A spectator threw a banana at Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds during an overtime shootout attempt in Philadelphia’s preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings in Ontario.
After the game, Simmonds confirmed it was a banana thrown at him and said of the incident, "I've never had a banana thrown at me before. That's a first for me. I guess it's something I obviously have to deal with -- being a black player playing in a predominantly white sport. I've grown a lot playing in this league and throughout my whole life. I'm not going to dwell on that. It's over with now."
Simmonds said he hoped that the throwing of a banana was not directed towards him for being black.
"Because if it was, that's just somebody being ignorant," Simmonds also said after the game.
The fan who threw the banana was not caught, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
One of the few black players in the National Hockey League, Simmonds had scored a goal earlier in the contest. There were also unconfirmed reports of a banana being tossed at Simmonds when he scored in regulation to tie the preseason game.
Of the shootout goal, Simmonds said, "At first, I thought I better get another shot if I miss. But I did score, so that was good."
Earlier this week in an interview with CSNPhilly.com, Simmonds said race-based negativity in hockey “really doesn’t happen in Canada. That’s pretty much the way it is.”
This is not the first time at a banana has been thrown at a black hockey player. Former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Kevin Weekes had a banana thrown at him during a 2002 playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal.
Simmonds, along with Brayden Schenn, was acquired by the Flyers in a June trade that sent captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings. The 23-year-old from Scarborough, Ontario, is entering his fourth NHL season.
Read more at ONTD:http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/62965279.html#ixzz1YmVgvKLe
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