Trying to choose allegiance to just one country has always been tough for me—which is why I call myself North American Darrell.
I was born in Canada, live in the United States, and I also have a studio vacations base in Rocky Point, Mexico since 2018. In four short hours, I can be “home” in Mexico from my Mesa, Arizona home base.
After bouncing between places for so long and traveling the world, I stopped thinking of identity as a single flag and started seeing it as a mix of experiences.
When I travel and people ask where I’m from, I usually say Canada—which is true. It tends to keep things simple and keeps conversations focused on travel instead of politics. Because let’s be honest: once politics enters the chat, the vibe changes fast no matter where you are in the world when Trump is involved.
Over time, I’ve learned something important about traveling internationally: people don’t actually care where you’re from nearly as much as they care how you show up. Kindness, curiosity, and respect travel a lot better than passports do.
So, these days, I stick with what works:
I’m North America Darrell
I travel often.
And I try to leave places better than I found them.
It just avoids a lot of unneeded drama!
The bottom line, I’m proud to be American now and that should be okay as I love Canada and Mexico too! I have also fallen in love with many other Countries and would move to them all if I could.
I’ve spent more of my life in the United States than anywhere else. Life has a way of planting roots where you least expect it, and over time those roots start to feel just as real as the ones you were born with.
The complicated part has always been sports—especially when it comes to Team Canada.
Ever since I was a kid, whenever Team Canada played, it didn’t matter what sport it was—I was watching. Hockey, Olympics, world events… it was never just a game. It was identity, history, pride, and memory all wrapped into one jersey.
That’s why reactions can run so deep when politics are front and center!
When you grow up seeing certain athletes as symbols of your country, they stop feeling like individuals and start feeling like shared cultural property.
Take Wayne Gretzky for example—arguably the greatest hockey player of all time. To many Canadians, he wasn’t just a player; he was part of the national story.
And when someone represents something bigger than themselves for long enough, people don’t just admire them—they feel connected to them. Maybe even a little possessive or in this case, extremely possessive.
The truth is that identity isn’t a single flag. It’s a collection of influences, loyalties, and experiences layered over time.
Wayne Gretzky was a great Canadian but also, a great American!
He reshaped the NHL expansion and American grass roots hockey like no one else!
Wayne Gretzky was once the biggest name in Team Canada hockey. He wasn’t just a player—he was part of the country’s identity. He played, he coached, and he later served as a general manager in some of the most important tournaments in hockey Canada history. For many Canadians, he wasn’t just great.
He was Canadian!
Everything changed on August 9, 1988. I was 16 years old.
That was the day the illusion cracked—the day sports stopped being just a game and started teaching me something about loyalty, identity, and how quickly being Canadian can become complicated.
Some moments in sports history don’t just affect teams.
They stick with you personally, like a timestamp on your own life.
That was one of them as it was the day hockey changed forever in America!
Little did I know, I would experience the same change, just like another Canadian legend! 
Some people were disappointed and even angry when I moved on from Canada.
At one point, friends even joked—half seriously, extremely angry—that I wasn’t allowed to cheer for Team Canada in the 2026 Olympics anymore. I too had betrayed Canada in their extremely warped perception!
Apparently, there are rules about loyalty that nobody tells you until you break them.
It felt strangely similar to how some people reacted to Wayne Gretzky after his turning point.
Not because the situations were the same, but because the emotion behind them were. When someone you associate with a place makes a different choice, it can feel personal—even if it isn’t.
Again, Canadians are angry, and it will get worse as it not “our game anymore” angle resurfaces.
Trust me when I say, it hurts me more than anyone, I have to hear it every day!
You can read my immigration journey by CLICKING HERE.