Prime Minister Mark Carney sparked uproar online after skating with the Edmonton Oilers during practice ahead of a recent game. Hockey fans took their anger out at the prime minister for initiating what they called the “Carney Curse” after a series of player injuries.
The hockey team posted a video of Carney skating on the ice. Nearly all the top comments were blasting the team for letting politics enter the game they loved and many of the comments contained expletives.
“As an Oilers fan, I am disappointed and disgusted with the Oilers for allowing this,” wrote one of the respondents in their replies, which had almost 1,000 likes.
Top commentators on X also shared other images and videos of Carney participating with added commentary.
“We all know if this guy had his way, he would force them to change their team name; he hates oil and gas,” said a political commentator.
Carney was wearing goalie skates despite skating around as a forward. He played for Harvard University as a third-string goaltender.
A popular hockey commentator and former Edmonton Oiler, Ryan Whitney, created a new term after Carney’s display.
“The Carney Curse is real for Edmonton. What the hell just happened? Guy is on the ice with the Oil this morning, and now everyone is injured,” said Whitney.
Leon Draisaitl was injured before Carney’s trip to Edmonton.
However, the Edmonton Oilers played the Winnipeg Jets the night Carney laced up his skates.
During the game, the Oilers’ best player, Connor McDavid, and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner, were both injured and had to leave the game. The Oilers ended up losing to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime.
“Liberals ruin everything,” said one person in a reply to Whitney’s post on X.
“He wants to ruin the Oilers season the same way he wants to ruin the oil industry,” said another.
Popular X account govt.exe is corrupt shared a video of Carney at the practice to X.
“Mark Carney pretends to be Canada First with Edmonton Oilers photo-ops, despite not living in Canada for over a decade,” said the account. “Everything about him is a lie. He’s a total fraud!”
Another commenter expressed their disbelief with the Oilers’ decision to invite Carney.
Carney lived in Alberta during some of his childhood and has tried to emphasize having Albertan roots.
After recently becoming Canada’s first prime minister who has never held a public office before, Carney named his 23-minister cabinet earlier this week.
Of the 23 ministers sworn in by Governor General Mary Simon, only one is west of Winnipeg — Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who represents the B.C. riding of North Vancouver.
Not a single minister was elected in an Alberta riding.
The day after Carney departed from the Oilers’ skate, the team announced that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would each miss at least one week due to their injuries.