Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in attendance for the Ottawa Senators-Minnesota Wild clash at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday. The PM didn’t bring much luck to the Sens as they lost 4-1, further denting their chances of a playoff spot.

Carney has a deep connection to hockey. During his time at Harvard University, he was a backup goaltender for the Harvard Crimson during the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. Because of his Alberta upbringing, Carney has been an Edmonton Oilers supporter.

On Saturday, Carney was spotted in the Ottawa Senators’ hospitality boxes sitting beside Sens owner Michael Andlauer.

Fans online put out reactions on X, most of which were aimed at trolling the leader of the Liberal Party.

“There goes the Senators’ chances of making the playoffs,” a fan said.

“Senators seem to have match his energy for the game,” a fan wrote.

“Well, that’s the end of that playoff run then,” a fan added.

Some fans who attended the game also claimed that the Canadian Prime Minister was booed by the home crowd. There is, however, no video evidence to prove these claims.

“Mark Carney just got HEAVILY BOOED at the Ottawa Senators vs Minnesota Wild hockey game in Ottawa today,” a fan claimed.

“You should (have) put the bit when he got booed,” a fan wrote replying to the TSN’s X account.

“You left out the part where the crowd boo’d him,” another fan wrote.

Ottawa Senators latest team to be hit by the “Carney Curse”

There is a growing superstition in Canadian sports circles that Mark Carney visiting any team’s game is a bad omen. The superstition stems from a persistent pattern of Canadian teams immediately losing after the Prime Minister came out to publicly support them.

The origins of the curse can be traced back to March 2025 when Carney visited an Edmonton Oilers practice session. The Oilers were rocked with devastating injuries to Connor McDavid and Stuart Skinner after the visit.

Carney went to London to support the Canadian women’s national rugby team that was beaten in the Rugby World Cup Final at Twickenham Stadium. He was in attendance for the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in November. They lost 5-4 after the Dodgers mounted a late comeback.

The 61-year-old met with both the Canadian men’s and women’s ice hockey teams that represented the country at the Winter Olympics in Milan in February. Both teams lost to the Americans in their respective finals.

After the loss, the Senators remain fifth in the Atlantic Division. They are currently tied on points with three other teams for the Eastern Conference second wild card playoff spot.