LANGLEY, B.C. — A broadcaster for a minor-league hockey team in B.C. is apologizing after being pulled off the air for making a racist comment about a player.
Alberni Valley Bulldogs colour commentator Bruce MacDonald was calling a playoff game against the Langley Rivermen on Friday when he asked whether Rivermen forward Owen Kim speaks English.
The comment came after Kim was involved in a dust-up in the second period.
Play-by-play broadcaster Evan Hammond immediately said MacDonald had gone too far and the colour commentator was taken off the air.
MacDonald issued a statement on Twitter on Saturday, saying he was "deeply sorry" for the hurt he had caused Kim, his family and others.
"No one should be made to feel that way and I take full responsibility for my racist words," the statement said.
"I will do whatever I can and is asked of me to make this right. Racism has no place in hockey or anywhere else in the world."
The BCHL said in a statement late on Friday that the league has "zero tolerance for this type of behaviour" and that MacDonald has been banned from any future broadcasts.
The radio station that hosted Friday's broadcast issued its own statement early Saturday morning saying MacDonald's comments were "extremely offensive, inappropriate and have no place on our station."
"Racism has no place in hockey," the statement said. "Racism has no place on our radio stations nor in our company."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2022.
The Canadian Press
