Ontario premier Doug Ford has given his constituents the right to drink in bars as early as 6am on Sunday for Canada’s highly anticipated Olympic hockey showdown with Team USA in the gold medal game.
Bars can usually open as early as 9am in Ontario, which includes Canada’s largest city, Toronto. But with Sunday’s finale starting at 8am local time, Ford was happy to cut through the necessary red tape.
‘The entire country will be watching on Sunday morning as our men’s hockey team plays for Olympic gold,’ Ford wrote on X.
‘To help us all celebrate Team Canada, the province will be allowing bars and restaurants across the province to sell alcohol starting at 6:00am EST.’
‘Let’s all come together, support local businesses and cheer on Team Canada!’
Although appreciative, many constituents were troubled that Ford was so quick to act over something like alcohol consumption on a Sunday.
Ontario premier Doug Ford has given his constituents the right to drink in bars as early as 6am on Sunday for Canada’s highly anticipated Olympic gold medal game matchup with Team USA
Nathan MacKinnon of Canada celebrates with Macklin Celebrini and Sam Reinhart
‘Why is it that the only thing you take action on in this province has to do with alcohol??????’ one critic asked on X.
Another similarly asked: ‘Why is alcohol always your go-to response?’
Others questioned Canadian drinking habits.
‘If people need alcohol at 6am to enjoy a hockey game, they should probably get some help,’ one X user added.
But many saw Ford’s decision as an honorable way to encourage camaraderie among countrymen.
One Ford fan wrote something approaching the Olympic charter in thanking the Premier.
‘This is what sports does best—unites an entire nation before sunrise,’ the man wrote on X. ‘Alarms set, jerseys on, bars open, hearts racing. It’s more than a game, it’s pride, identity, and history on the line. Sunday morning, nobody’s sleeping. We’re all chasing gold together.’
Dylan Larkin of United States celebrates his goal with Tage Thompson and Jaccob Slavin
An outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, Ford is perhaps best known as the older brother of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford.
Rob died from cancer in 2016 after a tumultuous political career plagued by a series of embarrassing incidents, including a viral video in which he appeared to smoke crack cocaine.
Doug, on the other hand, is less associated with drinking alcohol than reforming its sale. In 2018, he campaigned on the idea of reducing the minimum price of beer from $1.25 to $1. He has also moved to expand marijuana sales within the province, saying the drug’s sales provide significant tax revenue for the public.
Team Canada came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the reigning gold medalists, Finland, 3-2 in Friday’s first semifinal. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon scored the game winner with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, Team USA demolished Slovakia, 6-2, on Friday thanks to a pair of goals from New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes.
An outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, Doug Ford (right) is perhaps best known as the older brother of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford (left)
Fans reach out to Team Canada players as they leave the ice after a win over Finland
USA fans cheer for their team during Friday’s win over Slovakia in the Olympic semifinal
Now the two rivals will meet on Sunday, one year after playing in two spectacular games in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
That event marked the first time in nearly a decade that hockey’s top international talent participated in a single tournament. And the teams did not disappoint, getting in three fights in the opening nine seconds of the first game before Canada secured an epic overtime win over Team USA in the finals.
As for Sunday, Team Canada is still waiting to learn if it will have captain Sidney Crosby, who suffered a lower-body injury earlier in the tournament and missed Friday’s win.
‘We have 48 hours to decide that,’ Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said. ‘But I will tell you he’s got a better chance of playing in the gold medal game than he had playing in tonight’s game.’
The Pittsburgh Penguins legend is a key player in the US-Canada rivalry. The last time the Americans reached the final came in 2010, when Crosby scored a golden goal off a face-off in the final, leaving Team USA with the silver medal.