2012-11-14 14:34:00
Wayne Simmonds has spent the lockout with Liberec of the Czech League, scoring four goals and six points in six games. While on the road playing rival Chomutov in October, some fans began chanting “Opice! Opice!” (“monkey”) towards Simmonds, and some of them now face jail time for their ignorant remarks.
According to Czech news outlet iDNES.cz, a collection of eight fans were charged over the matter and will face a hearing on Jan. 9, 2013. They could receive as many as three years in prison.
Those involved were found out through videos of the event.
Simmonds left the team Tuesday and returned to Canada, citing family reasons.
Last September in a pre-season game against Detroit in London, Ont., a fan threw a banana at Simmonds as he was taking his shot in the shootout.
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This Week - Subscribe NowAll things considered, how would you rate this NHL season?
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“I think when you’re at home the first two games, sometimes you get a little bit too comfortable at home. Then you come on the road, maybe it’s like a rude awakening…We’ve had three series to figure that out, learn it. We definitely want to be better (Monday), especially in the first game on the road.”
- Chicago's Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks are 0-3 in Game 3s this playoff.