Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped the gloves with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by comparing Stanley Cup records during their respective tenures in a recent interview.
Despite only becoming governor in 2019, four years after Trudeau first took office, Florida already has three Stanley Cup victories during DeSantis’ time as state governor.
DeSantis was governor during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup victories, along with the recent 2024 Florida Panthers Stanley Cup win, where they narrowly beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
In comparison, Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015. Meanwhile, a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993.
Conservative commentator Erick Woods Erickson hosted a gathering last week which featured conservative governors, senators, congressmen, and candidates to discuss primarily American politics.
However, someone from Canada sent an email asking their favourite American governor to comment on their least favourite Canadian, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Justin Trudeau, since he has been Prime Minister of Canada, number of Stanley Cups for Canada? Zero. Governor Ron DeSantis, number of Stanley Cups for the state of Florida since I’ve been governor? Three. Who’s winning that battle?” asked DeSantis.
As of Jan. 2024, DeSantis’ approval rating sat around 40% nationwide, with his favourability among Republicans eclipsing 60% and even 70%, based on the type of poll, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Conversely, Trudeau’s approval rating sat at a mere 28% as of June 2024, according to the Angus Reid Institute’s Trudeau tracker.
This isn’t the first time that DeSantis has shown his willingness to compete with Canadian political figures. During the Stanley Cup Finals, he made a bet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on the outcome of the games.
Smith told DeSantis that if the Oilers won, he’d have to send her some of Florida’s finest rum. If the Oilers lost, which they did, she’d send Alberta-made whiskey to Florida.
Florida’s governor ended Smith’s hot streak after she had won bets with British Columbia Premier David Eby and Texas Governor Greg Abbott following the Oilers defeating the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars.
Smith paid in full, sending a bottle of maple whiskey and another bottle of rye whiskey, both made in Alberta.
“Florida may be the most tropical state in the United States, yet we have held the Stanley Cup for 3 of the last 5 years between the Lightning and Panthers. Florida has become a hockey state!” said DeSantis. “Cheers to conservative leadership in the U.S.A. and Canada!”