U.S. Defeats Authoritarian Communists On The Ice, Again
The piece presents a outlook that links a recent U.S. hockey victory to a larger narrative of American exceptionalism and resilience, framing it as a symbolic continuation of freedoms won during the Cold War and the founding era. It argues that Western elites, including Canada, are undermining liberty through increased government control and asserts that freedom is being eroded in Western democracies by ideological conformity.
Citing examples from the United Kingdom and canada—such as arrests for online speech, fines for silent prayer outside abortion facilities, and gun-restriction measures—the author contends that classical liberal principles are under threat. it frames these developments as a slide toward Marxist ideas and views the United States as uniquely capable of preserving liberty, citing historic milestones like independence, World War II, and the 1980 Olympic victory. The piece credits President Trump with advancing freedom, economic growth, and national self-government, envisioning a “golden era of freedom” and urging other nations to follow.It ends with a patriotic reflection centered on the hockey victory and the question,“So,who do you play for?” accompanied by a brief author bio.
The United States didn’t just win a hockey game this weekend; it had another miracle on ice. Forty-six years ago, exactly, the U.S. men’s hockey team beat the Soviet Union and went on to win the Olympic gold medal. This victory symbolized American resolve amid a prolonged Cold War and a decades-long ideological battle against communism. Nine years later, the Berlin Wall fell, and soon afterward, the Soviet Union collapsed.
While Canada is no Soviet Union, the United States under President Trump is once again demonstrating what freedom looks like. For decades, the Western elite, which includes Canada, has been on what F.A. Hayek referred to as the “Road to Serfdom.” According to Hayek, the more control the government has over the economy, the less liberty there will be. Like our Founding Fathers, Hayek believed that the government itself posed the greatest threat to individual liberty.
We are seeing this play out in countries throughout the West. In the United Kingdom, thousands face arrest for writing or sharing politically “incorrect” opinions online. The right to protest and the freedom of religion are also under attack. Just this month, authorities convicted a man in Dorset and forced him to pay a $12,000 fine. His crime? Silently praying outside an abortion facility.
At another medical facility, authorities arrested Rose Docherty, a 75-year-old grandmother, for silently holding a sign encouraging women seeking an abortion to talk with her. As the birthplace of the Magna Carta, the United Kingdom’s fall into despotism is particularly jarring.
From stripping Canadian citizens of their firearms and restricting their speech to mistreating the Freedom Convoy truckers, Canada, too, is experimenting with eroding the rights of its citizens in the name of ideological conformity.
It is tragic to see Western countries that once embraced classical liberalism turn so unabashedly to the Marxist ideas our nations fought so hard against just four decades ago.
That’s why this Olympic victory is such a potent reminder of American exceptionalism. This exceptionalism isn’t an abstract hypothesis; it’s been proven over and over again. First, the United States won its independence in a long, bloody war against Great Britain — the strongest military on earth at the time. Then the U.S. led the free world to victory in the two greatest wars ever fought on earth.
In the 1980 Olympics, the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets — the best hockey team on Earth — and today, as the United States is set to celebrate 250 years of liberty, both the men’s and women’s hockey teams won Olympic gold. It is fitting that both Olympic victories took place on the birthday of our Founding Father, George Washington. No one can argue that this great experiment has not been a resounding success.
And under President Trump, this is only truer. Unafraid to put America first and to show the world what a free, self-governing people can accomplish, President Trump is giving Americans permission to build, to grow, to innovate, and to thrive. No longer do we hear, “You didn’t build that,” and no longer do authorities keep us from speaking, worshipping, and living freely. We are entering into a golden era of freedom, and my hope is that nations around the world will once again follow suit.
When President Ronald Reagan said to Mikhail Gorbachev, “Tear down this wall,” it was not a threat, but an invitation. An invitation to embrace the freedom that has made the United States the greatest country in history — and has made so many proud to be Americans.
And no one showed that pride better than the U.S. hockey champion who made the winning shot: Jack Hughes.
After the game, with broken and bloodied teeth, this athlete of uncommon patriotism draped the American flag over his shoulders and said, “This is all about our country right now … I love the USA … I’m so proud to be an American today … “
Jack knows something too many around the world have forgotten: no other country fights as fiercely for freedom as the United States, and that is why we are exceptional.
So, who do you play for?
Krystina Skurk is a research assistant at Hillsdale College in D.C. She received a Master’s degree in politics from the Van Andel School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College. She is a former fellow of the John Jay Institute, a graduate of Regent University, and a former teacher at Archway Cicero, a Great Hearts charter school.
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