Alexis Lafreniere Facing Backlash For A Disrespectful Act Before Last New York Rangers Game

In recent times, the issue with anthems in the NHL has become so large that Canadian teams reportedly requested the league to stop playing them before games, but ultimately Gary Bettman and the NHL turned down that request as anthems have become a staple of sporting events in North America.

Unfortunately, the drama hasn't stopped, as young New York Rangers star Alexis Lafreniere is now facing backlash for a recent act during the American National Anthem, as he did not take his helmet off during the playing of it, with several on social media calling it out.

While it's unclear if this was an intentional act from Lafreniere, it's certainly not a good look given that he plays in one of the biggest cities in the United States, a country where the anthem and respect of it is taken incredibly seriously.

Many on social media noted that this didn't appear to be intentional, as he simply didn't remove his helmet rather than actively protested the playing of the anthem, but either way, given his position, it's something that he certainly should have known better than to do.

Ultimately, Lafreniere is on a major stage, and given the tensions between Canada and the United States in recent times, this isn't something that someone playing in New York should be doing, especially given that many of his teammates are from the United States, so we will now wait and see whether he does this again as an intentional act or not.