CHL defenseman Oliver Bonk received online abuse following Team Canada's loss to Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
There’s no denying the passion Canadians have for hockey. Every holiday season, many of us gather around the TV to watch the World Juniors with the expectation of winning gold every year. When the result doesn’t go the way we were hoping, keyboard warriors like to take to social media to express their feelings. In some cases, those emotions are directed at players in a negative manner.
Earlier this week, following Canada’s quarterfinal loss to Czechia at the World Juniors, Oliver Bonk was forced to change his Instagram profile from public to private. The Czechs broke a 2-2 tie with 11 seconds left in the third period as the puck deflected off Bonk’s skate into the back of the Canadian net; a fluke play we see in the National Hockey League on a nightly basis.
Bonk, who was drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2023, sports a small semi-colon tattoo on his right wrist. While the tattoo may seem insignificant for some, the semi-colon is a common symbol for those who struggle with mental health issues.
In another disappointing outcome, Team Canada fell 2-1 in overtime to Finland in the quarterfinals at the 2019 World Juniors in Vancouver. The loss meant the Canadians wouldn’t play for a medal for the first time on home soil. Once again, some fans vented their frustration online. Team captain Maxime Comtois was the victim of online abuse after failing to beat Finnish goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a penalty shot in extra time.
Pascal Bérubé, a member of the National Assembly of Quebec, described the insults towards Comtois as ”anti-francophone racism.”
The Roy Sports Group, which represents Comtois, put out a statement following the loss. “It is shameful and incomprehensible that a few cowards who can hide behind social media could make such vicious attacks on these young men’s character after they have battled their hearts out for their country. It was Maxime’s idea to use this as a learning moment for all of the youth of Canada, that cyber bullying is a real problem, and like all bullies, we all need to stand up to them and call them out for what they are.”
As a Canadian hockey fan, this is one of the issues with building so much national pride for an event with teenage athletes. These are kids. They don’t deserve to be abused when an outcome doesn’t go as expected. The hate received is completely inexcusable and unwarranted.
To those bullying 18 and 19-year-olds on the internet: time to grow up.
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