Evander Kane and Cecily Eklund. Right: Cecily Eklund.
Edmonton Oilers player Evander Kane has spoken out on Instagram after a 10-year-old fan was allegedly harassed and spit on while supporting Oilers in Los Angeles over the weekend.
In an Instagram story, Kane said he was "disgusted and appalled" at some fan's treatment of 10-year-old Cecily Eklund, a young Oilers fan.
Eklund, who is a "childhood cancer awareness warrior and philanthropist" was attending the playoff game in L.A. as part of a trip organized by the Ben Stelter Fund, an organization which helps children with cancer.
She is also raising money for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, where she has raised over $38,000 to date.
"I'm disgusted and appalled at what happened to this amazing little girl in the stands and in a woman's restroom where she was harassed for wearing her jersey and was spit on by a LA fan for doing so," he said, posting a photo alongside Eklund.
"This type of behaviour is gross and completely unacceptable. For a young girl especially someone battling cancer to be treated in such a manner is pathetic," he added.
"Grow up and as this smart young lady always says be kind."
Despite not detailing the incident, an Instagram account associated with Eklund said watching hockey in L.A. is "lots different" to watching the game in Canada.
"Edmonton fans are very different. I think if we can choose to be anything, we should choose to be kind," the caption said.
"Thank you @edmontonoilers and @evanderkane for still making the game special for me and my little sister."
In a statement to Narcity, a spokesperson for the LA Kings said they had looked into the incident but it had not been reported to security.
"The LA Kings have never condoned fan behavior of this nature and all fans should feel safe and welcomed at our games," the LA Kings said in a statement.
"Crypto.com Arena has teamed with 24/7 Software Solutions to provide guests with an in-game texting service, allowing guests who have questions or need assistance to inform Guest Services directly, by texting 213-616-9950, anonymously and discreetly. We strongly encourage all of our guests to use this service in the event of experiencing this type of unacceptable and abusive behavior."