The 20 most hated players in the NHL according to online study

Being a successful hockey player doesn't mean you are universally loved and admired. Far from it, in fact. As for the most hated current players in the NHL, a new report that studied online reactions gives some surprising and not-so surprising insight.

The study was conducted by OnlineCasino.ca, and took into account the nature of posts about players on Twitter and Instagram over a three-month period. Not surprisingly, the most hated NHL player according to the study's findings is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals.

Wilson is one of those players that produces strong feelings for fans on both sides of the spectrum. For Washington Capitals fans - and those who like the rough, edgy style of hockey - Wilson is a hero. For those who don't fall into those categories, he's a goon and a cheapshot artist who appears to care very little about the health and wellbeing of opponents.

While Wilson taking the top spot may not be a surprise, the second spot is a bit of an eye-opener. It belongs to Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. My guess is this study was conducted during the height of the controversy over Wilson sucker-punching Pavel Buchnevich, who played for the Rangers at the time, and then slamming Panarin to the ice. It was the talk of the hockey world when it happened and not everyone was against Wilson. Otherwise, you'd have to wonder if Panarin would even fall anywhere within the top 20 most hated players in the league.

The rest of the list is similar in that it includes some obvious names and others that some may see as a surprise. Coming in third was T.J. Oshie, followed by William Nylander at fourth, Evander Kane in fifth spot (I really think his name would be higher on the list if the study was conducted now), Phil Kessel in sixth (How could anyone hate Kessel?!?), Patrik Laine is seventh, Patrick Kane took the eighth spot, Brad Marchand is ninth (surprised that his name isn't higher, although he seems to have calmed down quite a bit over the last season or so), and Alex Ovechkin in tenth. 11 through 20, in order, includes Vladimir Tarasenko, Jack Hughes, Kris Letang, David Pastrnak, Brendan Gallagher, Evgeni Malkin, P.K. Subban, Carey Price, Taylor Hall, and Connor McDavid.

More than 250,000 posts on Twitter and Instagram were used for the study and took into account those that were negative to determine who was the most hated. Here's the full list, with the percentages of negative comments next to their names.

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