Two Hockey Fans Get Banned After Using a Tragic Plane Crash in an Attempt to Mock the Opposing Team

Hockey fandom can sometimes bring out the best in people. Unfortunately, at times it can also bring out the worst. This is one of those times as two fans in Sweden have been punished by the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for a gruesome attempt to mock a goaltender killed in a tragic plane crash.

Stefan Liv was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2000, but never played in the NHL. He spent the vast majority of his playing career with HV71 of the SHL, before signing with the KHL in Russia. While on his way to the team's season opener in 2011, Liv and 42 other members of the team (including coaches and four youth players) were killed when the plane they were on crashed shortly after takeoff. Several well-known names were on the plane, including Brad McCrimmon, Pavol Demitra, and Ruslan Salei.

The crash rocked the entire hockey world, and the tragic event is still remembered in ceremonies to this day. However, in a recent game between HV71 and Linkoping, two Linkoping supporters decided they would flash pictures of Stefan Liv to members of the HV71 team in some kind of terrible attempt to get in their heads. They have now been banned from SHL games for two years, which is the maximum the league allows. It was the Linkoping team that managed to identify the two fans so they could be punished.

What would ever possess someone to do something like this defies all logic. Hockey rivalries can be great fun, and the game is definitely better because of them. But there's a line, and the actions of these two fans definitely crossed it. It's too bad the team's own rules didn't allow for a lifetime ban. I can't imagine two fans anymore deserving of it.