Los Angeles Kings hosted an Armenian evening last week and it turned into a PR disaster.
The Los Angeles area is home to the largest Armenian community outside Armenia, so the team paid tribute to Armenians from the area.
Fans participating in a game of February 22 against Utah Hockey Club received an Armenian scarf.
The scarves were made in Turkey.
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Artists dance on Armenian heritage evening in the first period between Utah Hockey Club and Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena February 22, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images)
The neighboring countries are historic enemies, derived from the death of estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in the Ottoman Turkey. Historians broadly consider the event as genocide, although Turkey rejects the performance.
After hearing criticism, the kings issued an apology.
The Los Angeles Kings logo during a game between Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, March 2, 2022. (Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports)
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“We, La Kings and our partners in Rank & Rally sincerely want to apologize to all our friends in the Armenian community and beyond for the supervision that may have inadvertently affected your experience under what should have been a happy party,” Kings said in a statement released on Saturday.
“We sources, shares and sell merchandise from a selected list of manufacturers officially licensed by the league and we were not aware of the product’s production origin.”
Crypto.com Arena 9 February 2024 in Los Angeles. (Aaronp/Bauer-Griffin/GC images)
The kings offer full refund or exchanges in person or per. Mail to anyone who bought the scarf in the Team LA store.
