Controversy after rookie wears Mario Lemieux's number 66 in NHL debut.

A National Hockey League rookie has become one of the most hated players in the league after just a single game.

Fans dog-piled on Islanders rookie Josh Ho-Sang after he debuted wearing number 66 on Thursday night, a number that has long been associated with NHL legend Mario Lemieux. As soon as it became apparent he was wearing Lemieux's old number, albeit on an entirely different team, fans were outraged for what they perceived as an act of disrespect from a young player.

The irony here of course is that it was anything but, Ho-Sang told Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski that he wore the number as a tribute to Lemieux, a player he very likely grew up idolizing. The way he said it though might cause a whole different controversy of it's own.

 “A little more dynamic on the skill side than Wayne [Gretzky],” said Ho-Sang.

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Making things even sillier is the fact that Ho-Sang has worn the number for years now, including recently in the Ontario Hockey League, and it was never a controversy until he put blade to ice in the NHL.

How do you feel about this? Is this a real controversy? Or are people taking this entirely the wrong way?