Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes knows star defenseman Quinn Hughes is dealing with completely unacceptable fan behavior north of the border right now.
The elite blueliner just helped Team USA capture a historic gold medal at the Milano Cortina Olympics. They stunned Team Canada in a dramatic three-on-three overtime thriller.
Winning the ultimate international prize usually brings massive celebrations and universal respect. But some deeply frustrated hockey fans took the agonizing loss way too personally.
A deeply disturbing scene unfolded right outside the legendary Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto on Wednesday morning. It was an incredibly bad look for the entire city.
Pedestrians discovered an old Vancouver Canucks jersey belonging to the 26-year-old superstar completely defaced and abandoned on the sidewalk. It was aggressively covered in profanity-laced insults.
The shocking vandalism crossed every single line of basic sportsmanship. Trashing a player because he successfully shut down your top lines on the international stage is purely pathetic.
The American squad secured their first men's hockey gold since the legendary 1980 Miracle on Ice. The monumental victory clearly rattled the traditional hockey establishment up north.
Hughes facing backlash from fans
Passionate rivalries are the absolute lifeblood of the sport, especially when the stakes reach an Olympic final. But destroying property and hurling personal insults completely ruins the atmosphere.
Hughes spent the prime developmental years of his NHL career carving up the Pacific Division for Vancouver. He meant a lot to that passionate Canadian fan base.
His crisp passing and elite transition game single-handedly carried their defensive structure for years. Seeing his name dragged through the mud by bitter losers is a brutal reality check.
Fellow athletes and media pundits immediately rushed to condemn the garbage behavior. Celebrating monumental athletic achievements should absolutely never trigger this level of public harassment.
The dynamic skater is ignoring the outside noise and completely focusing on the brutal playoff race awaiting him back in the NHL. He already has the gold medal securely tucked away.
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