NHL GM Shreds Rumors 'Trolls' Have Made Up Online About Goalie's Leave Of Absence
Ullmark has been away from the Senators since late December.
It's not uncommon for NHL teams to put out statements on all kinds of issues, and most of the time they have pretty similar boilerplate language.
But then there's the statement that Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios put out after fans started floating rumors as to why netminder Linus Ullmark had taken a leave of absence from the team.
Buckle up for this one, it's wild.
Ullmark left the team for personal reasons on December 28, with the team keeping those reasons vague. Nothing crazy about that. As we've seen more and more players take some time away from their teams to deal with off-ice matters, their clubs prioritize privacy.
That's a good thing, buuuuuuut…
It usually gets the rumor mill a-churnin', and that's what happened with wild rumors about why Ullmark had stepped aside bouncing around social media.
So, before a tough game against the white-hot Colorado Avalanche, Senators President of Hockey Operations and GM Steve Staios put out a statement putting the "fabricated and false stories" in his crosshairs.
"Our organization was extremely disappointed to read the completely fabricated and false stories that are spreading around social media about our hockey club," Staios' statement reads. "Linus is away from our team for personal reasons and he has the entire organization’s support. We asked that people respect his privacy, but clearly that request was not heard by the lowest forms of trolls and sick people who scour the internet.
"We are disgusted that outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club. This statement will put an end to the ridiculous speculation that spread online."
Whew! How about that one?
I get his frustration, but this is unfortunately what happens when you try to hold your cards too close to your vest; everyone tries to guess them.
It's an unfortunate situation that got worse once that game against Colorado got underway. The Avs absolutely waxed the floor with Ottawa, winning the game 8-2.
Afterward, head coach Travis Green and the team's players did not address Staios' comments.
The Senators are back in action on Saturday at home against the Florida Panthers, and there is no word on when Ullmark will return.
It's worth noting that he was not named to the Swedish National Team for the upcoming Olympics in Milan.