Hockey Lights in Canada: Niagara Falls lit up red, blue and white for Russia one day and Montreal Canadiens the next

The Niagara Falls were illuminated red, blue and white on Saturday, honouring the Russian flag – on Sunday the same colours shone through the falls in support of the Montreal Canadiens.

Confusion follows after Niagara Falls lit in red, blue and white over the weekend

The Twitter account of the Consulate General of Russia in Toronto tweeted: “Shaping as a tradition on #RussiaDay majestic #NiagaraFalls were illuminated…to honour the colours of the #Russia’n Flag.” The emojis of the colours red, blue and white and the Russian and Canadian flags were used in the tweet, along with the hashtags #RussiaDay2021, #Russia1Love and #WeAreRussia.

The tweet had an accompanying video of Niagara Falls, with the colours on display. It was retweeted by Russia in Canada, the official twitter account of Russia’s embassy in Canada. Russia’s embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Niagara Falls Tourism had tweeted: “Niagara Falls will be illuminated red, white and blue tonight from 9:30pm-10pm in support of the Montreal Canadiens. Join us as we cheer them on towards their pursuit of the #StanleyCup as Canada’s last remaining team in the 2021 @NHL playoffs. #hockey #GoHabsGo.”

When asked about Russia’s tweet, Irene Knight, the public relations manager for Niagara Falls Tourism, said in an e-mail that the Falls were illuminated in support of the Montreal Canadiens, pointing to the message shared across social channels and also listed on the Falls’ illumination calendar.

Niagara Falls officials later said the illumination was for Russia one day and the Montreal Canadiens another.

Russia Day is celebrated annually on June 12.

Editor’s note: Due to incorrect source information, an earlier version of this story said Niagara Falls were illuminated for the Montreal Canadiens not for Russia as the Russian embassy said. In fact, it was in honour of both on separate days.

Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.