Three men are facing charges after jerseys were thrown onto the ice during play at Monday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Referees were forced to dodge players in order to pick up jerseys tossed on the ice as the Leafs skated to a 4-1 loss, their fifth straight losing effort.
It wasn’t the first time that disgruntled fans have hurled jerseys to the ice in protest of their team’s poor play. But television microphones picked up the referees yelling “I got it, I got it” as they rushed to pick up shirts that were tossed during active play.
Toronto Police confirmed Tuesday, that three fans threw jerseys on the ice and were removed from the building.
After the game, Leafs forward Phil Kessel said the players “don’t appreciate” seeing fans chucking the team’s colours on the ice.
“Everyone has their own opinion,” Kessel told reporters in the dressing room. “Obviously I think they’re disrespecting the Leafs and people that played before us. They had some great teams here.
“We’re trying,” he added.
Three men were issued provincial tickets for engaging in prohibited activity, according to Toronto Police Const. Victor Kwong. They have also been banned for one year from all team-related properties owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, Kwong tweeted.
The men’s identities will not be released.
Meanwhile, a Leafs public relations representative confirmed that the team will hold on to the jerseys for a few days before donating them to charity, CTV Toronto’s John Musselman reported.
