Team USA junior hockey players capture hearts with patriotic singing of national anthem after winning world championship



Team USA junior ice hockey players captured hearts and sent a little pride back to America with their emotional, patriotic singing of the national anthem after winning the world championship Friday in Europe.

Check out the smiling youngsters belting out "The Star-Spangled Banner" after beating host Sweden 6-2:

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As you can see, nobody was taking a knee.

The players' verve caught the attention of more than a few prominent folks who praised their unashamed patriotism — in stark contrast to other American athletes who made headlines by disrespecting the anthem:

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“Att’n USA women’s soccer — this is what is expected of you if you agree to wear America’s jersey,” Megyn Kelly wrote on X. “Otherwise LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT. These boys show how it’s done. Listen up. God bless them and God bless America!”

Riley Gaines sent a direct message to outspoken women's soccer icon Megan Rapinoe, who gained attention years ago for kneeling during the anthem and then made a name for herself by espousing left-wing social views.

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Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott wore his pride on his sleeve:

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Sports media personality Sage Steele called out her former employer ESPN, saying the American sports network completely ignored Team USA's "special moment" — unlike Canada's TSN Sports, which aired the stirring video:

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Former women's soccer star Carli Lloyd loved what she saw:

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After the U.S. women's soccer team in August made their earliest-ever exit from the World Cup — which pleased quite a few observers due to the wokeness associated with the team — Rapinoe took comfort in her squad's social activism that she said "changed the world forever."

A month later Rapinoe said said she's prouder "by a mile" of her "gay rights," "trans rights," and "racial justice" activism off the field than of her on-field accomplishments.

For her part, Lloyd criticized the women's team for celebrating after a 0-0 World Cup draw against Portugal, and former U.S. Men's National Team star Alexi Lalas called the women's team "unlikeable" after their elimination from the World Cup.

Anything else?

OutKick said Team USA's junior hockey players came into the world championship tournament in Gothenburg as the favorites to win the gold medal and went undefeated.

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NHL reverses ban on rainbow Pride stick tape; LGBTQ group calls it 'a win for us all'



The National Hockey League has reversed its recent ban on rainbow Pride stick tape.

What are the details?

The NHL, players’ union, and an inclusion committee agreed Tuesday to give players the option to represent social causes with stick tape during warm-ups, practices, and games, the Associated Press reported.

More from the AP:

Pride nights became a hot-button issue in hockey after six players chose not to participate in pregame warmups last season when their team wore rainbow-themed jerseys. Teams this season are not allowed to wear any kind of theme jerseys, including military appreciation and Hockey Fights Cancer, for warmups.

The tape ban drew criticism from players around the league, longtime executive Brian Burke and others. Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton told reporters he’d probably use it anyway, and Arizona’s Travis Dermott defied the ban over the weekend by putting rainbow-colored tape on his stick for a game.

The NHL Players’ Association said it was “pleased to see the league’s policy has been revised so that players are free to support causes they believe in," the outlet added.

The makers of Pride Tape said on social media regarding the reversal, “We are so very grateful to everyone who believes hockey should be a safe, inclusive and welcoming space for all. We are extremely happy that NHL players will now have the option to voluntarily represent important social causes with their stick tape throughout season," the AP also reported.

The You Can Play Project — which advocates for LGBTQ+ participation in sports and has partnered with the NHL for a decade — called the reversal “a win for us all," the outlet noted.

“Actively welcoming communities into hockey is imperative to keep the sport strong now and into the future,” You Can Play said in a statement, according to the AP. “We appreciate every person, team and organization that made their voice heard to support this change and appreciate the NHL’s willingness to listen and make the right choice.”

Anything else?

Last season, then-Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Provorov cited his Russian Orthodox faith when he refused to skate before a Pride Night game since his teammates were wearing LBGTQ colors.

Readers of Blaze News may recall that a number of sports journalists were upset by Provorov's stance, including E.J. Hradek — senior reporter for the NHL Network — who suggested Provorov could "go back" to Russia and "maybe get involved" in the war against Ukraine if he didn't want to wear rainbow colors.

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Hockey player punches referee in face after penalty, knocks official to ice — a punch which knocks player out of league for good



An ice hockey player from the U.S. Premier Hockey League was caught on video punching a referee in the face during a game Sunday and is now facing a lifetime ban from the league, Fox News reported.

What are the details?

The cable network said that during the first period of a game between the South Shore Kings and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, an official called a penalty against Paul Halloran of the Kings.

The official and Halloran — who wears number 19 jersey— appeared to get tangled up against the rink wall, and the player appeared to push off the official, after which the official penalized him.

Video then shows Halloran skating off the ice and then turning toward that same official and punching him in the the face. Immediately after the punch it appeared the player knocked or pushed the official down to the ice.

The official quickly got up and appeared to be OK, Fox News said.

Safe to say, I don\u2019t think he liked what the ref said to him pic.twitter.com/zJUe61SMUT
— Justin (McLovin) (@Justin (McLovin)) 1645381730

USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow issued the following statement: "The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time. The player in question's actions have led to a lifetime ban. The incident is currently being investigated by local authorities and as such the USPHL will have no further comments at this time.”

The Kings are part of the league's New England Division. Halloran, 20, plays left wing and is tied for second on the team with 15 goals.

What was the reaction?

Reaction to the punch seemed mixed, with some blaming the player and others blaming the referee.

One Twitter commenter noted that "the ref 'getting in the way' doesn't justify a punch. This happens in football, basketball, any sport, the ref can get in the way or say something one doesn't like. That doesn't mean you get to physically assault them."

But another commenter observed that "the ref was obviously looking for a fight and should also be suspended. Not defending the kid, but the referee escalated a situation where he should just have said 'sorry, I got in the way' and moved on. Instead he started showing aggression and reaped what he sowed. No sympathy."

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