TORONTO (AP) — The NHL calls it “stupid and ignorant.”
A banana was thrown from the stands in London, Ontario, on Thursday night as Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds was skating toward Detroit goalie Jordan Pearce in a shootout during an exhibition game. Simmonds is black.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called the act “obviously stupid and ignorant” and in no way represents “our fans or the people of London, Ontario.”
Simmonds scored in the shootout of the Red Wings’ 4-3 victory. He also scored with less than a minute left in the third period to make the score 3-3.
