Stanley Cup Finals: The hit heard ’round the Hub

When Bruins forward Nathan Horton took a hit Monday night, the fans felt it.  

“When something bad happens to an athlete that has a positive image for a large number of people, those people are going to feel wounded,” said Dave Czesniuk, senior associate director of Sport in Society, a Northeastern University research center.

The vicious late hit by Vancouver’s Aaron Rome during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals knocked Horton to the ice, causing a severe concussion that will keep him out of the remaining games.

The brutal bash has fueled fans’ fury against the Canadian team and created a Canuck hit list in Beantown.

Among the most hated Canucks players are Rome, the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows, according to a Metro minipoll.

Czesniuk said hits like the one Horton took cause loyal fans to feel affected.

“We have the belief that sports figures embody a unique power and appeal to the public not everyone else has,” said Czesniuk. “It is their makeup of physical performance and super human skill mixed with high energy and high passion. These are the sorts of things that resonate with human beings.”

Czesniuk said fans develop such a palpable admiration for athletes that if something bad happens, the negative emotional consequences arise.

“It’s like they are punching me in the stomach,” said Steve Sierra of Revere. “Seeing the other team celebrate the hit pisses me off.”

This particular incident seems to have “woken a sleeping bear” in Boston fans and Bruins players, said Czesniuk.

“This gives the fans something to cheer more loudly about and the players to play a little bit harder for,” said Czesniuk.  

“Sports are bred deep in this city,” said Jacob Goss, a self-proclaimed Bruins fan. “It’s more important than politics. It’s more than just a game.”

The National Hockey League yesterday suspended Rome for the next four games.

Game 4 begins tonight at 8 at the TD Garden.