watched in disbelief as their team settled for silver.
"They were robbed," declared Roman Boswell, an American who has lived in Canada for eight years and was cheering for Team Canada for the first time. "I'm cheering for Canada for the first time and it hurts to see them lose."
More Than Just a Game
For many fans, the match represented more than just athletic competition. "This is more than a game today," said Joey Cornelli during the match. "This is political." The longstanding rivalry between Canada and the United States in hockey added significant emotional weight to the Olympic showdown.
Xavier Chartrand echoed this sentiment, noting that "there's no doubt" the game carried political implications. As a sovereignist, Chartrand expressed mixed feelings about the outcome: "As a sovereignist, we didn't lose, we just didn't win. I didn't want Canada to win. I wanted the United States to lose."
Early Morning Gathering with Mixed Emotions
Despite the early hour, fans filled Bruno Sport Bar with energy and anticipation. The establishment kept both coffee and alcohol flowing throughout the morning match. "It's a good opportunity to start drinking early on a Sunday morning without feeling too bad," remarked Peter Johnson, capturing the unique atmosphere of the Olympic viewing event.
Cédric Lamontagne expressed the conflicted emotions many fans felt: "It's our sport. We don't want to lose," he said, before adding philosophically, "but it's just sport at the end of the day."
Double Disappointment for Canadian Hockey
The men's loss mirrored Thursday's defeat for Canada's women's team, who also fell 2-1 in overtime to the United States. This back-to-back disappointment left fans grappling with what might have been for Canadian hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"It hurts a bit to have lost twice," said Élodie Piché as she left the bar after the game. "We wanted to show the United States that we were better." Piché analyzed the game's outcome, suggesting that "we lost a lot of opportunities to score" but found some consolation in the fact that "at least we weren't beaten too badly."
The emotional response from Montreal hockey fans highlights the deep connection Canadians feel to their national sport and the particular significance of Olympic hockey competitions against their southern neighbors. While the silver medal represents a significant achievement, for many in Montreal's hockey community, only gold would have been satisfactory against their American rivals.
