The wife of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, right, claims that her the fiancee of her husband's teammate cyberbullied her months. (Facebook)
A Canadian hockey player’s wife has filed a protective order against the fiancée of her husband’s teammate last month, claiming the fiancée used multiple accounts to bombard her Instagram page with hateful comments, The Ottawa Citizen reported Tuesday.
Melinda Karlsson, the wife of Ottawa Senators’ captain Erik Karlsson, claimed the “campaign of harassment” began last November, when the couple was expecting a baby. The baby, named Axel, was stillborn on March 19, 2018. In a subsequent Instagram post, Karlsson mourned the loss.
The couple received thousands of comments, but one stood out.
“I feel bad for the baby he didn’t have a chance with Melinda popping pain killer medication everyday,” posted one user from an account that is now deactivated.
In a protective order filed last month, Melinda claimed that Monika Caryk, the fiancée of player Mike Hoffman, was the culprit. She also accused Caryk was on the other end of hateful comments she had been receiving since November.
“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” the order read. “She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to ‘end his career.’”
Hoffman has denied the allegations against his fiancée.
“There is a 150 percent chance that my fiancée Monika and I are not involved in any of the accusations that have been pursued (that are) coming our way,” he told The Citizen.
After publication of the report, Caryk set her social media profiles to private, The Citizen reported. She did not return The Citizen's request for comment.
The Senators announced in a statement that it will investigate “this matter in co-operation with the NHL and will take whatever steps to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families.”
The Karlssons did not return The Citizen’s request for comment.
The rift between Karlsson and his teammate, coincides with sexual harassment charges against the team's assistant general manager Randy Lee who allegedly made lewd comments and rubbed the shoulders of a 19-year-old hotel shuttle driver while in Buffalo for the NHL combine in late May. Lee pleaded not guilty on June 4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.