Summary:

Hayden had known Shane was gay for a while now.

He didn’t want his best friend to live in a world where it felt dangerous to be his true self. He didn’t want anyone to have to live that way. So lately he had been extra sensitive to the homophobia that was rampant in the NHL. He started calling out his teammates who made homophobic comments. He had already gotten in several fights on the ice over the issue. After being so passive on the issue for so long, he wasn’t holding back any longer.

So he certainly didn’t hold back when he heard Shane’s rival, Ilya fucking Rozanov, being homophobic toward Shane.

OR: Hayden is just trying to be a good ally. He accidentally commits a hate crime instead. Oops.