The Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t started the season strong, however, on Saturday evening (Oct. 29) things took a turn that many would’ve never expected. Jeering is a common practice in sports, especially when specific players or the whole team are struggling. However, there is a line that should never be crossed, and it appears to have been crossed when it comes to Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and his family.
What We Know
There isn’t much known about the specifics of who was involved with this incident, nor about what exactly was said. However, on Saturday evening Aleksandra Merzlikins, the wife of Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, took to social media and discussed an incident that had occurred during the previous night’s game against the Boston Bruins. She stated that fans were giving the family death wishes as well as general insults. She later discussed that fans had previously interacted with their one-year-old son in an inappropriate manner by touching him and screaming his name, which is inexcusable with any stranger’s child regardless of who they are. It has reached a point where she says that she’s no longer bringing him to games and is “scared of him being there.”
While it seems like so long ago, the Merzlikins family experienced a terrible tragedy just over a year ago with the passing of Elvis’ close friend and teammate Matiss Kivlenieks in a tragic accident. Despite all of the difficulty they surely experienced following this, they continued to be great ambassadors for the Blue Jackets organization. It was clear that they cared about the city of Columbus and the fans who supported the team every night. However, now it’s even more clear that the fan base didn’t treat them as kindly as they treated the fan base.
The Merzlikins Family Deserves Better
Elvis Merzlikins has been a major advocate for the city of Columbus and the Blue Jackets since arriving from Europe for the 2019-20 season. When he played well, the fan base turned him into one of the faces of the franchise. Especially in the first two seasons after coming over from HC Lugano, he was consistently cheered and seen as the future of the organization in goal. Although the 2021-22 season, and so far the 2022-23 season have been difficult for the Latvian goaltender, there is no excuse for the treatment he has received. It’s easy for fans to forget that professional athletes are human, and just because they’re paid handsomely for what they do, doesn’t mean life is any less stressful either. It’s safe to say that nobody wants to underperform at their job, especially when they’re on a national television broadcast.
Related: Merzlikins Still Believes They Are a Playoff Team
At this point, if Merzlikins wants to leave the city of Columbus and the Blue Jackets organization then management and the fans should be understanding. Personally, if my family had gone through what his has, I wouldn’t feel comfortable staying either. There’s a point where a relationship feels broken beyond the point of no return, and it certainly feels like this has crossed that line. If on the off chance he does feel comfortable staying, then that should be granted as well. In circumstances such as these, it’s important to do the right thing for the person who has taken the brunt of the abuse and allow him to decide what is right for him and his family.
The key thing to remember is simply that what happens on the ice, should stay there. An athlete’s family should never be brought into the mix, nor should the player’s safety or well-being. In the age of social media, constructive criticism is something that should certainly be expected; however, there’s a major difference between that and simply insulting someone that you’ve never met. Even if a fan has talked to a player previously, you’ve only met their public persona. Fanfare is one thing, but outside of that, you know nothing of their personal life. It is important to remember, no matter how much we love a sport, there are real people playing for our entertainment who deserve privacy and respect as much as the rest of us.
