The San Jose Sharks have apologized after an obvious offensive message seeming to reward Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was displayed on the world’s scoreboard during the staff’s Hispanic heritage celebration on Saturday evening towards the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Video shared with NCS confirmed the scoreboard displaying: “SJ SHARKS FANS LOVE ICE !! GET ‘EM BOYZ !” Some followers at SAP Center in San Jose, California, could be heard booing in response.
Sharks fan Jessica Clark informed NCS she and her group had been “appalled” by the message. “They’re my favorite team — I even have tattoos — but this was something that should’ve been caught,” she stated.
In a press release posted on X later, the NHL staff stated: “During the first intermission of tonight’s game, an offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard.”
Sharks Sports & Entertainment stated the message didn’t replicate the group’s values and had not been detected during its customary overview course of. The staff expressed deep remorse and stated it’s investigating the origin of the message.
The incident occurred during “Los Tiburones Night,” the Sharks’ ninth annual celebration of “the team’s commitment to the Bay Area’s vibrant Hispanic community,” in response to the club’s website.
The Sharks would go on to lose to the Penguins 3-0.