Racist Gesture At NHL Game
Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds was the subject of a racist gesture during an NHL exhibition game in London, Ontario on Thursday night.
Wayne Simmonds, who is black, had a banana thrown at him while he attempted to score on a penalty shot Thursday evening. The banana was tossed at Simmonds during a shootout. Simmonds scored but the Flyers lost to the Detroit Red Wings 4-3.
Simmonds is 23 years old. He said that nothing like this has happened to him before during a hockey game. "I've never had a banana thrown at me before. That's a first for me," he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "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."