Maple Leafs player deletes all social media after receiving life-threatening hate

What is on the line, usually, when the Maple Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens, one of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL, though for sure not as intense as it once was, always fades to the background in the standings when these two teams take to the ice. For them, though, it's about the 'W' in another exciting chapter of this Habs-Leafs rivalry. The competitiveness that brings more intensity sometimes gets out of control, as witnessed in the aftermath of their recent preseason matchup.

In the game, there was a collision where Montreal's Patrik Laine and Toronto's Cedric Pare were involved. He awkwardly twisted his left leg in that impact, going straight off the ice and in obvious pain. It later came out that Laine had suffered a sprained knee and would be out for two to three months. Naturally, the incident set off intense reactions among both teams' fans, not at all surprising given such hot rivalries.

Fan reactions, however, went from bad to worse in a hurry. According to TSN's Darren Dreger on Insider Trading, there were some serious threats against Cedric Pare following the collision, to the extent that the Maple Leafs' security team had to get involved. It was a grim reminder that the passion of fans can sometimes spill over into truly harmful behavior, crossing a line that should never even be approached.

It's Dreger's comment that really outlines the larger issue at hand: even an intentional collision, which Pare's hit of Laine most certainly was not, would be a situation better left to the teams and the league to sort out, as the league is entirely capable of managing events on the ice without the help of fan vigilantism through threats or other forms of violence. You know, there's just no room in hockey for that kind of thing, or in any sport, period.

But what makes rivalries, such as that of the Maple Leafs versus Canadiens, so passionate and exciting is what the fans need to remember where their place draws the line. Sports are supposed to unite people, not incite violence. It's really important that the line gets drawn between supporting your team and crossing into hurtful actions.