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During Team USA’s comeback men’s hockey victory over Denmark at the Winter Olympics, two fans raised the Greenland flag in the stands to protest President Donald Trump’s intention to acquire Greenland for the US.
The flag was raised enthusiastically after Denmark took the lead. However, the United States came back and won the game 6-3.
Vita Kalniņa and her husband Alexander Kalniņš, fans of the Latvian hockey team living in Germany, held a large Greenland flag during warm-ups and again when the Danish team scored the first goal of the preliminary round match against the United States, which ultimately beat Denmark 6-3.
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Brady Tkachuk of the United States, right, challenges Denmark’s Oliver Bjorkstrand during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
“We are Europeans and I think as Europeans we should stick together,” Kalniņš told The Associated Press.
“The Greenlandic people decide what will happen to Greenland, but as it stands now, Greenland is part of the Danish kingdom and since Greenland is part of Denmark, as in this case, we support both countries against the United States.”
A Danish fan who attended the game, Dennis Petersen, said: “It doesn’t matter what sport it is: it can be tennis, it can be sledding, it can be ice hockey, it can be football – it has nothing to do with politics… They are athletes, not politicians.”
An American fan who attended the game, Rem de Rohan, said: “I think this is the time for people to put that aside and compete country against country and enjoy it,” he said. “We love supporting all the countries that have been here.”
Fans on social media had their own reactions to the flag display and the outcome of the game.
“Now that the United States is up 4-2, could we make a bet that if the United States wins the match, Denmark will give up Greenland?” one fan wrote in response to the flag.
One fan wrote: “Team USA won, will we have Greenland now?”
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Jack Eichel of the United States, second right, celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game against Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Another fan similarly said: “How did that turn out? We won, now we get Greenland.”
Some American conservative influencers used the US victory as a springboard to make viral jokes about the annexation of Greenland.
The United States’ comeback seemed uncertain early in the game.
After trailing 2-1 through the first period, the Americans dominated the offense to earn a 6-3 victory over Denmark in Saturday’s game. Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
The Americans scored three unanswered goals to open the second period, with 4 Nations hero Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights) finding the back of the net.
Both sets of brothers on the team, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes, each had a point in the contest. Fourteen players scored points for the Americans with a different scorer each time the lamp was lit.
The Americans took 47 shots on goal compared to Denmark’s 21.
The United States ends preliminary play on Sunday with a match against germany at 3:10 pm Eastern time. The Americans will once again be big favorites and a victory would put them in the knockout phase.
The Americans can also go directly to the knockout stage if they lose in overtime. With a regulation loss, their fate would be determined by Canada’s match against France and the point differences with Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
But as a heavy favorite against a German team with only eight NHL players, the United States may not have to worry.
