‘I had a great career’: Wayne Simmonds says he’s done playing in the NHL
Longtime NHL power forward Wayne Simmonds has hung up his skates.
According to a report by The Canadian Press‘ Joshua Clipperton, Simmonds is “done” with playing after skating in 1,037 games with the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Simmonds, 35, told Clipperton that while he hasn’t officially called it quits, he’s already made the decision to end his playing career.
“I haven’t officially announced my retirement, but I’m done,” Simmonds said. “I had a great career. It was the best time I’ve ever had. Right now, it’s family time.”
Spoke to Wayne Simmonds for an upcoming HDA story.
Without a contract this season, I asked about his playing future:
"I haven't officially announced my retirement, but I'm done. I had a great career. It was the best time I've ever had in my life. Right now, it's family time."
Widely regarded as one of the league’s premier power forwards during his eight-year tenure with the Flyers, Simmonds was affectionately nicknamed the “Wayne Train” for his ability to dominate the opposition physically while also producing offense.
Simmonds posted back-to-back 30-goal seasons during his time in Philadelphia and also reached the 60-point mark twice. The Scarborough, Ont. product topped out at 32 goals and 147 penalty minutes with the Flyers in 2015-16.
The Kings originally selected Simmonds in the second round (No. 61 overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft. He wasted little time making his presence felt in L.A., establishing himself on the roster as a 20-year-old in 2008-09 and drawing comparisons to Western Conference rival Jarome Iginla with his style of play.
After the end of Simmonds’ third NHL season, the Kings traded him to the Flyers alongside Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick in exchange for Mike Richards, who went on to win the Stanley Cup twice in Los Angeles. But Simmonds ended up having more staying power with the Flyers, ultimately spending more than half his career there while reaching his peak as an NHLer.
With Simmonds’ contract with the team set to expire, the Flyers sent him to the Predators at the 2019 trade deadline. He bounced around a bit from there, splitting the 2019-20 season between the Devils and Sabres before finally signing with his hometown Maple Leafs in 2020. Also in 2020, Simmonds became one of the founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance.
Through 1,037 career NHL games with six different teams, Simmonds collected 263 goals, 526 points, and 1,313 penalty minutes. He added eight goals and 22 points in 53 playoff contests with L.A., Philadelphia, Nashville, and Toronto.