The NHL is a league mostly made up of white players — that much is obvious when you watch a game. Still, there are several black players in the league, and despite the fact that it's 2011, they still have to deal with racism that continues to exist among some folks in the hockey world.
The latest ugly display came Thursday night in London, Ontario. The Flyers and Red Wings skated to a 3-3 tie after three periods and overtime and were preparing for a shootout. As Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, who scored the tying goal in the final minute of regulation, stepped up for his shootout attempt, a fan threw a banana onto the ice from the balcony.
The banana didn't throw Simmonds off track — he scored — but it wasn't something he could ignore.
"I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact I'm black," Simmonds said after the game. "I certainly hope not. When you're black, you kind of expect [racist] things. You learn to deal with it. … It shocked me and knew I had to keep going and get a shot off. It was certainly unusual."
At least one of Simmonds' teammates wasn't quite as diplomatic.
"I would have went and kicked that fan's ass myself," one teammate, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Philly.com. "That's just not right."
That report said that arena officials were unable to catch the fan who threw it. The fan also reportedly threw a banana peel toward the ice after Simmonds scored in regulation, but the peel didn't reach the ice.
"When you're a black man playing in a predominantly white man's sport, you've got to come to expect things like that," Simmonds said, according to Philly.com. "Over the past 23 years of my life, I've come to expect some things like that. But I'm older and more mature now, I kind of just left things roll off [my back]. I try not to think about stuff like that."
Photo of the day
Does this incident surprise you?
Quote of the day
"I would comply with my pending sanction and I would be available for any major league team. … If any team wants to sign me, I would play. If no one does, I would look to play in Japan or any other place. I was not prepared for retirement."
–Manny Ramirez, in a statement to ESPN, in which he used "pending sanction" for likely the first time of his life
Tweet of the day
Sorry, but if you're a Red Sox fan, you might not have been sleeping much anyway.
Video of the day
Is it wrong to giggle at this young woman's misfortune? Yeah, probably. But don't deny that you did it.
