Just when we thought this off-season couldn’t get any worse, well... it did.
Around the internet, plenty of rumours were swirling following an alleged incident involving Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman. We have learned about these incidents today, which allegedly revolve around Hoffman’s longtime girlfriend, Monika Caryk.
Erik Karlsson’s wife, Melinda, files order of protection against Mike Hoffman’s long-time girlfriend after alleged campaign of harassment #ottsports https://t.co/e6SCaSKVQD pic.twitter.com/XTRrDe74sV — Ottawa Citizen (@OttawaCitizen) June 12, 2018
According to the Ottawa Citizen, Caryk began a campaign of social media harassment towards Senators captain Erik Karlsson and his wife Melinda, through now-deleted accounts on Twitter and Instagram. The details provided by the Citizen paint the cruel picture, from an incident following Melinda’s unfortunate stillbirth:
In an Instagram post mourning his son’s death, Erik Karlsson posted a photo of Axel’s tiny footprints. In the post, Karlsson thanked the city and the team’s fans for their love and support and wrote: “We feel very lucky to be Axel’s parents. Even though he was stillborn, we know we will hold him again one day under different circumstances and the joy he gave us will be with us forever.” The post garnered more than 10,000 comments, with the overwhelming majority of them expressions of support and sympathy for the couple. However, one comment, posted by user @sandydandy45, stood out: “I feel bad for the baby he didn’t have a chance with Melinda popping pain killer medication everyday.”
Melinda has since filed a peace bond application against Caryk, alleging in a sworn statement to the court that she “has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” and “posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional.”
A peace bond exists as a way for a person to protect themselves against someone who they feel to be a threat to commit a crime against them, despite the person having not yet committed anything. The bond was originally filed on May 4th, and the Ottawa police have also begun to conduct an investigation for harassment.
Mike Hoffman has since released the following statement, denying the allegations:
“There is a 150 per cent chance that my fianceé [sic] Monika and I are not involved in any of the accusations that have been pursued (that are) coming our way. We totally understand there’s no place for cyberbullying. “We’ve offered to co-operate and do anything it takes to find out who is doing this, and support (the Karlssons). Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 per cent that it’s not us. “We have nothing to hide. We’re willing to co-operate in any way to solve this and figure it out, and prove that it wasn’t us.”
Rumours about a potential Mike Hoffman trade have been vivid ever since the beginning of the Sens’ string of losses in December and January, although with the buzz resurfacing, it’s very possible that these allegations are connected.
Update: The Ottawa Senators have released the following statement.
“We are investigating this matter in cooperation with the NHL and will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families.”
A second protection order has been filed against a connected member of the Sens today, as we have also received an update to the Randy Lee situation. According to Katie Strang from The Athletic (paywall), the hotel employee which he allegedly harassed has filed a protection order that prohibits Lee from visiting the young man’s school, business and place of employment (i.e. the hotel), as well as from contacting him electronically. The order will remain in place until at least October 1st 2018, until which time Lee could face criminal prosecution
Lee, who currently holds titles as the Ottawa Senators’ assistance general and Belleville Senators’ general manager, has had no change in his organizational role since the incident. Additionally, team owner Eugene Melnyk has provided him with lawyer Paul Cambria, who also handled allegations against NHLers Patrick Kane and Evander Kane. Lee is scheduled to appear in court on June 22nd, the first day of the NHL Entry Draft in Dallas.
The Senators had hired Nicolas Ruszkowski as their new COO two weeks ago, likely to manage the team’s public relations due to his extensive background in the field. He doesn’t officially start until June 14th, although it’s safe to say he’ll be stepping in to a challenging situation.
The Ottawa Senators seem to have some problems.
On the ice they were one of the worst teams in the NHL this past season and entered an offseason where it seemed likely that their franchise player — defenseman Erik Karlsson — was going to be traded.
Now that the offseason has actually arrived things have managed to get infinitely worse.
It all started around the NHL scouting combine when assistant general manager Randy Lee was charged with harassing a hotel shuttle bus driver. That hotel employee has since filed an order of protection against Lee, who will miss a portion of the NHL draft as he will be due in court.
The Senators only comment on the matter to this point has been that they are reviewing the situation.
On Tuesday, things became even more bizarre.
It was then that the Ottawa Citizendropped a bombshell of a report that states Karlsson’s wife, Melinda, has filed an order of protection against Monika Caryk, the fiancee of Karlsson’s teammate, Mike Hoffman, due to “a campaign of harassment that has plagued the Karlssons after the death of their son and through much of the last NHL season.”
From the Citizen‘s report:
“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” says Melinda Karlsson’s sworn statement to the court. “She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that 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.”
There is a lot to unpack here, but what makes it all especially disturbing is the sequence of events between November of 2017 and March of this year.
It was in November that the Karlssons announced that they were expecting their first child.
Tragically, their son, Axel Michael, was stillborn in March. Shortly after the passing of Axel, Karlsson publicly blasted an Internet troll in the comments section of his Instagram post mourning the loss of their son.
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The comment that sparked Karlsson’s response was left by the username “@Sandydandy45” and said: “I feel bad for the baby he didn’t have a chance with Melinda popping pain killer medication everyday.”
Karlsson wrote in response: “How dare you. 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.”
The Citizen notes that the “@SandyDandy45” account, as well as a Twitter account that used an anti-bullying event to criticize Melinda, have since been deleted.
Hoffman, who has been a member of the Senators since the 2010 season, two years after Karlsson made his debut with the team, issued a statement to the Citizen.
Reached on Tuesday afternoon, Hoffman said, “There’s nothing really for me to say, at this time. That’s all I can say.” In a subsequent comment, Hoffman said, “There is a 150 per cent chance that my fianceé Monika and I are not involved in any of the accusations that have been pursued (that are) coming our way. We totally understand there’s no place for cyberbullying. “We’ve offered to co-operate and do anything it takes to find out who is doing this, and support (the Karlssons). Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 per cent that it’s not us. “We have nothing to hide. We’re willing to co-operate in any way to solve this and figure it out, and prove that it wasn’t us.”
More from the Citizen in terms of the ongoing investigation:
A peace bond, issued under section 810 of the Criminal Code, is similar to a restraining order, which typically only applies in family court situations. A peace bond is an order of protection issued by a justice of the peace when a person fears injury to themselves or to their property, or fears that someone is likely to commit a criminal offence, though one has not yet been committed. This newspaper has also learned that there is an active Ottawa police investigation into the criminal harassment (stalking) allegations and that it is being probed by central district detectives. No criminal charges have been laid against Caryk and none of the allegations against her has been tested in court. No conditions have been set out in the bond either, since it appears to not have been served on Caryk.
Given the sub-par performance of the team on the ice this past season, the financial situation of the organization, and the fact Karlsson is a free agent after this upcoming season, it has been speculation that he could be traded this summer. Hoffman, who still has two years remaining on his current contract that pays him more than $5 million per season, is also rumored to be on the trade block.
UPDATE: The Senators have issued a statement:
“We are 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.”
Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.
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.
Melinda Karlsson, right, claims Monika Caryk, the girlfriend of Senators forward Mike Hoffman, “uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead.” ( Bruce Bennett / GETTY IMAGES )
“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” Karlsson said in the sworn statement. The Karlsson’s first child, a son named Axel, was stillborn in March. Karlsson also claimed that Caryk “uttered that she wished I was dead and that 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.”
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Hoffman denied the allegations in a statement to the Ottawa Citizen. Karlsson was drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2008 and has blossomed into an elite NHL defenceman. Hoffman is one of the team’s top forwards with four straight seasons of more than 20 goals.
Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson's wife, Melinda, applied for a peace bond seeking protection from a woman who has allegedly made threats against her and her husband.
Melinda Karlsson applied for a peace bond in an Ottawa court last month asking for an order seeking to prevent Monika Caryk, who is the girlfriend of Senators forward Mike Hoffman, from committing an offence.
According to a statement Melinda Karlsson submitted for the hearing, she feared for her safety. She accused Caryk of wishing her unborn child dead and wishing somebody would "take out" her husband's legs to "end his career."
Karlsson also accused Caryk of posting over 1,000 negative and derogatory comments about her.
Melinda Karlsson had been pregnant, but the couple announced in March that they had lost the baby.
None of the allegations in the court document have been proven and the latest records indicate the peace bond application has not been served on Caryk.
The Ottawa Senators issued a statement late Tuesday.
"We are 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."
