Canadian fans reluctant to travel to US during NHL playoffs

It has been said sports can be a great unifier, bringing people together across different cultures

over shared experiences. But in the current political climate, maybe not so much. Take the

Stanley Cup playoffs as an example. Five of the 16 NHL teams in the playoffs are from Canada

and fans from some of those teams have been reluctant to visit the U.S. to see their favorite

teams compete. The drop in visitation from our neighbors to the north isn't just influencing the

hockey world. Since President Trump's first days in office, the combination of trade restrictions

and hostile rhetoric towards those north of the border, like calling for Canada to become the 51st

state, has caused a drop in visitation. According to statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border

Protection Agency, visitors coming across the Canadian border are down 12.5 percent in February

and down 18 percent for March, year over year. That's a drop of nearly 900,000 people from March

of last year, a decline that hasn't been seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. If the drop continues

at that rate and pushes 30%, the U.S. Travel Association estimates it could result in over

six billion in losses to the U.S. economy. California is trying to do something about that

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media to encourage Canadians to visit and took a

shot at the White House saying you know who trying to stir things up back in D There something here for everyone Last year nearly 2 million Canadians visited California because here in California we got plenty of sunshine

and a whole lot of love for our neighbors up north. The Winnipeg Jets will visit the U.S. later this week

during their first-round playoff series. The Edmonton Oilers are in Los Angeles

and the Montreal Canadiens play the Capitals in Washington, D.C., both on Monday night in their first game of their best of seven battles

Habs superfan Sunil Petoush told the Canadian press he's having second thoughts about visiting for any reason

We just didn't feel right as Canadians. We felt like we were betraying our country

We have a cruise booked in August and it's going to Alaska and we haven't really decided whether we're going to do it or not

But sometimes fandom takes over. Many say they won't think twice if their teams go deep into the playoffs and they'll weather any possible travel inconveniences at the border due to heightened restrictions

After all, hockey is religion in Canada, and those teams are chasing one of the most prestigious trophies in sports

The bigger sporting test could be at the 2026 World Cup. Games are scheduled to be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

And FIFA, soccer's governing body, expects some 6 million people to attend games coming from countries all over the world

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis