14-02-2025
U.S. anthem at Vancouver Giants game Sunday draws small pocket of boos
There were a couple of small pockets of fans who booed at the conclusion of The Star-Spangled Banner during the pre-game festivities before the Vancouver Giants' 5-2 loss to the Spokane Chiefs Sunday at the Langley Events Centre.
It was short, subdued and isolated among the announced crowd of 3,019. It was nothing like what we're seeing at NHL and NBA arenas as Canadian fans voice their protest of President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Giants senior vice-president Dale Saip said Monday the WHL club will continue having a singer perform a rendition of the American national anthem before games with U.S. teams at the LEC.
'We'll do both anthems, in respect to the players and organizations in our league,' Saip said.
The WHL head office hasn't responded to inquires regarding whether there is a leaguewide plan involving anthems considering all that's going on now.
The WHL is home to 22 clubs. The six-team U.S. Division featuring the Chiefs, Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Tri-City Americans, Seattle Thunderbirds and Wenatchee Wild is part of the Western Conference, alongside the five-team B.C. Division made up by the Giants, Victoria Royals, Prince George Cougars, Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets.
The Giants have a singer perform the American anthem only when they're hosting a U.S. team, which is the common practice.
Vancouver is home to Portland on Friday and Everett on Saturday. They have one other visit from an American team after that during the remainder of the regular season, with Wenatchee coming to the LEC on March 2. If the playoffs started today, Vancouver would be squaring off with Spokane in the first round.
The WHL is open to players from the Western U.S., and Elite Prospects lists 28 Americans on current team rosters. The Giants have three U.S. players: defenceman Kolby Gapter (Arvada, Colo.), winger Tyus Sparks (Meridian, Idaho), and centre Jaden Lipinski (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
Meanwhile, down the highway from the LEC, the Abbotsford Canucks host the San Diego Gulls at the Abbotsford Centre on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12 in their next home games. Abbotsford is the main farm team of the Vancouver Canucks and a Vancouver team spokesperson said Monday that the organization overall is 'discussing things internally,' regarding the anthems but had 'nothing to share other than that.'
The AHL has 32 teams and six of those are Canadian.
The Vancouver Whistler 2025 Invictus Games gets started Saturday as well. Invictus spokesperson Lauren Pavan pointed out via email that 'playing of national anthems is not part of the Invictus Games protocol.'
'The Invictus Games focus on honouring the resilience and recovery of competitors while fostering a spirit of unity and sportsmanship. As such, to celebrate their Nations, competitors wear their team uniforms with great pride and flags are commonly seen in the stands and at medal presentations,' Pavan continued.
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