VANCOUVER — It appears the Vancouver Canucks have cut ties with anthem singer Mark Donnelly over his plan to sing at a rally to protest COVID-19 restrictions.

Donnelly confirmed to the Vancouver Sun that he planned to sing "O Canada" Saturday at the downtown Vancouver protest.

That caused the Canucks to issue a statement distancing the NHL team from Donnelly.

Team owner Franceso Aquilini took it a step further, tweeting: “Hey Vancouver Sun change the headline to ‘Former Canucks anthem singer,'" followed by the hashtag #wearamask.

Donnelly has been performing the anthem at Canucks games since 2001.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2020.