Racist comments proliferated on social media networks Thursday after Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban scored the winning goal in a double-overtime match against the Boston Bruins.
On Twitter, unhappy Bruins fans tweeted comments like "That stupid n----r doesn’t belong in hockey #whitesonly" and "Someone needs to smack PK subban across his big n----r lips. #scumbag" — so many tweets, in fact, that the offending word began trending online in Boston.
According to Montreal media monitoring and analysis company Influence Communications, the N-word and Subban's name were used in conjunction on 17,000 tweets yesterday.
Some dismayed Boston fans chimed in, expressing their disappointment with those issuing racist tweets.
"N----r was trending in Boston because P.K. Subban scored… It’s a rare moment in my life to be ashamed to be a Bruins fan" one person tweeted.
Another wrote, "I bet the Bruins fans calling P.K. Subban a n----r on Twitter have no idea his brother plays for their minor league team."
P.K. Subban's brother Malcolm Subban was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2012, and JaromeIginla is a biracial right-winger for the Bruins. Both players are Canadian-born.