This is a puzzling story.
A young Montreal Canadiens fan was reportedly forced to leave an NHL game in Toronto on Saturday after receiving a stick from a player. Hunter Beauparlant is a young Habs fan who was attending Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
Hunter brought a sign to the game asking for a puck from his favorite player, Nick Suzuki. Suzuki tossed the kid a puck in warm-ups, but it injured the kid, leaving him with a fat lip. Suzuki then kindly made things right by giving Hunter his stick and posing for a photo.
Unfortunately, the staff at Scotiabank Arena reportedly told Hunter he had to leave the building because the stick is considered a “weapon”. Scotiabank Arena has a no re-entry policy, meaning Hunter couldn’t go put the stick away and return to the game.
Hunter’s dad, Steven, tweeted about what transpired at the game. “Thanks Nick for taking a selfie and making sure Hunter was okay after he didn’t catch the puck you tossed him. He loves the stick, puck autograph & Fat Lip. A memory that will last a lifetime. Had to leave the game cause the stick wasn’t allowed.”
#NickSuzuki #14ClassAct @CanadiensMTL
Thanks Nick for taking a selfie & making sure Hunter was ok after he didn’t catch the puck you tossed him😂He loves the stick, puck autograph & Fat Lip😉A memory that will last a lifetime. Had to leave the game cause the stick wasn’t aloud🤣 pic.twitter.com/jtUoWRGxjM— Steven Beauparlant (@SBeaups4) April 10, 2022
Steven followed up with a tweet explaining things further. “Yeah it was kinda brutal, they said it’s considered a weapon. Poor kid had a busted lip and didn’t wanna lose his stick so we went back to hotel.”
Ya it was kinda brutal, they said it’s considered a weapon 😂 poor kid had a busted lip and didn’t wanna lose his stick so we went back to hotel
— Steven Beauparlant (@SBeaups4) April 10, 2022
It’s unclear why Scotiabank Arena staff couldn’t hold onto the stick for Hunter and give it to him at the conclusion of the game. The Maple Leafs and Scotiabank Arena are yet to address the situation publicly.
This bizzare Maple Leafs policy ruined what was otherwise an awesome gesture from Nick Suzuki. We can only hope the Canadiens organization gets word of what happened and does their best to make things right for Hunter and his dad.
UPDATE: Maple Leafs release statement disputing what took place Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena. Read the full story here.
