Tossing your jersey on the ice is the current popular way of showing your displeasure in the NHL. Jersey tossing incidents have been seen in games involving the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it’s the latter which is the talking point today.
One Maple Leafs fan tossed their jersey on the ice during a 9-2 beating by the Nashville Predators. As you might imagine, the players noticed.
As seen in The Globe and Mail, Phil Kessel doesn’t think very highly of the fan who threw their jersey and believes it disrespects the greats who wore the uniform.
“It’s disrespectful, right? Not just to us but to the organization, to all of the Leafs players that have ever played for Toronto. If you want to boo us [that’s fine] – but you’re disrespecting all of the great players and the great teams that they’ve had before us [by throwing jerseys] here. That’s the way I look at it.
I think that’s pretty classless to throw your jersey on the ice like that.”
Do you agree with Kessel? The fan who tossed the jersey may argue that a classless gesture was deserved after a gutless display on the ice which led to nine goals by the Predators. In this writer’s opinion, the only time it’s acceptable to throw something on the ice is a hat after a Hat Trick or if the team has a promotion (like the Teddy Bear Toss) where throwing items on the ice is encouraged.
The Maple Leafs have disappointed this year with 20 points through 19 games, but there are other ways to show your displeasure. Think of a creative protest which doesn’t ruin the experience or delay the game for others. Besides, those jerseys are expensive.
