Vegas Golden Knights star Jonathan Marchessault has apologized after making a series of Instagram comments that profanely taunted critics after the team's Game 2 loss to Vancouver.
"I just wanted to comment about the remarks that I made on my social media yesterday. I just wanted to apologize, sincerely. I think it was childish, immature and not professional. I want to say I'm sorry and it won't happen again. I've learned from it," the forward said in a statement before the team's media availability Wednesday.
On Instagram, Marchessault responded to a handful of comments accusing him of "diving" to draw penalties in Tuesday's Game 2. His responses varied from telling critics "don't waste my time" to mocking their looks to suggesting they engage in a lewd act with their mother.
Marchessault said he was frustrated after the 5-2 loss to the Canucks that evened the series at 1-1, but that he also gets "sensitive when people comment [on] family pictures and stuff like that. They got the best of me but there's no excuse for it. I shouldn't get involved in it. I regret it."
Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said that he did not instruct Marchessault to make the statement, but considers the matter settled.
The social media controversy was the second one for the Golden Knights in the conference semifinals. Last weekend, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, posted an image showing his client being impaled by a sword in his back that had DeBoer's name on it, in reference to him losing his starting goalie job to Robin Lehner in the playoffs.
"It doesn't make my job difficult. Honestly, noise is all it is," DeBoer said. "It's a lot like the situation with Allan Walsh and Flower. That stuff doesn't enter our dressing room or what we're doing for getting ready for the next game against Vancouver."