‘Elbows up.' Canada's new leader was a Harvard goalie and he's using his hockey background to fight Trump's threats.

Advertisement
In one sense, it was no surprise that Carney turned to hockey in a country that originated the sport and reveres it like a religion.
But Carney's verbal slapshot wasn't just icy rhetoric. He actually laced up the skates as a goalie in the mid-1980s on Harvard University's hockey team. One of his
teammates,
told the Globe that he predicted — half-kiddingly — when they were freshmen that Carney would be prime minister one day.
Now, with
has degrees from Harvard and Oxford (where he was
Advertisement
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) skated with Derek Ryan of the Edmonton Oilers during the team's practice Thursday in Edmonton, Alberta.
JASON FRANSON/Associated Press
'Up to now, he's relied on his background and pedigree. Now will be a time to show he can connect with regular folks, with everyday Canadians, because that's not something he's had to do in his career,' said Sébastien Dallaire, executive vice president of
In January,
He's used hockey to distinguish his personality from Trudeau's
Elbows up, Canada.
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney)
His reliance on hockey to connect with voters isn't without risk.
Listed at 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 pounds,
total Harvard
statistics.
Advertisement
He appeared in only one game.
Carney, 60, has admitted he played
'He could have been a top-two goalie at probably 10 or 15 other teams in D-1,' Chiarelli told the Globe. 'He worked very hard. He wasn't your bigger goalie … but [he was] athletic, could handle the puck.'
And Carney has something few goalies do:
Harvard was playing Colgate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs on March 9, 1985, and the contest had gotten out of hand.
Congratulations to former goaltender and alum
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey)
Carney, the third-stringer, skated onto the ice. He faced five shots and stopped them all, leading his college friends to dub the game 'the shutout.'
'I was with Mark the other night and we were talking about that and he says, 'I'd like to think that I made a difference because the game could have changed if I let in a couple of goals,' ' said Chiarelli, now vice president of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues, who remains close to Carney. 'I said, 'Don't kid yourself, Mark. That game wasn't changing.' '
Advertisement
Carney's
'That first week, I said, 'Mark, you're going to be prime minister.' I half-meant it because he was so impressive. And he half-digested it, like, 'You know what? That wouldn't be such a bad thing,' ' said Chiarelli, who remains close to Carney. 'You could tell he was very smart, and as the time progressed, I could tell he was special.'
Carney's political opening came after
In the past couple of months, the Liberals have erased a 20-point deficit in the polls and now are
Advertisement
Carney has stressed his experience dealing with economic crises to argue he's the right person to lead Canada in this tumultuous time. As head of the Bank of Canada from 2008-13, he worked with other central bankers to
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke during a news conference with his Cabinet ministers at Rideau Hall after a swearing-in ceremony on March 14, in Ottawa.
DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images
'He has this image of being more of a technocrat, someone really calm, thoughtful,' said Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada in Montreal. 'So far [the Conservatives] have been unable to wage really effective attacks against him. They are still trying to find out what will stick.'
Chiarelli said his longtime friend is using lessons about teamwork from their Harvard hockey days as he skates in the political arena for the first time. And Chiarelli relishes his accurate forecast about Carney's future, with hopes it continues.
'I was right,' said Chiarelli, who attended Carney's swearing-in ceremony in Ottawa. 'I'll be bugging him about that until we're in rocking chairs.'
Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Newsweek

29 minutes ago

• Newsweek

How to Watch Curacao vs Canada: Live Stream CONCACAF Gold Cup, TV Channel

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The path to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals could be cleared for Canada this weekend; all they have to do is handle business against Curacao on Saturday at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. Jayden Nelson #25 of Canada warms up prior to the Group Stage - Group B match between Curaçao and Canada as part of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Shell Energy Stadium on June 21,... Jayden Nelson #25 of Canada warms up prior to the Group Stage - Group B match between Curaçao and Canada as part of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Shell Energy Stadium on June 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. More Photo byHow to Watch Curacao vs Canada Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM ET TV Channel: FOX Sports 1 Stream: Fubo (TRY FOR FREE) After steamrolling Honduras in their tournament opener with a commanding 6-0 win, the Canadians find themselves comfortably perched at the top of Group B, two points ahead of "La Pantera Azul," who settled for a 0-0 draw with El Salvador. Canada's possible lineup is loaded with firepower and finesse. Jonathan David leads the front line, fresh off yet another stellar season in Europe, while Ali Ahmed, Ismaël Koné, and Tajon Buchanan provide the midfield creativity and pace that can slice through defenses. But don't overlook Curacao. This is a team with European experience and a point to prove. Eloy Room will be counted on between the sticks, and the Bacuna brothers, Leandro and Juninho, bring both muscle and flair to the midfield. Up front, Kastaneer will need to find space and test the Canadian backline early. Live stream every CONCACAF Gold Cup match for free with Fubo: Start your subscription now! Gold Cup Potential Lineups Canada: St. Clair; Sigur, Miller, Waterman, Laryea; Buchanan, Koné, Choinière, Ahmed; Oluwaseyi, J. David Curacao: Room; Gaari, Martina, van Ejima, Floranus; Comenencia, L. Bacuna; Margaritha, J. Bacuna, Gorre; Kastaneer Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Hamilton Spectator

an hour ago

• Hamilton Spectator

Bill C-5 passes in the House, as Carney vows to consult Indigenous groups

OTTAWA — Facing concerns and warnings of Indigenous resistance against a key part of his governing agenda, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged Friday that 'more fulsome conversations are needed' to choose the development projects his government wants to fast-track through controversial new legislation, Bill C-5. Speaking moments after the bill passed third reading in the House of Commons, Carney pledged to hold meetings in the coming weeks with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders and experts in a series of summits to 'launch the implementation of this legislation in the right way' in 'full partnership' with Indigenous communities. This will be the 'first step' in the process to choose which projects will be chosen through the new legislation for the fast-track to approval within the government's goal of two years. The Liberal government's major projects bill has passed the House of Commons thanks to help from the Conservative Party. Prime Minister Mark Carney calls the legislation the core of his government's domestic economic response to U.S. tariffs (June 20, 2025 / The Canadian Press) Carney also repeated pledges earlier this week, as the Liberal government rammed the bill through the House over the objections of some Indigenous , environmental groups and opposition parties, that the new process will respect Indigenous rights to consultation and 'free, prior and informed consent' under the United Nations Declaration to the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The government House Leader said this week they expect the bill to pass in the Senate next week. 'These projects will be built with Indigenous nations and communities. This is not an aspiration. It is the plan embedded in the bill itself,' Carney said Friday. 'We all agree that more fulsome conversations are needed to select the nation-building projects and to determine the conditions that they must fulfil. In other words, the real work begins now.' In the April 28 election, Carney's Liberals won a minority government while promising to fast-track development projects like mines, pipelines and ports to boost economic growth, make Canada a 'superpower' in clean power and fossil fuels, and reduce reliance on the United States that has imposed a series of tariffs on Canadian goods. Carney acknowledged the bill sailed through the Commons quickly, but argued Friday that speed was needed to confront the 'crisis' of the American trade war. 'This is the response. This is us being in charge of our destiny. That's why we pushed it,' Carney said. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty — a former grand chief of Eeyou Istchee in Quebec — said the promised summits are a 'serious signal' that Indigenous communities are going to be 'at the table' in deciding how projects will be chosen under the new process. 'There have been more projects selected. It is something that we will define together,' she said. The bill passed through the House of Commons Friday in two votes, after House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia ruled to split the legislation into two parts. All parties supported a less contentious section to lift federal barriers to trade and labour movement inside Canada. The other, more controversial part dealing with major projects also passed with Liberals and Conservatives voting en masse in favour, and Bloc Québécois, NDP and Green MPs voting against. Toronto Liberal and former cabinet minister MP Nate Erskine-Smith also voted against the national projects part of the legislation . The version of the bill now moving to the Senate came with a suite of amendments, including some that the government supported, aimed at increasing transparency and restricting some of the powers the legislation would create. This includes a provision to obtain the written consent of affected provinces and territories before the government chooses to fast-track a given project, and to ensure the new process that the law would create respects ethics rules and can't override legislation like the Indian Act. The changes also created a new requirement for the government to publish a suite of information about the projects — from the contents of any studies and assessments about their impacts, to all recommendations about them from the civil service — at least 30 days before it officially puts them into the fast-track process. Business groups like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have also supported the legislation, arguing that a thicket of government regulations has delayed major projects, and that there is now an urgent need to build new infrastructure for energy, critical minerals and other sectors. But Bill C-5 remains controversial, including with predictions this week from some Indigenous leaders that it could inspire resistance and protest like the 2012 'Idle No More' movement because of a lack of consultation on the new powers. MPs have also condemned the national projects part of the legislation as a troubling expansion of power that risks trampling environmental protections and Indigenous rights. After the amendments Friday, the bill retained its proposal to allow the cabinet to choose projects to fast-track based on 'any factor' it considers relevant, and to skirt laws like the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Species at Risk Act when reviewing projects to speed up. 'This legislation is an abomination and one that will be a stain on the reputation of this government and of our prime minister. As a first effort to lead this country, it's a bad effort,' said Green Leader Elizabeth May. Bloc MP Sébastien Lemire accused the government of reproducing the 'condescending and colonialist spirit' of the last century towards Canada's Indigenous Peoples. And Don Davies, the NDP's interim leader, alleged the bill creates 'Henry VIII' powers that allow the government 'to override laws by decree. 'It guts environmental protections, undermines workers and threatens Indigenous rights,' Davies said. 'This bill will end up in court.'

NBC Sports

3 hours ago

• NBC Sports

Another 59 on Korn Ferry Tour! Myles Creighton chips in to break 60

Another Korn Ferry Tour round, another sub-60 score. This time it was Myles Creighton, who fired an 11-under 59 in Saturday's third round of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. Creighton's performance, which was capped by a chip-in birdie, comes just two days after Adrien Dumont de Chassart shot 59 in Thursday's first round at Crestview Country Club. Unlike Dumont de Chassart's 59, Creighton achieved his score without preferred lies in effect. There have now been 15 scores of 59 or better in KFT history, seven of which have come in the past three seasons. It's also the second time that there have been two sub-60 scores in the same tournament, following the 2024 Astara Golf Championship, where Cristobal del Solar carded a record 57 in the opening round before Aldrich Potgieter followed with a 59 the next day. Creighton parred the par-4 first hole before rattling off four straight birdies. He bogeyed the par-4 eighth but sandwiched that with birdies at Nos. 7 and 9 to notch a front-nine 30. His inward 29 included four straight birdies as well, at Nos. 13-16, before his final-hole heroics at the par-4 18th. CHIP-IN FOR 59!!! Myles Creighton with a shot of the year contender. Creighton's 59 pushed him to 15 under for the tournament. He led by a shot when he finished his round, though the lead groups were just making the turn. Pierceson Coody eagled the par-4 11th to jump Creighton and move to 16 under. The 29-year-old Creighton, a Canadian who turned pro out of Radford in 2018, entered the week No. 74 in KFT points. This is his second season on the KFT after he finished second in points during the 2023 PGA Tour Latinoamerica campaign. His previous low round in PGA Tour-sanctioned competition was 62.