Manitoba NHLer accepts U.S. sportscaster's apology for slur that mocked First Nations heritage

An NHL player from Manitoba says he accepts the apology of an American sportscaster who made a derogatory joke about his surname after a Stanley Cup playoff game on Monday night.

Zach Whitecloud, 26, had just scored his first goal of the playoffs to help his Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers, giving them a 2-1 edge in their best-of-seven second-round series.

While the highlight of the defenceman's goal was being replayed on ESPN's flagship SportsCenter show, host John Anderson attempted to inject some levity.

"What kind of name is Whitecloud?" Anderson asked.

"Great name if you're a toilet paper."

During the Vegas-Edmonton highlight on SportsCenter, John Anderson jokes about Zach Whitecloud's name, saying it's a "great name if you're a toilet paper."<br><br>Whitecloud is the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. <a href="https://t.co/gngA1yg8wk">pic.twitter.com/gngA1yg8wk</a>

Regular viewers of sports shows will be familiar with the steady diet of one-liners with which broadcasters often pepper their highlights packages. But in this case, Anderson's attempt at humour fell flat.

Commenters on social media took the 57-year-old anchor to task, some denouncing the quip as a slur that disrespected Whitecloud's background as a member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, located about 50 kilometres west of Brandon, Man.

Whitecloud addressed the controversy Tuesday in a scrum with reporters posted to the Golden Knights' website.

"I'm proud of my culture. I'm proud of where I come from and where I was raised, who I was raised by," he said.

"I carry my grandfather's last name and nothing makes me more proud than to be able to do that."

After learning about the remarks through social