Brody White. (Handout photo)

Linda White thinks the Air Canada Centre should take a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after refusing to let her son Brody into last Saturday's game with his Maple Leaf sign because it was deemed a weapon.

"Brody, who is turning 10, was dressed up for Saturday night's game with the same enthusiasm as always -- a Leaf jersey, Leaf puck head, Leaf tattoos across his forehead and cheeks, a No. 1 finger sign and a No. 1 Leafs fan cardboard sign my husband made for the very first game he ever attended. He has some players' autographs on it," White said yesterday.

"We were shocked when we were told by (ACC) security he couldn't take (the cardboard sign) into the game because it is considered a weapon.

"The stick on the back is not much bigger than a paint stir stick."

The NHL and NBA have asked the ACC to bring in new security measures, spokesman Rajani Kamath said.

"In the present global climate we live in, these changes are necessary measures that support providing fans with a great environment," Kamath said.

White pointed out that the ACC sports centre store sells beer mugs and small wooden sticks for holding pucks.