Montreal Canadiens fans continued to express their disdain for New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider during Sunday's game at Bell Centre, which the Habs won 5-4 in overtime.
The animosity stems from an incident during the second period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Canadiens and Rangers in 2014 when Kreider collided with goalie Carey Price after being tripped by a defender while on a breakaway.
Although Price managed to finish the second period, he later had to leave the game. The situation ignited strong reactions from then-Canadiens coach Michel Therrien, who criticized Kreider's actions as reckless and accused him of targeting the goalie.
Here's how Canadiens fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the recurring moment of fans booing Kreider. One said:
"It will never stop, we despise him."
Another chimed in:
"Well considering he’s the sole reason why Carey Price had to retire early, I’d say he deserves the boos. Even if it was unintentional."
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
"Rangers fans don’t seem to have eyes, hitting the front of the shines, taking 2 strides doesn’t cause you to go onto you back skates first," a third fan posted.
"Chris Crasher. It was their only chance to stop Carey. They knew it. He did it knowing it, dot," posted another.
"He did do it on purpose. He was not tripped. You don’t fall heels first after a tap on your skate. He knew what he was doing," another chimed in.
"Bro I never forgot. On that day he broke my heart. And yes he robbed us of a stanley cup," another fan noted.
The collision with Chris Kreider caused Price to miss the remainder of the series against the Rangers, who advanced to the final after defeating the Canadiens in six games. The Blueshirts eventually lost to the LA Kings in the 2014 Cup final.
Chris Kreider scores but Rangers fall to Habs in overtime
Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers in the 5-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Sunday.
The loss marked an end to the Rangers' two-game winning streak, but the point earned helped them move up to the fifth spot in the Metro Division standings.
Chris Kreider, who has accumulated 17 points this season, will be looking to make a significant contribution when the Rangers face off against the Ottawa Senators (24-18-4) in a crucial Eastern Conference wild card race matchup on Tuesday.
The teams are separated by just four points for the top spot in the East's wild card standings.