Chicago Blackhawks Announcer Apologizes For Shocking ‘Bullet In My Head’ Reference To Describe NHL’s COVID Restrictions

Chicago Blackhawks TV announcer Pat Foley made a widely-panned reference to suicide while discussing the NHL’s Covid restrictions Monday night, and was forced to quickly apologize.

“Had I been traveling with this team this year, I might have put a bullet in my head,” Foley said during the Blackhawks final game of the season. “I wouldn’t have even had access to the player lounge that they had…it would be room, or hockey rink. That’s it.”

Foley was attempting to commend the Blackhawks as a team, for their ability to overcome Covid restrictions and a grueling schedule to complete their season, but his thoughtless reference fell short in the eyes of many — as the remark was quickly met with social media backlash. Minutes later, the veteran broadcaster used a brief pause in the action to issue an apology.

“I wish I didn’t say that,” Foley said. “I’m sorry if I offended some folks, apparently I did.”

Having called Blackhawks games for nearly four decades, this was not the first time the 66-year-old Foley needed to apologize. During a 2019 exhibition game, Foley referenced Eisbaeren Berlin’s Austin Ortega and joked about his ethnic last name. “Ortega, who sounds like he ought to be a shortstop,” Foley said, later apologizing for that blunder as well.

The 2021 NHL season was Foley’s 38th as a broadcaster for the Blackhawks, joining the team in 1981 and taking a two-year hiatus in 2006.

Watch above via, NBC Sports Chicago