Red Wings, NHL vow to end logo use by white supremacists
The violent white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Va., this weekend has featured Nazis, wannabe Nazis, Klansmen, militia members, Polynesian cultural appropriators and, in one case, the Detroit Red Wings logo being used by white nationalists on homemade shields and flags.
We explained the possible connections between the Red Wings logo and hate groups in an earlier post. They included everything from a resemblance to the Deutsche Reichsbahn logo to a reference to a Navy SEAL massacre in Afghanistan.
But the most likely option is that this is a group of fascists based in Michigan that refer to themselves as “The Detroit Right Wings,” whom you can read more about here. (Apologies to Gustav Nyqvist, Dylan Larkin and any other Detroit right wing caught up in this most unfortunate association.)
Both the Red Wings and the National Hockey League spoke out about this on Saturday. Here’s the NHL statement:
“We are obviously outraged by the irresponsible and improper use of our intellectual property as seen this weekend in Charlottesville, Va. This specific use is directly contrary to the value of inclusiveness that our League prioritizes and champions. We will take immediate and all necessary steps to insure the use is discontinued as promptly as possible, and will vigorously pursue other remedies, as appropriate.”
Now, we know what you’re thinking: There are Nazis rallying in Virginia and the NHL seems more perturbed by the “improper use of our intellectual property” than, you know, the Nazis rallying in Virginia. It’s a bit like if Home Depot put out a statement strongly condemning misuse of their wood at a cross burning.
That said, the League appears to be signaling that the use of Detroit Red Wings iconography by white supremacists is pretty bad for their brand, and the team itself went one step further by promising legal recourse against them:
Glad to see the NHL and the Red Wings issue statements on the matter that in no way references the “many sides” of a rather clear condemnation.
Now, onto that legal battle, in which these corporations will go after all of these intellectual property violating jerks’ assets like … um … three dozen matching pairs of black shirts and khakis? Stacks of poster board? Their usernames on Reddit?
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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