Calgary Flames under fire for controversial signing of player involved in neck-kicking incident

On Sunday night, the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames kicked off their pre-season, with the Flames coming away winners 6-1 on the back of several impressive performances, namely from prospect Matt Coronato. However, it was the final goal of the night from Martin Frk that has grabbed headlines on social media, as the 30-year old is facing backlash for his previous actions on the ice.

After last playing in the NHL in 2021/22 with the Los Angeles Kings, Frk spent the last two seasons overseas, during which time in the Swiss Hockey League he was suspended five games for intentionally trying to kick an opponent in the head with his skate.

The move drew attention across the world, with Frk facing plenty of backlash, but after serving his suspension, he has played a relatively clean game, with Calgary believing he would be an asset and wouldn't be doing things like this again. Thus far their belief has paid off, but those fans on social media don't forget, as they were quick to call the team out for it.

It's unlikely that the backlash will lead to Calgary making any changes, as Frk isn't set to be a part of their NHL squad heading into the 2024/25 season, but we will see if anything comes of this criticism after a solid night from the veteran forward.