Justin Bieber unwittingly committed a hockey no-no by standing on the Chicago Blackhawks' logo in their dressing room at the United Center, where he performed Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old Bieber, from Canada and a known hockey fan, was posing for pictures with the Stanley Cup, which the Blackhawks won on June 24. There was also a personalized Blackhawks jersey with Bieber's name on it in the background. But what upset some Blackhawks fans on Twitter was a picture of the teen pop star standing on the team's Indian head logo while he was taking his own picture of the Cup.
"Bieber was very excited to see the Stanley Cup when he entered our locker room last night," said Brandon Faber, Blackhawks' senior director of media and community relations. "As frequently happens with guests into our room, Justin inadvertently stepped on the team logo on the floor but moved off quickly once immediately reminded. He was apologetic and understanding of the tradition but continued to take photos with the Cup and some young fans. He was extremely genuine and kind with his time. We appreciate his enthusiasm toward hockey and wish him well with the remainder of his tour."
The Blackhawks, like most NHL teams, have an unwritten rule that no one is permitted to step on their logo in the dressing room. The logo is often roped off throughout the playoffs.
Players have been known to scold people for accidentally or purposely stepping or standing on it.
A couple of the Hawks players took to Twitter to light-heartedly admonish Bieber. Winger Brandon Bollig even compared him to Raffi Torres, who was suspended during the 2012 playoffs for an illegal hit on Marian Hossa that caused a season-ending concussoin.
"After this stunt I'm not sure who's disliked more in Chicago. Bieber or Torres?" Bollig tweeted.
Hawks playoff star Andrew Shaw also tweeted to Bieber about protocol.
Bro no stepping on the logo @justinbieber that's money on the board! #gutty pic.twitter.com/DtgRo4loMn
— Andrew Shaw (@shawz15er) July 10, 2013