San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture said he was “sucker-punched” in Toronto on Tuesday night after discussing the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
Logan Couture @Logancouture
I spent last night in Toronto Ontario. I talked about voting for the Republican Party, and I mentioned Donald Trump by name. I was sucker punched. Is this really what we are coming to? If you vote you are a villain? Man this world is so wrong
Couture went on to say he can’t even vote for Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential election because he’s a Canadian citizen and that he was only discussing his vote in a hypothetical sense.
Couture and his teammates are in the middle of their offseason after the Sharks failed to qualify for the NHL‘s modified playoff tournament. San Jose’s 63 points were the fewest in the Western Conference.
Trump recently expressed his support for the NHL as it opened the postseason. He contrasted the league with the NBA, which has made social justice a focal point of its restart.
Daniel Dale @ddale8
Trump said there is “a nastiness about the NBA,” the way the league returned. (Players kneeled for the anthem, have Black Lives Matter messages on jerseys.) “Ice hockey,” conversely, “respected the mores, they respected what they’re supposed to be doing,” he said.
The president criticized NBA players for kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest against systemic racism and police brutality in the United States. However, a handful of NHL players have since adopted the protest as well.
Sportsnet @Sportsnet
Ryan Reaves, Robin Lehner, Tyler Seguin, and Jason Dickinson all took a knee for the U.S. & Canadian national anthems ahead of the @DallasStars vs. @GoldenKnights game. https://t.co/0fm8sOCpxB
Couture didn’t provide additional specifics about the alleged assault.