Prime Minister Stephen Harper flew to Boston on a government jet to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals with his daughter and Heritage Minister James Moore, but the flight caught the ire of opposition critics.
Harper spokesperson Dimitri Soudas said the prime minister paid $1,000 for tickets to the game: $500 for himself, and $500 for his daughter.
Soudas also said Harper is paying the equivalent of commercial airline tickets, and told The Canadian Press that the prime minister "is not allowed to fly commercially."
However, Conservatives say it costs roughly $11,000 an hour to fly the government's Challenger jet.
NDP Leader Jack Layton didn't seem overly pleased with Harper using a government jet to watch the game.
"He'll have to defend that, won't he? I won't be on the plane," he said Wednesday.
Layton said he would be watching the game on television.
The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins 4-0, and are now tied 2-2 in the series.
Harper has long said he's writing a book on the history of hockey and was a constant fixture at Team Canada games during the Vancouver Olympics.
He announced on his Facebook page Tuesday that his family's new cat would be named Stanley.
