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Oilers star Evander Kane rips Kings fans for harassing 10-year-old cancer patient

Cecily Eklund made the trip to Los Angeles to cheer on the Oilers in Game 3 but was allegedly mistreated by some Kings supporters.

Michael Hoad
·Writer
·2 min read
Evander Kane ripped into Kings fans for how they allegedly treated a young Oilers supporter battling cancer. (Photo via @simply_cecily/Twitter)

Edmonton Oilers star Evander Kane came to the defence of a 10-year-old fan and cancer patient after she was allegedly mistreated at a game in Los Angeles last week.

With the Oilers taking on the Kings in their first-round series, Cecily Eklund made the trip south of the border to cheer on her favourite team in Game 3. Kane claims the girl was harassed by Kings fans with someone even spitting on her.

Here's the full message Kane posted on social media:

"My dear friend [Cecily] got to go on an amazing trip to LA last week that created some incredibly fun memories. But some of her experience in LA, specifically at Game 3, was not.

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 an LA fan for doing so.

This type of behaviour is gross and completely unacceptable. For any young girl, especially someone battling cancer, to be treated in such a manner is pathetic. Grow up and as this smart young lady always says BE KIND!"

Eklund's mother, Cathy, confirmed her daughter was spit on and said the environment at the arena was "hostile."

“There was a fight just two rows in front of Cecily, she was spit on, sworn at,” Cathy Eklund told Global News.

“It wasn’t the best experience, but it’s also very important to remember that a couple fans don’t represent the whole fanbase.”

Supporters of both the Oilers and Kings have since rallied behind Cecily, with a number of Kings fans attempting to make up for the poor treatment she received by donating to her charity drive. Cathy said Kings fans had contributed over $7,000 as of Tuesday evening.

Cecily's page has already accumulated nearly $50,000 as of this writing, which is well over its stated goal of $30,000.

Prior to this incident, the child had already fundraised nearly $100,000 after her cancer diagnosis four years ago, per Global News.

Edmonton has given Cecily plenty to cheer about on the ice. The team clobbered Los Angeles in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 series lead.