Fan tosses banana at Simmonds During pre-season game played in London,ONT.

Fan tosses banana at Simmonds

During pre-season game played in London,ONT.

MORRIA DALLA

Wayne Simmonds, now with the Flyers, had a banana thrown at him during a shootout attempt at a pre-season game against the Red Wings in London, Ont., 

LONDON, ONT. - As Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds skated toward the Detroit Red Wings net during a shootout attempt, a fan at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont., threw a banana at him from the upper deck.

The incident happened during the NHL pre-season game between the Flyers and Red Wings on Thursday.

Simmonds, one of the few black forwards in the NHL, had the banana land a few feet in front of him.

He continued with the shootout and scored a goal.

It was difficult to see what landed in front of Simmonds, but he confirmed it.

"I've never had a banana thrown at me before," he said after the game. "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."

San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture, who grew up near London, expressed his disappointment regarding the incident via Twitter.

"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," he wrote.