An Apple A Day Keeps The Maple Leafs At Bay? Fowler Shrugs Off Strange Fruit Tossed From Scotiabank Arena Stands In Canadiens’ Win

Jacob Fowler has faced plenty of oddities in his young NHL career, but tracking a green apple sailing toward his crease mid-play was a first.

During the second period of Saturday’s Original Six matchup at Scotiabank Arena, a fan launched a small green apple, later confirmed to be fake, from the stands, sending it skidding onto the ice right in front of the Montreal Canadiens goaltender while play was live. Referee T.J. Luxmore collected the object, pocketed it, and later produced it during a stoppage, holding it up near Fowler in a moment that left the broadcast booth and viewers doing double-takes.

“I was pretty dialled in but I saw an apple come on the ice right in front of me. I’m used to tracking a black puck not a green apple,” Fowler told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas afterward, laughing. “I saw that one and (Luxmore) told me he would have blown the play dead if they had gotten in the zone so thankfully they didn’t get one there.”

The 21-year-old American, who stopped 26 shots in Montreal’s 4-2 victory, confirmed to reporters that a fan had thrown it directly at him. 

“It’s the first time that’s happened to me. It was thrown right at me,” he told reporters in the visiting locker room.

Fowler, still relatively new to the league’s quirks, handled the moment with the same poise he’s shown throughout a strong start (8-1-1). He joked with the official about the hypothetical.

“As a young player, I try to stay in the good graces of the referees. I always ask them how it’s going. He showed me what it was. I asked him if the goal would have counted if they scored. He said, ‘We’ll see!’” Fowler recounted.

The incident occurred amid a game in which the Canadiens extended their point streak to 10 games. Alex Newhook scored twice, Chris Kreider and Zachary Bolduc added goals, and Fowler held firm after Toronto cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 early in the third. William Nylander and Gavin McKenna scored for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped four of five.

The incident didn’t help Toronto in any manner as they continue to struggle to find a way to play their game for a full 60 minutes.

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