Vancouver Canucks' anthem singer gets the boot over plans to perform at anti-mask rally

It appears the Vancouver Canucks have fired their longtime national anthem singer in response to reports he will be singing at a rally organized by COVID-19 deniers and anti-mask advocates.

On Friday afternoon, the Vancouver Sun reported that Mark Donnelly had agreed to perform at a Saturday event in Vancouver protesting COVID-19 restrictions.

Not long after, hockey team owner Francesco Aquilini tweeted at the newspaper to request a change in the headline from "Canucks anthem singer" to "former Canucks anthem singer."

A Canucks spokesperson confirmed the news in an email to CBC, writing, "You are safe to say his days are over."

Donnelly is a fixture at home games for the Canucks, but his political views have also attracted controversy in the past.

In 2012, he sang the national anthem for an anti-abortion caravan as it passed through Vancouver.