Erik Karlsson and Wife: Teammate’s GF Harassed Us Online About Stillborn Child

There is an extremely weird story playing out in Ottawa between Senators teammates Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman. Early in the NHL season, Karlsson and his wife Melinda announced that they would be having a son, only to lose him when he was stillborn on March 19. It was obviously devastating for the two, and most (sane) people reached out to offer support and encouraging words.

However, not everyone was so kind and on several social media posts, someone (some people?) left comments that blamed Melinda for “popping painkiller medication” during the pregnancy. Karlsson responded quickly: “How dare you. You have been making fake accounts and buying hacked ones for months to harass me and my wife but this is an all new low even for you. You are a disgusting person.”

According to a report in the Ottawa Citizen, the Karlsson’s believe these comments came from Hoffman’s long-time girlfriend and now fiancée, Monika Caryk. The Karlssons have since moved for a peace bond—basically a restraining order—against Caryk accusing her of threatening Monica, Erik, and their stillborn baby, among other things.

“Monika Caryk has uttered numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead,” says Melinda Karlsson’s sworn statement to the court.

“She also uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to ‘end his career.’

“Monika Caryk has posted over 1,000 negative and derogatory statements about me as a professional.”

Hoffman, for his part initially declined comment for the Citizen story, but then issued a more comprehensive statement denying everything.

“There is a 150 per cent chance that my fianceé Monika and I are not involved in any of the accusations that have been pursued (that are) coming our way. We totally understand there’s no place for cyberbullying.

“We’ve offered to co-operate and do anything it takes to find out who is doing this, and support (the Karlssons). Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 per cent that it’s not us.

“We have nothing to hide. We’re willing to co-operate in any way to solve this and figure it out, and prove that it wasn’t us.”

Karlsson, Ottawa’s captain, has been less than enthused about the state of the team and he and the team were working together to make a trade at the deadline this year. It’s rumored that Hoffman could also be on the block. Whether related or note, there is also this bit of information, courtesy of ESPN hockey writer Greg Wyshynski, concerning a long-simmering “personal issue” between Hoffman and Karlsson.

The worst-kept secret in the league is that Hoffman would be traded this summer because of a "personal issue" with the Senators. Well, I'd say this is rather personal. https://t.co/28I0f2d2IH

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 12, 2018

Ottawa police are investigating criminal harassment/stalking complaints, but have not yet charged Caryk, or anyone else, with a crime. Making this even stranger, the peace bond, issued May 4, indicated a court date of May 25, but Caryk had not yet been served with it by then.