Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Choo-Choo, do you hear the train coming? It’s not a real train, but it’s the Wayne-Train. A former beloved player in Wayne Simmonds has officially signed a one-day contract to retire as a Flyer. There are different reasons for this, and he admitted today that his body went through “Hell”, “I gave everything I had to Philadelphia. It kind of cut my career short, but I wouldn’t change it one bit (Laughing).” Simmonds said via Zoom from what appeared to be a tropical resort. “Every ounce, every tear, all the sweat, all the teeth that I have, or don’t have. I was willing to do whatever I could do to try and win.”
“Taking the ice in a Flyers sweater is a special feeling, and it’s one that I’m truly proud of. The history of this franchise and standard of being a Flyer that was set is unique and one that I hold in the highest regard,” Simmonds said in a press release back in March. “Perhaps the biggest reason for that is the way the fans embrace this team.”
The infamous Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella said that he respected the way Wayne Simmonds played the game. He said that he played hard, but play the game the right way ultimately, “Played hard, played the right way. I hope he enjoys the next part in his life. Tremendous amount of respect from watching him from afar.”
Each and every person you talk to had nothing but good things to say about the Wayne train. Sean Couturier played with Simmonds for eight or so seasons. Coots knew him better than most, and has attended Simmons house for Thanksgiving in the past. Coots said there was an open invitation to any person who wanted to spend Thanksgiving with the Simmonds family.
“He was one of the toughest guys I’ve played with,” Coots said. “He was a great leader, hardworking guy. He was the ultimate teammate, warrior.”
“He was the ultimate teammate, warrior.” – Sean Couturier
Simmonds truly loved the City of Philadelphia. He was blessed to play before some great fans, and Simmonds was passionate, “The people of Philadelphia accepted me as one of their own.”
“The people of Philadelphia accepted me as one of their own.” – Wayne Simmonds
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A Power Forward in hockey as described by Wikipedia is, “A forward who is physically large, with the toughness to dig the puck out of the corners, possesses offensive instincts, has mobility, puck-handling skills, may be difficult to knock off the puck or to push away from the front of the goal and is willingly engage in fights when he feels it is required. Possessing both physical size and offensive ability, power forwards are also often referred to as the ‘complete’ hockey player,” in saying that, Simmonds used to be the key to the Flyers success for years when they were considered perennial playoff contenders. Over the last couple of seasons, Philadelphia got away from employing these type of gritty players. However, former Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher did make it a point to get tougher in 2022-23.
Acquired via a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, Simmonds came to the Flyers at only 23-years-old having only three seasons of NHL experience previously under his belt. I don’t think the Flyers could have imagined for a second what kind of return on investment he would grow to be for them, and how influential this young player was going to be in the future for the franchise.
Some fans didn’t know much about Simmonds before the trade occurred, but he quickly became a fan favorite with his energy and rough and tough style. He stands at 6’3 and weighs 185 pounds. Simmonds spent eight years playing in Philadelphia. During that time, he was able to net 203 goals and register 175 assists for a total of 378 points in 584 games played as a Flyer.
As his stats show, he found great success once donning a Flyers jersey. He was also able to reach the 20 goal plateau in a season seven out of the eight seasons played for the orange and black. Simmonds gave valuable leadership skills and tutelage to the youth during his tenure in Philadelphia, just teaching them how to be a Pro.
Thank you Wayne for everything, today the Flyers can use you as a net front presence on the power play for just one night (Joking).
