John Anderson apologizes after 'toilet paper' comment about Zach Whitecloud and fans do not buy it and want him fired

ESPN's John Anderson issued an apology after making an insensitive comment about the name of Las Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud during a "SportsCenter" segment.

Anderson had joked that Whitecloud's last name would be great "if you're a toilet paper" after he scored his first goal of the playoffs. Unfortunately, Whitecloud's last name is part of his Sioux Valley Dakota Nation heritage, and he is the first member of his nation to play in the NHL.

After the comment, a number of NHL fans reacted on social media, with many expressing outrage and calling for Anderson to be fired.

One fan tweeted:

"Zach Whitecloud is allowed to cry over something that affects HIM and affects him ALONE. You don’t get to tell him how to react or how to feel when someone mocks him for his culture. For his FAMILY NAME. It’s absolutely embarrassing on John Anderson’s part. He should be fired."

Another fan tweeted:

"Holy sh*t the comment from SportsCenter's John Anderson comment is worse than I could have imagined. Absolutely shameful."

Despite Anderson's apology and outreach to Whitecloud and the Golden Knights, many fans remained unsatisfied.

One fan tweeted:

"ESPN’s John Anderson should not be able to get away with this kind of public racism aimed Indigenous family names. And this kind of racism happens a lot. ESPN can set a tone by saying this behaviour is not acceptable anywhere, including hockey."

While Anderson's comment may have been unintentional, it had a real impact on Whitecloud and the Vegas community.

Former NHL player and coach John Anderson's career and achievements

John Anderson, a former NHL player, began his hockey career in 1969. He played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Wexford, Toronto. Anderson's talent and skill on the ice were evident from a young age. He was drafted in the first round, 11th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft.

John Anderson played 814 career NHL games, scoring 282 goals and 349 assists for 631 points from 1977–78 until 1988–89. His best statistical season was the 1982–83 season, when he set career highs with 49 assists and 80 points.

During Anderson's third season in Toronto, the club made a four-player trade with the Vancouver Canucks that brought winger Rick Vaive and center Bill Derlago to Toronto. Anderson was paired with the two new acquisitions to form a high-scoring line for the Maple Leafs.

Following the 1984–85 season, the fourth year in a row Anderson had scored 30 or more goals for the Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for defensemen Brad Maxwell. The following year, his first full year with Hartford, Whalers sniper Sylvain Turgeon battled injuries. Anderson filled in as the top left wing on the team. Anderson scored the winning goal against the New York Rangers on April 4, 1987, to give the Hartford Whalers their only division championship.

John Anderson's contributions to the game of hockey have been recognized with several awards and honors, particularly his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.