March 18, 2024
Joe Lamberti/Courier Post / USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Flyer Wayne Simmonds walking through the tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field for the team's Stadium Series game at Lincoln Financial Field in February 2019.
Wayne Simmonds is calling it a career after 15 seasons and more than 1,000 NHL games, but before he does, he'll sign a one-day contract to officially do so as a Philadelphia Flyer.
Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL Monday morning, and in turn, the Flyers unveiled plans to honor their former fan-favorite power forward ahead of their April 13 home game against the New Jersey Devils – their second to last for the regular season.
Simmonds, now 35, spent the majority of his career as a Flyer and alongside Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, formed the franchise's core through what became a turbulent 2010s.
His arrival in the summer of 2011 marked a clear turning point for the organization, coming in from the Los Angeles Kings along with Brayden Schenn in the trade that shipped then-captain Mike Richards out of town, with fellow star Jeff Carter getting sent to Columbus simultaneously for a young Voracek and a first-round pick that would become Sean Couturier.
The Flyers were rebuilt on the fly that summer with Giroux as the new focal point, but Simmonds brought along a hard-skating, 200-foot style that resulted in tons of aggression and just as many goals. He endeared himself to the city quickly and perfectly matched the identity of what a Flyer ought to be.
"It's hard to describe my emotions on a day like this, but one of my very first thoughts as I look back is my life in Philadelphia and playing for the Flyers,” Simmonds said via a press release. “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. Perhaps the biggest reason for that is the way the fans embrace this team.
"It was a thrill to play for you all these years, and you mean so much to me. I'd like to thank Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones and Danny Brière for making this a special day and the fans for all their support throughout the years for me and my family."
Simmonds' run in Philadelphia went for eight years and saw him produce 203 goals and 378 points over 584 games. From 2015-17, he posted back-to-back seasons of 30-plus goals and earned a 2017 All-Star nod that put him on the path to winning MVP in the mini three-on-three tournament.
He was also the driving force behind the Flyers' push to the playoffs in the 2015-16 season, getting them there under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol and with an ailing Ed Snider watching from afar, who passed soon after they clinched their spot.
Off the ice, Simmonds was just as impactful, serving on the board of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation while he was here, taking part in charities like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and March of Dimes, and reserving a suite at the Wells Fargo Center for local military members through his old “Wayne’s Warriors" initiative.
In 2019, Simmonds won the NHL's Mark Messier Leadership Award as the player who exemplified great leadership qualities for his team both on and off the ice, all while taking a leading role in his community to grow the sport.
He couldn't stay forever though. Late into the 2018-19 season, with the Flyers' year sunk and with Simmonds on an expiring contract, his availability was well known approaching the trade deadline, and after a sendoff with the overtime win in the 2019 Stadium Series game at the Linc, he was dealt to the the Nashville Predators a couple of days later.
The year that followed saw him shuffle from the New Jersey Devils and then to the Buffalo Sabres before signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 offseason, where he found a steady depth role behind their stars in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for the next several seasons, though it's been since last April since he last stepped on NHL ice.
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