Wayne Simmonds

Simmonds was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, the third of four sons, in addition to one daughter, born to Cyril Simmonds and Wanda Mercury-Simmonds.[2] His family is originally from North Preston, Nova Scotia.[3] Despite growing up in what was then a suburb of Toronto, Simmonds has said he grew up a fan primarily of the Detroit Red Wings.[4] His favourite player growing up was Sergei Fedorov.[5]

Simmonds spent the majority of his minor hockey career playing A and AA hockey in the east end of Toronto, including the Minor Midget Toronto Aces in 2003–04 season of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). After several GTHL AAA players graduated the following summer to junior hockey, Simmonds moved up to the AAA level for the first time with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens midgets of the GTHL in 2004–05.

After Simmonds was scouted at the Telus Cup Regional Midget tournament in the spring of 2005, Mike McCourt noticed him and signed him for the following season with the Brockville Braves of the Central Junior A Hockey League for the 2005–06 season. McCourt was general manager and coach of the Braves and added Simmonds to his club.

Two years after being passed over in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft, Simmonds was selected as an 18-year-old by the Owen Sound Attack in the sixth round, 114th overall, in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection.

Simmonds spent his major junior career playing two seasons in the OHL from 2006 until 2008 with the Owen Sound Attack and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He also played for Canada at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[6] While playing with the Jr. Canadiens, Simmonds became friends with Chris Stewart. The two would later purchase a house together in Toronto, where they lived during the off-season.[7]

Simmonds with the Los Angeles Kings in 2008

A right-handed shooter, Simmonds was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round, 61st overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.[2] He was one of three rookies to make the team's roster for its 2008–09 season. On October 14, 2008, in his third career game, Simmonds scored his first career NHL goal by knocking a rebound past Jean-Sébastien Giguère of the Anaheim Ducks.[8] During his rookie season, Simmonds became a favourite among L.A. fans for his strong work ethic on and off the ice,[1] a trait he has said was instilled within him by his parents.[9]

Entering his second NHL season, Simmonds was looking to increase his offensive production, having tied for the Kings' goal-scoring lead in pre-season play that year.[10] He ultimately scored 40 points in the 2009–10 regular season, nearly doubling his point total of the previous season. Additionally, he led the team in plus-minus and saw substantive time as a member of the team's penalty killing unit.[11] When the Kings unsuccessfully pursued a trade for superstar left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, then of the Atlanta Thrashers, shortly before that season's All-Star break, Simmonds was among the Kings' players whom Atlanta wanted in return.[12]

On June 23, 2011, Simmonds was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers (along with Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft) in exchange for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson.[13] As a restricted free agent, he signed a two-year contract with an average salary of $1.75 million.[14]

Simmonds during his first season with the Philadelphia Flyers, December 2011

On September 22, 2011, during a pre-season game in London, Ontario, between the Detroit Red Wings and the Flyers, a banana was thrown onto the ice while Simmonds was making a shootout attempt.[15] This was seen as an act of racism. The following day, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement regarding the events of the previous day. "We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game," said Bettman in the statement, "the obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario."[16] Chris Moorhouse later pleaded guilty to engaging in a prohibited activity under the Ontario Trespass to Property Act and was fined $200, but did not need to appear in court.[17][18]

Simmonds achieved a Gordie Howe hat-trick in a 5–2 loss to the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center on February 11, 2012.[19] On March 30, 2012, against the Ottawa Senators, Flyers centre Brayden Schenn shot a puck which glanced off of Simmonds' forehead and into the net. Simmonds was credited with the goal.

On August 15, 2012, the Flyers signed Simmonds to a six-year extension worth an annual average value of approximately $4 million.[20]

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Simmonds was playing with ETC Crimmitschau of the 2nd Bundesliga and HC Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga. In a game between Liberec and Piráti Chomutov in the Czech Extraliga, fans began a chant of "opice", a term which roughly translates to "monkey", towards Simmonds, after his involvement in a fight. Shortly after the game, Chomutov issued an apology to Simmonds and also announced the intent to identify the people involved and ban them from the venue.[21] Eight of the offending fans were later identified and tried before a court. As a punishment, they were banned from visiting any sports matches for a year.[22]

On February 20, 2013, Simmonds recorded another Gordie Howe hat-trick in a 6–5 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center [23] when he scored a goal and an assist and fought Tanner Glass. Later that same week, on February 23, Simmonds recorded another Gordie Howe hat-trick in a 5–3 home win against the Winnipeg Jets, fighting Chris Thorburn, assisting on the Flyers' first goal and scoring the game-winning goal.[24]

Simmonds recorded 29 goals to go with 31 assists for a career high 60 points during the 2013–14 season. He later matched this career-high during the 2015–16 season. Simmonds has also gained a reputation for his physical play, leading the Flyers in penalty minutes in 2015–16 with 147. During a February 6 game against the New York Rangers, Simmonds received a game misconduct for punching Rangers' captain Ryan McDonagh with a gloved hand, but was not suspended by the league.[25]

Simmonds represented Philadelphia in the 2017 NHL All-Star Game and was named the Game's MVP after scoring three goals, including the game-winner of the final game.[26]

During the entire 2017–18 season, Simmonds played with a tear in his pelvis area, torn groin, fractured ankle, torn thumb ligament and a busted jaw.[27] Despite this long list of injuries, Simmonds was still able to break the 40-point mark on the season. He was nominated for the Mark Messier Leadership Award at the end of the season.[28]

In the 2018–19 season, his eighth with the Flyers, Simmonds production dipped in producing 16 goals and 27 points through 62 games. While in the final year of his six-year contract with the Flyers, Simmonds was dealt at the trade deadline to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Ryan Hartman and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020 on February 25, 2019.[29]

Simmonds was awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award at the end of the season, and is the first and only player to switch teams during their award-winning season.

On July 1, 2019, the New Jersey Devils signed Simmonds as a free agent on a one-year, $5 million contract.[30] Simmonds faced his former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, for the first time on October 9, 2019, where he was given a tribute video and an ovation by Flyers fans. However, soon after, he was booed each time he touched the puck during the game due to a viral video of him stating he would expect nothing else from Philadelphia. The Flyers defeated the Devils 4–0 in the end.[31] Through 61 games with the Devils, Simmonds contributed with 8 goals and 24 points.

With the Devils out of playoff contention, Simmonds was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on February 24, 2020.[32][33]

On June 8, 2020, Simmonds became an inaugural executive board member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, whose goal is to address intolerance and racism in hockey. [34]

As a free agent from the Sabres, Simmonds signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, 2020, the first signing on the opening day of free agency.[35] Simmonds had been closely tied to the Maple Leafs in the days leading up to free agency and took a discount to play for the team, rejecting higher offers from other clubs.[36][37][38]