A pretty good way for a head of state to get a cheap pop when they visit another country is to bring up sports, usually in a way that is meant to celebrate a great team or athlete and stir up a feeling of pride. Joe Biden, during a trip to Canadian in which he addressed the nation’s parliament, decided to take a slightly different approach by expressing his disdain for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Joe Biden just took a shot at the Toronto Maple Leafs in his speech to Parliament
“I like your (hockey) teams, except the Leafs!”
Biden says he doesn't like them cause the Leafs beat the Flyers in January #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/01nxZ3l9Qr
— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) March 24, 2023
“Our labor unions cross borders, so do our sports leagues,” Biden said. “Baseball, basketball, hockey. Listen to this, hockey.”
The crowd started to clap and laugh, and then, Biden dropped the hammer: “I have to say, I like your teams … except the Leafs.”
Outside of the folks who were extremely upset with him over this and booed, Biden got a standing ovation, with Canadian Prime Minister and noted Montreal Canadiens fan Justin Trudeau joining in. POTUS did get a chance to explain that he does not have much of a choice here due to his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, being from Philadelphia.
“I’ll tell you why,” he said. “They beat the Flyers back in January, that’s why. And if I didn’t say that — I married a Philly girl, if I didn’t say that, I’d be sleeping alone, fellas. I like you but not that much.”
The Leafs beat the Flyers all three times they have played this season. There is no word on whether or not Biden has forgiven the great city of Toronto for the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers, which went seven games and saw Toronto move on thanks to a buzzer-beater in Game 7 by Kawhi Leonard. It seems safe to assume, however, that he has not.
