Leafs' Cedric Pare Plays the Villain in Quebec Once Again, Taunts Fans After Shootout Winner

During pre-season play, back in late September, one of the Maple Leafs' depth forwards, Cédric Paré, clipped Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine with a knee-on-knee hit that ended up costing the Finnish forward more than 2 months on the sidelines.

Things only intensified when Pare was caught on camera smiling while talking about the incident during an interview shortly thereafter, leading fans in his home province of Quebec to turn on him very quickly.

Pare was not suspended for the hit, but did not do enough during training camp to warrant a longer look with the Maple Leafs. He was eventually waived and sent down to the Toronto Marlies, where he currently still resides.

On Friday, Pare found himself back in the pressure-cooker that is Quebec, with the Marlies in Laval to take on the Rocket in back-to-back games in enemy territory.

As you can imagine, the fans weren't too thrilled to see the 25-year-old on the ice, booing him every time they got the opportunity.

Unfortunately for the Rocket, Pare would get the last laugh on Friday, burying the shootout winner. With the chorus of boos raining down on him from all angles, though, Pare took the opportunity to taunt the Rocket fans in attendance before celebrating with his teammates.

Unfortunately for the Marlies, the Rocket took the 2nd game of their back-to-back set, sending the Marlies home on a losing note on Saturday night.

Pare choosing to embrace his role as the villain is probably the best move for him at this point. He has already apologized for the hit. Laine has already spoken out, stating that he didn't think Pare tried to intentionally clip his knee.

Still, when the fans won't let you hear the end of it, sometimes you just have to smile for the camera and just have some fun with it.