Oilers’ Vincent Desharnais received death threats after fighting star player this season

The Edmonton Oilers were devastated when they were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the postseason, and it includes defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who played in 12 playoff contests.

The disappointing end to his first NHL season got him talking on Montreal radio 98,5FM about other struggles in his life, he who opened up in the past about mental health issues in the past. It led to Desharnais revealing how he received death threats after he fought Montreal Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj on February 12. The Oilers’ blue liner dropped the gloves the Habs’ tough guy, but the fight resulted in Xhekaj suffering an upper body injury.

Desharnais explained how he received scary messages as some overtly passionate fans claimed he had intentionally hurt Xhekaj.

This is absolutely ridiculous, especially when you know how hard Desharnais worked to make it to the NHL and knows how important it is to be healthy to keep your spot.

The defenseman was a seventh-round draft pick, 183rd overall in 2016 in his third draft-eligible season.

He is not taking his chance to play for the Oilers for granted and would never intentionally hurt another player, knowing how hard it is to make it to this level.

This is unacceptable and I’m certainly hoping we see this less and less in the NHL and its fanbase.

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