Warriors to retire Indigenous logo after pushback

A screenshot of the Stratford Warriors' website, featuring the "Indian Warhead" logo.

After community members voiced concern over the return of an Indigenous-themed logo on one of their 50th anniversary jerseys, the Stratford Warriors will retire the design, according to an email obtained by the Times.

The local hockey team unveiled a throwback lineup earlier this season, featuring jerseys from their past – including one bearing an “Indian Warhead” logo. The decision drew swift criticism from several residents, who called the imagery culturally insensitive.

In an email to the Times, one community member wrote, “Many groups feel these logos are disrespectful and promote cultural appropriation. Many sports teams are removing this offensive logo. Why is the Stratford … hockey team returning this logo to their uniforms?”

Local advocate Loreena McKennitt also reached out with her concerns after speaking to several local Indigenous community members.

“I am interested to learn what the thinking was behind this decision, who made it and could it be reconsidered?” wrote McKennitt. “What I am aware of is that a few individuals who identify as Indigenous in this area were not aware of this decision and were taken aback by something which many thought had been settled as per the Ontario Human Rights Commission.”

Mayor Martin Ritsma said that once he became aware of the growing concern in the community, he too reflected on the issue and stated that if it’s an issue for residents, it’s a municipal concern that should also involve the city.

“If it's part of our community, it has to be part of a municipality,” he said. “Is this directly connected to the municipality? No. However, the hockey club does operate out of a municipal building.”

In other municipalities across Ontario, hockey associations have banned the use of such logos and offensive terms; however, in Stratford, this does not appear to be the case.

In a 2019 complaint that led to a mediated settlement involving the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and the City of Mississauga, a requirement was imposed to remove Indigenous-themed mascots and imagery from city-run arenas.

The OHRC has continued to urge municipalities to review and, where appropriate, remove Indigenous-themed mascots, names and imagery used by non-Indigenous groups in city facilities.

In a return email to McKennitt, Stratford Warriors president Nick Aroutzidis noted that he believes one of the historic mistakes made by western society is the tendency to make decisions for Indigenous peoples rather than with them.

“We are committed to doing better,” Aroutzidis wrote. “As soon as we became aware of these concerns, we began reaching out to Indigenous leaders in and around our community. We believe that listening and engaging in meaningful consultation is the right and necessary step, and we will respond and act accordingly based on those discussions.”

He then wrote, “We sincerely appreciate you bringing this matter forward, and you have my assurance that we take these concerns very seriously.”

Following that statement, a representative of the team informed McKennitt it will retire the jersey featuring the “Indian Warhead” logo.

The Times attempted to reach Aroutzidis and the Stratford Warriors for comment, though did not hear back in time for publication.