A Vancouver auto dealer has received a letter from the National Hockey League demanding that it remove the words "Go Canucks Go" from the window of the dealership.

Doug Lum, general manager of the Destination Auto Group, said he received the letter by both courier and email Thursday from the NHL's legal department.

The letter refers to a large sign on the window of the company's Kingsway Honda dealership at the corner of 12th Avenue and Kingsway.

The sign reads: "Go Canucks Go!!," with the words, "Honk if you're a fan" underneath. There is also a small Canucks logo on the window.

"They have given me until the fourth of May to take it down," Lum said today. "I am going to alter the sign, not take it down. I am going to make it so that it's legal in their mind, maybe remove a couple of letters and I'll take the logo down for sure. And I think I'll maybe take a photocopy of this letter and put it on the window so people can actually read it."

That letter, signed by Kelley A. Lynch, associate counsel, business and legal affairs for the NHL, suggests the phrase "Go Canucks Go" and use of the Canuck logo "infringes the trademark rights of the Vancouver Canucks because consumers are likely to be misled that the Vancouver Canucks have an official relationship with the dealership."

Lum disputes the NHL's claim that he is trying to promote his own business through the Canucks.

"The sign says, 'Go Canucks Go. Honk if you're a fan,' " Lum said. "We are just trying to get into the spirit of things. It's a high-profile corner. We did the same thing during the Olympics with the words, 'Go Canada Go, Paint the Town Red' kind of thing. Everybody has Canuck fever and we just wanted to be a part of it and show support."

Lum says his business may have been targeted because of a relationship it has formed with the Green Men, two young Canucks fans who frequently sit near the penalty box at Rogers Arena wearing green body suits.

The Green Men appeared at three Destination Auto Group dealerships last Saturday to help raise money for the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami relief effort through the Canadian Red Cross.

More than $2,500 was raised that day.

A logo of the Green Men that bears a similarity to the Canucks logo is prominently displayed on the Kingsway Honda website.

The Canucks didn't make anyone available to comment on the situation Friday, but did issue a statement saying that although they embrace fan support they also "respect the importance of exclusivity and corporate partnerships. In doing so, local businesses seeking to generate an unauthorized promotional association with Canucks Sports & Entertainment will be notified of any violations."

Lum said he can't understand why the Canucks and the NHL would try to prevent businesses from getting into the spirit of the Canucks' playoff run.

"Why would anyone want to stop it? I mean their slogan is, 'We Are All Canucks' ... 'We are all Canucks, but you can't support us,' is what basically they are telling me."

Lum also wonders if his company's longtime sponsorship of Dan Russell's SportsTalk program on CKNW has anything to do with the letter. Russell, who has crossed swords with the Canucks organization in the past, broke the story on his show Thursday night and received a number of calls from listeners who were highly critical of the actions by the Canucks and NHL.

Lum noted the Destination Auto Group also does a significant amount of advertising on the Team 1040, which has the radio rights to Canucks' games.

He wonders why his dealership is being singled out because numerous other businesses have similar signs up saying, 'Go Canucks Go.'

On Friday, the Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon announced it is temporarily changing its name to Canucks Ridge. Its entire staff has been issued Canucks jerseys as their new uniforms and the Canucks logo has been cut into the 18th fairway of the resort's two courses.

"It's everywhere," Lum said. "My kids work at various restaurant establishments and are told to wear Canucks gear when they go serve. At my wife's work, every game day everyone wears a Canucks jersey ... The whole idea is we're trying to show support for the local team."

The Destination Auto Group includes three other dealerships: Destination Toyota in Burnaby, Destination Hyundai in Vancouver and Destination Chrysler in North Vancouver.

"At our Toyota dealership we have a banner that says, 'Go Canucks Go, Honk if you're a fan,' " Lum said. "I am just waiting for that letter."

bziemer@vancouversun.com