Leafs respond to waffle-throwing at the ACC

Colby Armstrong thought the waffles were aimed his way.

And the Leafs winger wasn't all that impressed at whoever the disgruntled fan was that tossed the offending breakfast food after the final buzzer in last night's 4-1 loss to the Flyers at the Air Canada Centre.

"Who brings waffles to a hockey game, really?" Armstrong said. "Had we won the game, he was going home with soggy waffles so, I don't know. Whatever. I don't appreciate it really, a guy throwing waffles at me when I'm skating by.

"We're trying to make light of it in here. Throw a T-bone. Spend some money. Throw a filet."

The waffle tossing was the latest incidence of fan outrage at the ACC, coming on the heels of regular booing and a "Fire Wilson" chant last week during a 5-0 loss to the Oilers.

Even so, it caught many players off guard.

"If you're bringing waffles to a game, maybe you have issues of your own," defenceman Luke Schenn said. "Maybe they were blueberry waffles, chocolate chip, who knows? It was definitely a first."

"That's the first I've heard of it," captain Dion Phaneuf said. "I've seen lots of stuff thrown out on the ice, but I didn't even see it so I can't comment on it. I've never seen a waffle, no. I'm not commenting on it."

"There's stuff probably a lot worse than a waffle," J-S Giguere said. "Things happen. Fans get carried away just like players sometimes. It's not the way you want it to go, but what are you going to do. The message is clear enough."

"They shouldn't throw things on the ice," coach Ron Wilson said. "Whether it's a waffle or whatever it is, it shouldn't be thrown on the ice."

The significance of the waffles, which apparently aren't sold in the arena, isn't yet known. Armstrong was unsure if there was a deeper meaning to the projectiles and the fact they weren't other breakfast foods such as crepes or pancakes.

"I don't know. I don't know what it means," Armstrong said. "I don't know what this all means. That's the first I've ever seen waffles, but I guess it's something new they're starting here. Hopefully we can stay away from more waffles getting thrown on the ice and start winning some games here."

And back to hockey...

Notebook

- Wilson said Mike Komisarek will miss a week to 10 days after hurting his finger in a fight during Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.

- Wilson isn't yet certain who would start in goal on Saturday against the Canadiens. Both Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson have seen their numbers slip of late, with Giguere down to an .890 save percentage and Gustavsson at .902. "Save percentage is a big number for me," Giguere said. "It's something that I'd like to have over 91 per cent. I think it's an important stat for a goalie there's no doubt about that ... I do believe I can up my game up a little bit."

- The coach also had somewhat critical comments of Phil Kessel, who is in a big slump as mentioned here last night: "It's probably very mental, but he probably has to change his game plan out there a little bit and not be trying to do the same thing all the time ... That's what we're talking about with him and showing him on the video as well. I believe [his game]is predictable and we talk to him about that a lot. When the other team knows what you're going to do, you should change it up a little bit."

- Several members of the Leafs left practice today to spend the afternoon at The Hospital for Sick Children to distribute gifts, spend time with young patients and sign autographs. "The worst thing that can happen to any parent is to have a child who's sick," Wilson said. "We want our players to appreciate everything that they have in their own lives right now."