Vancouver Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby is issuing an apology after controversy erupted over a new mask he had made for his debut between the pipes for his new team.
"I just wanted to make sure I apologize to anyone I had offended," Holtby told CTV News' Emad Agahi on Saturday. "It was definitely not my intent and I definitely learned a valuable lesson through this all and I'll make sure I'm better and moving forward, do the things that help the community the most."
In a since deleted Instagram post, Dave Gunnarsson, a Swedish artist who has done countless masks for NHL goaltenders, unveiled a new design he had done for Holtby featuring a Thunderbird. Gunnarsson said his art was "based on the myth of the Thunderbird, a Canadian north west coast myth."
While some applauded both Gunnarsson and Holtby for highlighting Indigenous culture and art, many questioned whether any Indigenous artists had been consulted before the design was completed. Apparently, that had not happened, which set off a stream of controversy and backlash on social media.
Jay Soule, an Indigenous artist based in Toronto, had a suggestion for Holtby.
"If the goalie in question wants to use Indigenous art on his helmet, the right thing to do would be just to reach out to an Indigenous artist and commission (them) to do that," Soule said.
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