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Another American professional sporting event has been marred by boorish fan behavior. And this time the victim is a teenage girl who has already been through a great deal of anguish.

Maggie Herger, 16, wore her Vancouver Canucks shirt to Wednesday's game in San Jose against the Sharks, four years after being treated for a brain tumor. The San Jose Mercury News reports the native of Canada was heckled throughout the game by Bay Area fans before she was finally hit in the head by an older woman.

It's unknown whether the contact was intended, but Herger told the Mercury News things got even worse: As she was being loaded by paramedics into an ambulance, another Sharks fan spotted her Canucks jersey and shouted at her to "Suck it up."

"I just wanted to cry," Maggie told the paper after being released from the hospital. "Who does that?"

Police are investigating the teen's claims. On Thursday, the Sharks released a statement:

"Arena staff, along with San Jose police, interviewed the person who made contact with the injured fan, who stated that the contact was accidental during the celebration of a Sharks goal. Upon being interviewed, others seated in the area of the incident did not report seeing the contact between the parties involved."

Herger's loyalty to the Canucks stems in part from the team's efforts to help her recover from treatment of a benign brain tumor when she was 12. Some of the Canucks players visited Herger in the hospital to help her feel better. The high school junior and her sister, Maya, 18, attended Wednesday's game with tickets that her sister received as a Christmas gift.

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

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