The unfortunate scenario developing out of Ottawa surrounding the alleged campaign of harassment against Erik and Melinda Karlsson on the part of Senators teammate Mike Hoffman's fiancee, Monika Caryk, took another turn Tuesday night.
Related: Erik Karlsson's wife accuses Hoffman's girlfriend of harassment campaign
The latest details emerging indicate that the Senators, Hoffman, and his agent, Robert Hooper, were all aware of the alleged harassment since the end of the regular season. "This isn’t something we talked about with (Senators GM) Pierre (Dorion) just today," Hooper said, according to Shaamini Yogaretnam of the Ottawa Citizen. "We’ve been aware of this situation since the end of the season."
Hooper's comments came on the same day that news broke regarding Caryk's alleged extensive harassment of the Karlssons over the past season, prompting Melinda to file for a peace bond - the equivalent of a restraining order - in early May.
Regardless of how the allegations shake out, the likelihood of Karlsson and Hoffman being able to productively function as teammates decreases by the day. It's a fact that both players' camps and the Sens are well aware of.
"What we’ve indicated to Pierre is that, and let’s call a spade a spade, it would be very difficult for both parties - both Erik and Mike as well as the wives and the fiancees - to co-exist in the same wives’ room and the same dressing room," Hooper said.
The Senators released a short statement Tuesday night indicating the organization is "investigating this matter in cooperation with the NHL and will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the safety and privacy of our players and their families."
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