It isn’t just hockey fans on both sides of the border who are glued to the NHL playoffs — the leaders of Canada and the United States have agreed to a bet as the Stanley Cup final gets underway in both countries.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly reached out to President Joe Biden late Monday as the Montreal Canadiens took on the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1 in Florida.
“Two of the best teams in the NHL are facing off right now… how about a friendly wager, POTUS?” he wrote on Twitter.
Biden quickly responded, “You’re on pal.”
The odds have shifted since Trudeau’s tweet — posted around 9 p.m. with the Canadiens already down by at least a goal — after the Lightning dominated Montreal to win 5-1 in the first game of the series Monday night.
The terms of the stake weren’t revealed online, but the Lightning weighed in after their victory.
“We’re intrigued….what are your thoughts, Mr. President?” Tampa Bay replied.
This isn’t the first time a bet has been made between the two neighbouring nations. In 2014, it was the Olympic Games that were the source of a wager.
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After the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams both won their games against the U.S., President Barack Obama had to send two cases of beer to Stephen Harper, who was prime minister at the time.
The Canadiens, which have been the underdog in the NHL playoffs, bounced back from a 3-1 deficit to win the first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The storied club then swept the Winnipeg Jets before eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-2 overtime win last Thursday.
Montreal will be back on Tampa Bay ice Wednesday night, before Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup final unfold at the Bell Centre. It is the first time since 1993 that the Habs have made it this far in the playoffs.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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