Keep it classy you hosers

[Don]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/70072 ... e-simmonds

LONDON, Ontario -- Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds, who is black, had a banana thrown at him from the stands Thursday night during a 4-3 exhibition shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

As Simmonds took the first shot in the shootout, a banana came flying into his path as he skated in on Detroit goalie Jordan Pearce.

"I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact I'm black," Simmonds, a 23-year-old Toronto native, said Thursday. "I certainly hope not. When you're black, you kind of expect (racist) things. You learn to deal with it."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman condemned the act. In a statement from New York on Friday, he said, "We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario."

Simmonds acknowledged the banana rattled him, and his only thought was to get off a shot -- which went in for the Flyers' only score in the shootout.

He also had scored with less than a minute left in the third period to tie the game at 3.

"It shocked me and (I) knew I had to keep going and get a shot off," he said. "It was certainly unusual."

Simmonds said Friday that he wants to concentrate strictly on the game.

"It was unfortunate that this incident happened but I am above this sort of stuff," he said. "This is something that is obviously out of my control. Moving forward, this incident is something that I will no longer comment on so I can just focus playing hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers."

Simmonds later told the Philadelphia Inquirer that nothing like this has ever happened to him.

"I've never had a banana thrown at me before. That's a first for me," he told the newspaper. "I guess it's something I obviously have to deal with -- being a black player playing 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."

The incident triggered reaction ranging from disgust to disappointment.

On his Twitter account, former NHL goaltender and current CBC commentator Kevin Weekes, who is black, posted, "For those that asked: I'm extremely disappointed with what happened to Wayne Simmonds tonight in London Ont. We've taken HUGE steps to grow the game of hockey,as I speak Willie O'Ree and I are in D.C attending the Black Congressional Caucus on behalf of the NHL & ironically this takes place."

"I'm not surprised," said Weekes, who had a banana thrown at him during the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs in Montreal when he played for Carolina. "We have some people that still have their heads in the sand and some people that don't necessarily want to evolve and aren't necessarily all that comfortable with the fact that the game is evolving."

Maxime Talbot, one of Simmonds' Flyers teammates, called the incident "sad" and "embarrassing," but cautioned against labeling the entire crowd based on one person's actions.

"We all know it's an isolated incident. It's one person that obviously wanted attention or I don't know what ... I think we're all united here," Talbot said.

"It's not like there's a problem with racism in our league. It's one person in the crowd of 6,000 ... you can't take that as general 'People in London are racist,' " Talbot said. "That's not how you should look at it. It's one person."

"For him, he's not too worried about it," added Brayden Schenn, another Flyers teammate. "For us, we're supporting him. It's just shocking that something like that would happen."

London Mayor Joe Fontana apologized to Simmonds and the Flyers on Friday on behalf of his city.

"It was a stupid and mindless act by a single individual," he said in a statement. "However, it reflects badly on our entire community. London is a diverse and welcoming city and we like it that way."

Norton Sports, a California sports management group that does not manage Simmonds, offered a $500 reward for the identity of the banana thrower. The Twitter offer quickly drew others promising to add to the reward. As of Friday morning, Simmonds was a trending topic on the social network.

Logan Couture, a forward for the San Jose Sharks, grew up near London. "Wayne Simmonds is a good friend of mine. To hear what happened tonight to him in my hometown is awful. No need for this in sports, or life," Couture posted on Twitter.

The rare NHL game at the 9,090-capacity John Labatt Centre drew a crowd of 7,427. The arena is operated by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of the Flyers' parent company Comcast-Spectacor.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to identify the individual," said Peter Luukko, president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor.

"We certainly don't condone such a foolish act (like this) as a player could potentially be seriously injured," he said in a statement. "This is the ninth time we have played here in London and the fans have always been wonderful to us."

[Michigan Girl]

An awful thing for sure ...crazed fan? litterbug? idiot teenager?!?
He acts like he's the first black hockey player paving the way
for the pack. Why turn it into this?!?

[Moon Beam]

There is always an idiot in every crowd and this time it's Don for taking a crack at Canadians. just funin' with ya Fella.
I've been a frequent visitor to London my whole life, family lives there.
The people are kind, considerate and always helpful.
Not once have I experienced rude or rampant behavior.