It’s bad enough that professional athletes kneeling for the Star-Spangled Banner is based on an anti-police myth created by self-admitted Marxists whose goal is to tear down American society and culture. You’d also think it was also bad enough the Black Lives Matter (BLM) forces had contaminated the NBA, NFL, and MLB. But, somehow, NHL hockey had refreshingly remained out of the political pandering—until now.

MSN reported the first NHL hockey player to take a knee for the American anthem was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild. It’s hard in today’s cultural chaos to set the bar even lower than it already is in showing disrespect for America’s police officers and for the United States, but Mr. Dumba has managed to lower it.

It’s bad enough that American professional athletes have been kneeling for the anthem. You’d also think it was bad enough that their non-American teammates would also kneel in “solidarity.” But Mr. Dumba has found a way to magnify the insult to America: Matt Dumba is not American; Matt Dumba is Canadian.

You might say, so what? He’s Canadian. There’s nothing wrong with that. I agree. I have Canadian friends, and one of my grandmothers was born in Canada. The problem is, he knelt for the American anthem and then stood for the Canadian anthem.

MSN wrote, “As the opening strains of the American national anthem played, Dumba took a knee.” And added, “As the Canadian national anthem started, Dumba, who plays in Minnesota, stood up.”

Isn’t this a profound international insult? He didn’t make this insulting gesture as a private citizen. He insulted another nation’s national anthem and flag—and people—at an officially sanctioned NHL event.

Still, I don’t think the ultra-leftist, and part-time minstrel show performer, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have a problem with it, but he should. PM Trudeau has demonstrated he’s quite capable of insulting the United States all on his own.

Though I don’t excuse any American pro athlete for their insulting the nation and culture that allowed them the opportunity to become wealthy playing a sport they love, at least they are showing disrespect, even hatred, for their own nation for their own reasons. Mr. Dumba, on the other hand, was disrespectful to another nation. Does he realize he not only insulted the United States but has brought shame and dishonor on Canada?

How much less money would Canadian NHL players be making if the NHL was only in Canada? While most of the NHL players are Canadian, most of the NHL teams are American (24 in the U.S. and 7 in Canada). An exclusively Canadian NHL would make a fraction of what those players are making now because it’s a North American league. Does Mr. Dumba, who’s probably nice in person and who may think he’s doing the right thing, ever think about such things?

I’ve heard some people attempt to invoke First Amendment protections to defend players kneeling. However, the First Amendment doesn’t necessarily protect you in the workplace, and that’s where these athletes are protesting—on the team owner’s dime. As a police officer, there were many things I could do off duty that I could not do when I was at work. So, are the team owners as responsible as those kneeling for insulting a large portion of their fan base?

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Make no mistake: These leagues and teams have the authority to stop this insult to the greatest nation in the history of nations—not perfect, but undoubtedly great—and certainly exceptional.

To watch privileged millionaires making themselves the subjects of a violent, anti-police Marxist mythology is not only confounding but also disheartening. So many ordinary people today are out of work and wondering how they will feed their families…while they watch rich athletes bite the hand that feeds them.

I can only hope in retrospect, as the myth vaporizes with time, knowledge and realization, they will understand just how much damage they have done not only to the teams and sports they say they love, but to American (and Canadian) sports and to the singular nation that made possible the opportunity for their inspiring and admirable rags-to-riches (or simply success) stories.

You can watch Mr. Dumba’s actions and listen to his game-opener opinion:

After I stowed the keyboard, I watched the rest of the Boston Bruins game—whose players, by the way, did not kneel.