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Stephen Harper sends heartbroken tweet after Calgary Flames trade Jarome Iginla

Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted this image after the Calgary Flames traded Jarome Iginla
Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted this image after the Calgary Flames traded Jarome Iginla

In case you have forgotten, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a really big hockey fan.

He’s got that book coming out later this year, he is open about his fandom and he makes appearances at all the big games, waving contently as staff throw loaves of bread into the crowd.

And, like any hockey fan these days, he expounds on the league on Twitter. So was it any surprise that Harper took to social media to express his remorse after the Calgary Flames traded superstar, and super Canadian, Jarome Iginla?

Perhaps not. But the sombre and heartbroken tenor of his message made it seem like a national hero had passed away in his sleep.

[ Related: Stephen Harper’s hockey book to be released this Fall ] Is this a fitting tribute for a hockey player who has represented Canada on the national stage, or over-the-top pandering to Harper’s key demographic: Albertans and hockey fans? Responses to Harper’s tweet were split.

@eatingniagara LOL, sure seems like it. I don't really know hockey, but the PM is such a huge (Calgary) fan.

— Mama B (@Mama__B) March 28, 2013

@pmharper nice of you to find time between hugging bears to congratulate him. Now how about those kids who walked 1000+ km for an audience?

— Owen Durkin (@ODurkin) March 28, 2013

This isn’t the first time Harper’s twitter feed has made headlines. Earlier this year Harper, or one of his handlers, made a grammatical error related to U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration. And we all know no one has ever made such an error on the Internet before.

[ More Brew: Canada’s seal hunt: 1 opponent leaves ice as 1 vows to settle in ]

His son’s Twitter account was locked after it became public, and earlier this year the prime minister used Twitter to update the public on how he spends his day. It was a bid seemingly designed to make Harper appear more accessible.

It that is the goal, tweeting passionately about hockey should help the cause. After all, there is nothing Canadian Twitter users can relate to more than hockey commentary.

Except Seinfeld references, of course. But what are the chances Harper would ever drop a Seinfeld reference?