Alexandre Burrows has received plenty of criticism – among other things – for his hit on Ryan McDonagh. The hit came late in the third period as the Canucks were trailing the Rangers by a score of 3-1. Borrows got his hands up high and pushed a defenseless McDonagh awkwardly into the boards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eseS0k41pqM
Burrows received a five-minute major penalty as well as a game misconduct, but he avoided additional discipline from the NHL.
The story doesn’t end there. As mentioned above, Burrows has received plenty of attention for the hit. In the era of social media, that means fans have the access and the ability to speak their mind to the opposition. This includes death threats.
Burrows on Twitter feedback re McDonagh hit. “500 messages from Rangers fans. 'I'll kill your family, I want you to die.' Bad things."
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) April 3, 2014
It’s disappointing, but not surprising.