'I am deeply sorry': B.C. minor hockey broadcaster taken off air for racist comment apologizes
A former B.C. minor league hockey broadcaster is apologizing for a racist comment he made about a player during Friday night's BC Hockey League playoff game between the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and the Langley Rivermen.
Bruce MacDonald was providing colour commentary for the Bulldogs' broadcast. During the second period, after a dust-up involving Rivermen forward Owen Kim, MacDonald wondered aloud whether Kim speaks English.
"Come on, Kim," MacDonald can be heard saying in a video of the incident posted on Twitter by the Langley Rivermen's communications and digital media co-ordinator.
"Does he speak English? You know, maybe that's the problem."
Play-by-play broadcaster Evan Hammond immediately said MacDonald had gone too far, and the colour commentator was taken off the air.
MacDonald's comments drew condemnation on social media. Users also praised Hammond and the league for their quick responses to the incident.
In a statement posted on Twitter Saturday, MacDonald said he had emailed an apology to the Rivermen organization Friday night.
"It was important to me to try and reach out to Owen Kim first privately," MacDonald's statement reads.
"As I said in that letter (to the Rivermen), no one should be made to feel that way and I take full responsibility for my racist words. I am deeply sorry for the hurt I have caused Owen Kim, his family and anyone else who was affected by what I said."
The league issued a statement late on Friday apologizing to Kim, his family and anyone else who had heard the broadcast, and saying the BCHL has “zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.”
The statement says MacDonald has been banned from any future BCHL broadcasts.
In his statement, MacDonald also apologized to Alberni Valley Bulldogs fans and the broader community.
"I am heartbroken that I caused it to end this way," the statement reads. "I will do whatever I can and is asked of me to make this right."
Radio station 93.3 The Peak, which broadcasts Bulldogs games, also issued a statement apologizing to Kim and condemning the comments, calling them "extremely offensive" and "inappropriate."
"Racism has no place in hockey," reads the statement from Rob Bye, Vancouver Island general manager for Pattison Media Ltd.
"Racism has no place on our radio stations nor in our company."
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
N.S. school 'deeply sorry' for asking service members not to wear uniforms at Remembrance Day ceremony
An elementary school in the Halifax area has backed away from a request that service members not wear uniforms to the school's Remembrance Day ceremony.
107-year-old temperature record among dozens broken across Canada
Canadians are experiencing a wave of warm weather across multiple provinces well into the fall season, shattering dozens of temperature records.
Beyonce leads the 2025 Grammy noms, becoming the most nominated artist in the show's history
Welcome to Beyonce country. When it comes to the 2025 Grammy Award nominations, 'Cowboy Carter' rules the nation.
48,584 space heaters recalled in Canada after burn injury in U.S.
Health Canada has announced a recall for electric space heaters over potential fire and burn risks, a notice published Thursday reads.
Canada rent report: What landlords are asking tenants to pay
Average asking rents declined nationally on a year-over-year basis for the first time in more than three years in October, said a report out Thursday.
Assailants attack Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic
Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated for injuries at hospitals and dozens were arrested.
Time limits meant to speed up justice have halted hundreds of criminal cases in Canada
Supporters say the so-called Jordan ruling has sped up proceedings and strengthened Charter rights for prompt justice. But the legacy of Jordan is mixed, and some victims say the time limits work in criminals' favour.
Oven to be removed from Halifax store where employee died: Walmart
Walmart says a large bakery oven will be removed from the Halifax store where an employee died last month.
Prince William calls past year 'incredibly tough'
Prince William has described the past year as "brutal" following cancer diagnoses for his wife and father. "Honestly, it's been dreadful," he said.