Golden Knights apologize for tweets that were 'in poor taste'

The Vegas Golden Knights' social media department hasn't been shy about pushing the envelope since arriving in the NHL, but on Monday, they admitted they went too far.

"Before Sunday's game against the Boston Bruins, we issued a series of tweets quoting a Boston-based movie with a bear as its main character that were in poor taste," the Golden Knights wrote to USA TODAY Sports via email.

"By no means were the tweets intended to disparage females or female hockey players in any way. We do not condone sexism in any form and fully support the inclusive culture of hockey that makes our sport great. We accept full responsibility for our actions and apologize to those who were offended."

Here were the tweets, before they were deleted:

The female names are apparently referenced in the movie "Ted," a Seth MacFarlane comedy from 2012 starring Boston native Mark Wahlberg and featuring a talking teddy bear.

Athlete Ally, which "educates and activates athletic communities to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports," wrote in a statement that, "These (sexist) acts have no place in sport or society."

The organization's founder and executive director, Hudson Taylor, added the following:

This is just another example of how sport systematically attempts to degrade women and teach boys and men that women are inferior. Now more than ever, we need men to stand up and speak out against the sexism that’s pervasive in sport and society.