Wayne Simmonds

Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds tries to deflect the puck past New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News)

VOORHEES – A lot has changed since the ugliness and ignorance of that fall evening in 2011 when the Flyers' annual preseason game in London, Ontario ended with a fan throwing a banana peel onto the ice as Wayne Simmonds was scoring a shootout goal against the Detroit Red Wings.

John Labbatt Centre now is called Budweiser Gardens.

The Flyers have a new coach, a new GM, a new captain and a lot of new players.

And Simmonds really has picked up his game, going from a Flyers newcomer who seemed to be third-line material to a very good power forward whose 29 goals last season led his team.

If you get a chance to meet Simmonds, who in 2011-12 was their only black player, you'd probably discover pretty quickly that he's a likable, approachable and outgoing guy who does a lot of smiling.

After Sunday's training camp practice, Simmonds' smile disappeared when he was asked about Sept. 22, 2011, which seemingly was bound to come up.

Three years to the day, Simmonds will return to Budweiser Gardens for the first time Monday night when a Flyers' split-squad takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs in a neutral-site exhibition.

His thoughts?

"I don't want to talk about that,” Simmonds said. "Seriously, I'm not talking about it.”

His only other comment was, "It's over with."

The Flyers easily could have opted for Simmonds to miss the London game because their preseason schedule begins Monday with two split-squad games, the other at home against the Washington Capitals.

But Simmonds apparently opted to go, if he was given a choice, which seems probable.

The Flyers annually schedule a preseason game in London because Comcast, which owns the franchise, runs Budweiser Gardens.

The Flyers' 2012 game there was canceled due to the NHL lockout and Simmonds wasn't on the London trip last season.

In 2011, the fan that tossed the banana, 26-year-old Christopher Moorhouse, was tracked down and escaped with $200 fine after pleading guilty to engaging in a prohibited activity. A London police chief stated that the offense didn't meet the criteria of a hate crime.

"I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact I'm black," Simmonds told reporters after the 2011 game. "I certainly hope not. When you're black, you kind of expect (racist) things. You learn to deal with it.”

Disgusted by the incident, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman a statement the next morning that read: "We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario."

Thirteen months later, Simmonds experienced more racism when he was playing in the Czech Republic during the NHL lockout. Playing for HC Bili Tygri Liberec in a game at Chomutov, fans chanted monkey in Czech after he fought Miroslav Zalesak in the third period.

"It was embarrassing, pathetic and small," Chomutov general manager Jaroslav Veverka commented after the game. "I ask these people to not attend Chomutov hockey games. In fans like them, we are not interested in. We'll do our best to find people who are the originators of this act and prevent them entry to the stadium."

A fan of the NBA, Simmonds provided his two cents last spring on former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned for life and forced to sell for racist statements made during a taped phone call with his mistress.

"It sucks when (Sterling) says he doesn't want any black people at his games," Simmonds told NJ.com before a Stanley Cup Playoff game last April. "I wouldn't go to his games."

During that interview, Simmonds says that he's been treated well by Flyers fans, but admitted past incidents have scarred him.

"It's nice to be accepted, but you never know what people are going to say in the future," Simmonds said. "I'll never let my guard down. I'll tell you that."

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.