On Tuesday in Toronto, Couture said he was sucker-punched after talking about voting for the Republican party if he could – Couture is not an American citizen and so he cannot vote in the upcoming election – and mentioning “Donald Trump by name.” Couture initially tweeted about the altercation then later deleted the social media posts, saying they were being “taken out of context.” In the deleted tweets, he said he “only talked about what the Republicans may bring in the election,” before getting punched.

“While I did not do a good job of communicating my thoughts earlier (Wednesday), I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own voice and opinions,” Couture wrote. “But regardless of what anyone believes — and to be clear, I do not believe in supporting Donald Trump — responding with violence isn’t the answer and doesn’t solve anything.

“I regret the decision to make this incident public. I apologize to the Sharks, as well as my family for having to deal with this. I hold myself to a high standard, and I apologize for any of my comments that were poorly worded and do not reflect my true feelings or beliefs. I appreciate those who have reached out to me with their concern.”

The Sharks tweeted support of Couture after his statement.

“We are thankful that he was not seriously hurt and unequivocally denounce physical attacks or abuse on anyone under any circumstances,” the team said.