Rangers Vincent Trocheck and wife facing severe backlash for highly controversial Halloween costumes

Vincent Trocheck and his wife thought it would be fun to dress up for Halloween and post it online, however, their choice of costume is facing tremendous backlash.

With Halloween right around the corner, NHL teams have joined in on the fun as players don creative costumes at team parties. But it seems each and every year, there's at least one that causes a major uproar, and this season, the player in question is Vincent Trocheck. The New York Rangers center caught backlash after his wife Hilary posted a photo of the couple's costumes to Instagram. It has been a social media stir ever since that has kept fans and the media talking nonstop.

The costume choice? Trocheck and his wife attended a team party as the Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle, infamous for their atrocities against their parents, and covered by Netflix's documentary series: 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The costume instantly attracted criticism, since the story of the Menendez brothers was sensitive and disturbingly filled with gruesome themes. Prominent voices, such as sports reporter Andrew Berkshire, quickly weighed in, lambasting the choice and pointing out its insensitivity.

Removing the post would appear to show some understanding of backlash. Social media users quickly pointed out how such a costume choice was in poor judgment, especially for public figures who have many people following them from the NHL. It wasn't just about making a questionable choice of costume but also making a questionable choice public on social media, where the reactions can get swift and unforgiving.

Some even said that if it had been an average 'Joe' who had dressed up as the Menendez brothers, it probably wouldn't have received nearly as much attention. But Trocheck being a prominent athlete, who can command respect among fans and young people who look up to him, this move just seemed especially tone-deaf. As popular as true-crime tales have been of late, that does not make them appropriate for costume ideas, necessarily. The remaining question brought by growing scrutiny is whether disciplinary action will be taken by the Rangers or the NHL, although an apology from Trocheck seems likely.

After all, it was Vincent Trocheck's Halloween costume that showed sensitivity in the choices of costumes touching traumatic or violently aggressive events. For the public figures in particular, such choices mean a lot and may affect their image and influence positively or negatively. Fans will be closely watching the further development of the situation and whether this incident will serve as a lesson for others to be more sensitive while choosing their costume options.

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