Senators engulfed in social-media drama
Karlsson’s wife alleges that Hoffman’s fiancee has been on campaign of harassment
OTTAWA — The wife of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson has filed an order of protection against the girlfriend of one of Karlsson’s teammates, alleging harassment and cyberbullying.
In an application for a peace bond filed May 4 in an Ottawa court, Melinda Karlsson alleges that Monika Caryk posted hundreds of derogatory online messages aimed at her and her husband. Caryk is the longtime partner of Senators forward Mike Hoffman.
“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” Karlsson said in the sworn statement. The Karlssons’ first child, a son named Axel, was stillborn in March.
The Ottawa Citizen was first to report on the allegations.
Karlsson also claimed that Caryk “uttered that she wished I was dead and someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to ‘end his career.’
“Monika Caryk has posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional.”
The Senators said in a statement Tuesday that the NHL club is “investigating this matter in co-operation with the NHL and will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families.”
Hoffman denied the allegations in a statement to the Citizen. An email to Hoffman’s agent seeking comment was not immediately returned.
According to Canada’s Department of Justice website, a peace bond is a protection order that requires a person to keep the peace and be on good behaviour, and is used when that person appears likely to commit a criminal offence, but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has actually been committed.
The Karlssons were the target of cyberbullying in March. An ugly online comment was posted on Erik Karlsson’s Instagram account after the defenceman made a post acknowledging the support he and Melinda received following their son’s death.
“I feel bad for the baby, he didn’t have a chance with Melinda popping pain killer medication everyday,” posted an Instagram user known as sandydandy45.
Karlsson’s response suggested it was part of a larger pattern of harassment.
“How dare you,” he posted. “You have been making fake accounts and buying hacked ones for months to harass me and my wife but this is an all-new low even for you. You are a disgusting person.”
Karlsson was drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2008 and has blossomed into an elite NHL defenceman, while Hoffman is one of the team’s top forwards, coming off his fourth straight season of more than 20 goals.
Yet, the Senators have reportedly put Hoffman on the trade block again following the playoffs.
These allegations are the latest controversy in what his been a terrible few weeks for the Senators.
Assistant general manager Randy Lee has been charged with harassing a hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo during the NHL’s pre-draft scouting combine two weeks ago, and he will miss part of next week’s draft due to a June 22 court appearance.
And late last month, former captain Daniel Alfredsson told Ottawa blogger Sue Sherring that he hoped the Senators get a new owner in place of the embattled Eugene Melnyk.