Kings fans donate to Edmonton girl's charity drive after Kane calls out abuse in L.A.
Oilers sniper Evander Kane says he is "disgusted and appalled" by the way some people in Los Angeles treated a 10-year-old Oilers fan who travelled south to cheer on her team.
Cecily Eklund was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just six.
Since then, she's raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Stollery Children's Hospital and formed a close friendship with Kane.
Eklund was in L.A. for Game 3 Friday night between the Oilers and Kings, when Kane claims she was subjected to abuse inside Crypto.com Arena.
"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," Kane wrote on Instagram.
"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 Twitter account didn't specifically address Kane's allegations, but urged fans "to be kind and be happy."
"If you go to the Oilers game come see me tonight! I’ll be selling bracelets helping other kids go on magical experiences," it said.
'I WAS COMPLETELY DISGUSTED'
Kane's post caught the attention of Zach Lyttle, a Kings fan in California.
He has a four-year-old son and said he was "furious" to hear a child was treated that way.
"I was completely disgusted by the behaviour of it, because that's not who we are as hockey fans, as Kings fans here in L.A.," Lyttle told CTV News Edmonton Tuesday.
"All my friends here are super welcoming to the visiting teams. We get that playoffs get heated, but that's still no excuse."
Lyttle shared Eklund's donation page on his Twitter account and urged fans to "show her what real Kings fans are like."
"We can't speak for the person who did this. We don't know them and that's their business. But this is the least we can do. We can donate, we can spread her message around, we can say, ‘Hey, we support you, Cecily,'" Lyttle said.
Kings fans appear to have responded to Lyttle's call.
His tweet was liked and shared hundreds of times and thousands of dollars in donations poured in after it was posted, many of them referring to what happened in L.A.
"My apologies for the horrible behavior of some Kings fans," Bryan wrote along with a $25 donation.
"From a Kings fan, we support your wonderful efforts!" J. Jones wrote.
"As a long time Kings fan, I apologize for the rudeness shown by a very insensitive person. I can assure you, the true Kings fans are not indicative of the one you experienced. Keep up the good fight," Larry wrote.
CTV News Edmonton has reached out to the Eklund family for more information on this story.
Game 5 between the Oilers and Kings starts at 7:30 p.m. MT.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It looks quite real': Two Ontarians lose money to fake phone scam
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
Homeowners in France have discovered a skeleton in the attic of an outbuilding while undertaking renovation work.
5 things to watch for as Americans head to the polls on election day
Americans are facing a decision about the future of their country and no matter which president they choose, Canada cannot escape the pull of political polarization from its closest neighbour.
No jail time for man who drove truck through residential school march in B.C.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
North Korean troops in Russia are shelled by Ukrainian forces, an official says
North Korean troops recently deployed to help Russia in its war with Ukraine have come under Ukrainian fire, a Kyiv official said Tuesday.
Tim Hortons parent Restaurant Brands misses sales estimates on muted demand
Restaurant Brands missed estimates for quarterly revenue on Tuesday due to weak demand across key businesses such as Tim Hortons, Burger King and international markets including China and the Middle East.
Canada Post, union, still disagree over weekend delivery following weekend talks
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.