Leafs player gets death threats from Canadiens fans
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare has had an eventful preseason thus far.
Pare was on the other side of the collision that knocked Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine out of a recent contest between the two teams. There was no penalty on the play but Canadiens tough guy Arber Xhekaj took matters into his own hands and beat up Pare later on.
Patrik Laine is forced to leave the game with a knee injury after colliding with Cedric Pare. pic.twitter.com/3rAOIRrfrQ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 28, 2024
Xhekaj wasn’t the only person upset with the play. A horde of Canadiens fans have been harassing Pare online, many of them crossing the line.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs security group had to intervene and disable Pare’s social media accounts based on death threats and abusive comments directed at him,” said TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading.
Good for Laine for helping clear this up. Pare has come under fire since this hit and has been abused and threatened via social media. To the point, the Maple Leafs have disabled Pare’s accounts. https://t.co/iOojzMln7z
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 3, 2024
Pare’s Instagram has seen a massive uptick in comments since the incident. His most recent post has more than 2,000 comments, far above the 10 to 20 that many of his older posts usually would get. Many of the comments are aggressive and negative, though some are supportive and from people standing up to cyberbullying. It does seem to be active again.
“It’s a fast game, it wasn’t my intention,” said Pare when asked about the play after the game. “It’s unfortunate, I hope he’s fine.”
While some fans have been aggressive, Laine has been very understanding of the collision.
“I don’t think anybody’s trying to hurt anybody,” said the sniper to the media. “Hockey’s a fast game and kind of put myself in that situation a little bit trying to make a stop. It’s just an unfortunate collision and he texted me afterwards, which I give him respect for that.”
The Canadiens traded for Laine earlier this summer. The winger will not need surgery to repair his knee and is expected to return to action after two to three months of rest and recovery.
The Leafs signed Pare this summer on the second day of free agency. The team made lots of cuts today as more than 20 players were released from the camp roster but Pare is sticking around.
The 25-year-old forward played last season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, finishing the year with 14 goals, 21 assists, and 35 points in 61 games.
The two long-time rivals open their seasons against each other when they face off on October 9 in Montreal.