Blue Jays’ John Schneider Supporting Canadian Hockey Team over USA Sparks Mixed Reaction from Fans

John Schneider revealed that he is rooting for Team Canada to win gold at ice hockey in the Winter Olympics instead of his own country, the United States.

Blue Jays’ John Schneider Supporting Canadian Hockey Team over USA Sparks Mixed Reaction from Fans

John Schneider (Image via Yardbarker)

As the MLB players start preparing for the upcoming season, some NHL stars are in Milan, Italy, taking part in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Amidst this, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced that he was rooting for the Canadian hockey team instead of USA.

When it comes to hockey, Canada has historically had the upper hand over their North American neighbors. Last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada defeated Team USA in the Championship Game.

After losing in the round robin format, Canada came back from 2-1 down and forced overtime. In this, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid grabbed the headlines as he scored the overtime winner to grab a famous 3-2 OT victory.

The two nations are favorites to win the gold medal at these games. While speaking with the reporters on Thursday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider picked the Canadian team over his country, the USA to win gold.

I want them (Canada) to win, not the U.S. I said it, documented. I don’t like U.S. Hockey. I think Canada has the best hockey in the world, so I want Canada to win the Olympics.

John Schneider said

In the Winter Olympics, Canada has won 16 medals in men’s ice hockey, with 9 of them being gold. Meanwhile, the United States of America has won just 2 gold medals. This year, they are seeking their first gold medal in ice hockey since their famous triumph in 1980.

Speaking of these games, the two teams won their preliminary matches without any trouble. While Team USA crushed Latvia 5-1, Canada thumped Czechia 5-0.

Social media left divided after John Schneider picks Canada over USA in ice hockey

As Team USA and Team Canada prepare for an intense Olympic showdown, John Schneider made a bold comment. The Toronto Blue Jays manager picked Canada over the USA to win the gold medal in ice hockey. This comment from him sparked mixed reactions from fans.

John Schneider
John Schneider (Image via CBC)

While some Canadian fans loved his answer, American fans were not happy to see him snub his country. Some of them attacked the New Jersey-born manager and called him out.

Check out some reactions regarding this incident below:

A week ago, Canadian pop star Tate McRae found herself in trouble. In an advertisement, she was seen supporting the USA. This led to many slamming her. She would later respond to this with a childhood picture of her with the Canadian flag, along with the caption, “Y’all know I’m Canada down.”

John Schneider gave grim update regarding former Cy Young Award-winning pitcher ahead of Spring Training

Ahead of the Spring Training, the Toronto Blue Jays received some bad news. Manager John Schneider provided a grim update regarding the health of a former Cy Young Award winning pitcher.

John Schneider
John Schneider (Image via MLB)

Last season, the Blue Jays acquired a major arm in their pitching rotation as they landed Shane Bieber in a trade from the Cleveland Guardians. At the time of the trade, the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner was working his way back from a Tommy John Surgery.

In 7 regular season starts with the Blue Jays, Bieber went 4-2, pitching with a 3.57 ERA. In the postseason, he went 2-1 in 5 starts.

That one loss was the heaviest one as he gave up the game-winning home run to Will Smith in 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was credited with the loss as the Blue Jays fell on the final hurdle.

After the World Series, he suffered an inflammation in his right forearm. While the team is monitoring his situation, his 2026 start could be delayed.

We’ll go week-to-week with him and see how it’s going. No procedures or anything in the offseason. It’s just a high-level pitcher coming off Tommy John and pitching longer than he probably expected… We’re just taking a really, really cautious approach with him.

John Schneider said regarding Shane Bieber as per Sportsnet

This development comes at a time when the reigning American League Champions lost Anthony Santander. The power-hitter will miss around 5 to 6 months of action following a left labral surgery.

With him out for most of the 2026 season, the team would like to avoid a setback with Bieber. It remains to be seen when the American pitcher will make his 2026 season debut.

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