An NHL Player Had The Best Response To An American Sportscaster Mocking His Last Name

An Indigenous NHL player from a Dakota Nation located in Canada responded to a sportscaster mocking his last name with so much class.

Zach Whitecloud, who plays for the Vegas Golden Knights and is a member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation also known as Wipazoka Wakpa, used the remarks made by ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson to share how proud he is of his culture and his name.

Anderson's comment was made during the highlights of the game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers on Monday, May 8.

As Whitecloud got possession of the puck, which led to him scoring his first goal of the playoffs, Anderson said, "What kind of name is Whitecloud?"

"A great name if you're a toilet paper," he continued.

Then, on Tuesday, May 9, the Vegas Golden Knights posted a video on Twitter of a media availability in which Whitecloud had to discuss what happened.

"I had a conversation with John," Whitecloud said. "He offered his apology and explained his side of what occurred."

"It was, I think, an attempt at humour that came out as being obviously insensitive and he acknowledges that. He understands that it was wrong to say."

Whitecloud explained that he wanted Anderson to know he accepted the apology and that everyone can move forward to try and be better.

"I'm proud of my culture, I'm proud of where I come from and where I was raised, who I was raised by. I carry my grandfather's last name and nothing makes me more proud than to be able to do that," Whitecloud said.

"In our culture, we were raised to be the first ones to reach out and offer help. So, that's why I reached out to John," he continued.

Whitecloud was then asked by a reporter if this situation could be turned into a positive moment by educating people about his culture.

"Absolutely," he said. "I don't want to be in front of all of you guys talking about this but with that comes an opportunity to allow not just John and myself but everyone to learn from this incident, to move forward and make sure these things don't happen again."

According to The Associated Press, Anderson put out a statement to address his on-air comment about Whitecloud's name and to apologize to the NHLer.

"This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said," Anderson noted. "It's my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it."

After Anderson issued an apology and Whitecloud spoke out about what happened, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs released a statement that commended Whitecloud and called on the NHL to do more.

"We hope that ESPN and the NHL officials use these disappointingly racist incidents as opportunities to address racism and prejudice that continue to exist in hockey today," said Grand Chief Cathy Merrick.

"NHL players, officials, and sports broadcasters should lead the industry standard for modelling honourable sportsmanship," Merrick continued. "Zach's acceptance of John Anderson's apology demonstrates incredible strength and sportsmanship, an example that the NHL should take note of."

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs also shared that First Nations names are sacred.

Names carry the legacy of the ancestors who have come before and suffered for the benefits that everyone has as Canadian and American citizens, the Assembly explained.