Maple Leafs fan faces backlash after tossing man's $300 fedora onto ice to celebrate hat trick
A Toronto Maple Leafs fan drew backlash last week after he threw another man’s hat onto the ice following a hat trick from star forward Auston Matthews against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Matthews notched the three-goal game on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fans celebrated by tossing their hats onto the ice and one man took it upon himself to throw another fan’s hat as well.
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Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs celebrates his goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with teammates at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 15, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. (Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
The fan, whose hat was tossed, turned around and called the man a "f---ing a--hole." He was later identified as John Hamilton and told the Toronto Sun the hat was a $300 fedora. Hamilton said he didn’t think the tosser expected to get the kind of reaction he got.
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"His buddy apologized over and over and bought myself and my guests a beer," Hamilton told the Toronto Sun. "But nothing from the guy, who must have been embarrassed and took off after all the people were yelling at him."
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A member of the ice crew carries hats after Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs, scored his third goal of the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 15, 2024, in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
The 73-year-old longtime Maple Leafs fan, who has been a season-ticket holder since the 1980s, said he didn’t want the guy to lose his job over the incident.
"I would accept an apology for sure, forgive him and move on. I got my hat back, and we have done stupid things in our youth."
Luckily, social media rallied around Hamilton and clamored for him to get his hat back. Even more fortunate, Hamilton was reportedly able to get his hat back within 5 minutes of the man throwing it on the ice.
A member of the ice crew picks up hats after Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs scored his third goal at Scotiabank Arena on Feb 15, 2024, in Toronto. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Toronto eventually won the game in overtime.
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