An ugly situation caused Mike Hoffman to be traded by the Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators dealt away their top scorer Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks today. San Jose then dealt Hoffman to the Florida Panthers. The Senators had no choice but to trade Hoffman, but not due to salary cap issues, an overabundance of scorers, but because of social media.
Social Media War
Hoffman’s fiancé Monika Caryk has been accused of harassing Ottawa’s Captain Erik Karlsson and his wife Melinda on social media. The Karlssons lost their son Axel in March. They shared their joy when they found they were expecting, and the tragedy of their loss on social media.
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In exchange for bearing their souls, both were attacked by social media trolls, one of whom is reported to be Hoffman’s fiancé. The couple has denied the allegations, though there could be legal ramifications.
Mike Hoffman in the Middle
Melinda Karlsson has filed for an order of protection against Monika Caryk. Erik and Mike had a heated conversation about the issue at the end of the season. The harrassment has allegedly been going on since before the tragic death of Axel.
Hoffman has vehemently denied that his fiancé is responsible for the morally reprehensible posts attacking the Karlssons. This is all a storyline from a poorly written soap opera that now begs the question – How much is too much?
Not The First NHL Troll
When Philadelphia Flyers alternate captain Wayne Simmonds proposed to his fiancé, he posted a lovely picture on social media. But out came the trolls. Simmonds is a Black Canadian while his fiancé is not. She was too thin, too fat, on and on went the trolls, until the post was removed.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux is also engaged. His fiancé has been raked over the social media coals so much so that she has made all of her accounts private.
There is an online social media pit called the Girlfriend Forums so horrible that I will not post a link. The wives and girlfriends of nearly every current NHL player, ad many retired players, are ripped to shred by a pit of vipers, all behind the mask of a computer keyboard.
Social Media Trolls
These players, our players, are kind enough to share their lives with us, their fans. Their wives, girlfriends, and children are part of that life. Yes, we as fans pay the salary of the players, and they may feel obligated to give us a glimpse into their lives, but at what cost?
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My heart bled for the Karlssons when they lost heir son. I have experienced a similar loss and applauded their sharing this experience. I had hoped it would help those who had also had similar tragedies. No matter who the actual troll was, social media has impacted two families, and an NHL them as well.