As if the heartbreak of a dramatic loss weren't enough, the leader of Canada's World Juniors has been the target of online hate after the loss that knocked the team out of the tournament.
Canada dropped Wednesday's quarterfinal match-up with Finland 2-1 in overtime. It's the first time Canada hasn't won a medal when hosting the tournament and only the second time in 21 years that Canada won't play for a medal.
The Finns forced overtime with 47 seconds left in the game. 19-year-old captain Maxime Comtois had a chance to win it for Canada with a penalty shot in the extra period, but missed.
"It's not the first time that I'm going to miss an important one," a dejected Comtois told NEWSTALK 1010's sister station TSN after the game. "Hopefully if I get one more chance in my career, I'll just try to bury it."
But some fans online seem determined not to let Comtois forget.
A wave of hateful comments were left on Comtois' Instagram photos. One user calls Comtois a "useless bag of dog shit", while another says they hope he gets HIV and goes after his French Canadian heritage. Comtois also endured homophobic attacks and accusations that he let the country down.
The insults appear to have been too much for Comtois. The ability to comment on his Instagram posts was disabled overnight.
After reporters started sharing the abusive posts, there was a second wave of messages aimed at Comtois, these ones supportive.
There was a lot of love for Team Canada inside Vancouver's Rogers Arena even after the loss. The home crowd showed their appreciation for goalie Michael DiPietro chanting his name while he lay splayed on the ice as the Finns celebrated.
The Vancouver crowd shows their support for @Canucks prospect Michael DiPietro inside Rogers Arena.#WorldJuniors #REPRESENT pic.twitter.com/nvMZalE4mN
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 3, 2019