The Quebec-born New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière has found himself in hot water in the past few hours. I even feel like adding, very much against his will.

I want to let you form your own opinion on all this, but here is mine, humbly.

Unfortunately, due to the circumstances we all know well, I feel like we’re in an era where some people sometimes look for problems where there really aren’t any (or signs where there really aren’t any).

This sums up the “controversy” involving Lafrenière quite well.

A gesture by Alexis Lafrenière during the national anthems is stirring up a lot of buzz online

As reported by the site Hockey Feed, probably by accident or something else, Lafrenière allegedly took a long time to remove his helmet during the national anthems last night, before the game between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In fact, according to some, he didn’t even take it off at all.

“On social media, fans shared that Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière did not remove his helmet during the United States national anthem.” – Chris Gosselin, HF

In short, there are quite a few comments like that circulating.

I’ll say it again make your own judgment about the situation-but personally, I’m 100% convinced that Lafrenière didn’t mean any harm and wasn’t trying to send any kind of message.

It seems more like a simple oversight that escalated on social media due to the current climate.

It’s a harsh reminder, for Lafrenière and many NHL players, that they need to be mindful of these little details.