It’s amazing how many people can be offended by a simple, strategically timed emoticon.
Around the time it became quite clear that the Anaheim Ducks would be eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, Duck-turned-Hab Devante Smith-Pelly happened to tweet his thoughts with one anger-inducing smiley face:
:)
— Devante Smith-Pelly (@smithpelly23) May 31, 2015
Get this: Ducks fans weren’t happy.
Here are some of the publishable responses to Smith-Pelly’s cheeky tweet:
@smithpelly23 yeah how did the Habs do there big guy?
— #LeoCarlssonFanZone (@DucksFanZone) May 31, 2015
@smithpelly23 btw how comfy is the couch you're watching the playoffs from?
— Alexander Money (@YourFavBatman) May 31, 2015
Sure, some enjoyed it or at least commended his candor, but that bit of Twitter-trolling certainly got people’s attention with 1,000+ re-tweets and 2,000+ favorites. In fact, the 22-year-old was surprised by how much heat he drew, as he told the Montreal Gazette.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Smith-Pelly said. “I didn’t think people would be that upset about it, but that’s the way Twitter goes, I guess.”
He’s not about to delete the message nor will he deny that he was very much rooting against the Ducks, even if Smith-Pelly said he’s still friends with many of them.
Of course, he might also wait a little while to contact them after this social media snafu (and that whole devastating defeat thing).