Leafs player receiving dangerous threats from fans: deletes social media
Photo credit: TSN screenshot
Cedric Pare of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been forced to delete all of his social media accounts after Montreal Canadiens fans have sent him dangerous threats.
The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens isn't quite as heated as it has been over the years, but still perhaps one of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL, and all of sports for that matter. Whenever these two franchises get together, regardless of where they sit in the standings, that game becomes much more than just another game. For the players, it's a do-or-die battle for supremacy in this long-standing rivalry. Emotions can run deep, and sometimes that intensity boils over into incidents that go beyond the game.
A week ago, in a preseason match, things got heated when Montreal forward Patrik Laine and Toronto forward Cedric Pare collided, leaving Laine with a pretty ugly injury. Laine's left leg twisted awkwardly, and he had to leave the game limping. He was subsequently diagnosed with a sprain of the left knee that would take him out for two to three months. A big injury not only shook the Canadiens roster, but it also continued to add fuel to this already hot rivalry.
Unfortunately, some took that way too far. Per Darren Dreger on TSN's 'Insider Trading', serious threats were made on Cedric Pare in the aftermath. It got bad enough that even the Toronto Maple Leafs' security had to get involved to assure Pare's safety. What should have stayed competitive and on the ice spilt over onto something so much worse off the rink.
And Dreger was right in his reportorial broadcast that even assuming Pare's hit on Laine had been intentional, which it was not, the NHL and teams and players can handle these sorts of incidents. There's just no need whatsoever for fans to take matters into hand, let alone when that intervention takes on threatening and/or violent dimensions. The rivalry in sports is never to cross the line this way, and there's just no place for this in hockey or any other sport.
While the rivalry between the Habs and Leafs remains one of those things that makes NHL history important, it will always be critical for fans to remember that the passion could never spill over into harm or hostility. One could have fierce rivalries without entering dangerous territory, and at all times, it was vital for fans to keep perspective and let the spirit of competition live on respectfully.
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