Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 years. Ken Campbell says he's not sure if he's met anyone who wasn't a fan of the forward from Scarborough.
When Wayne Simmonds was playing minor hockey in Toronto, the coach of a AAA team there wanted to speak to his parents to offer him a spot on the team. Simmonds didn’t go with his parents to that meeting because he knew they could not afford to pay for him to play for that team.
But while obstacle after obstacle was placed in front of Simmonds, he persevered and carved out a magnificent NHL career. He was a quality player, quality person, quality teammate and, perhaps most of all, a quality role model.
The first time he ever watched his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs play live, he was playing against them. And after more than 1,000 NHL games, more than 500 points and more than 1,300 penalty minutes, he finished his career with the Leafs, playing 18 games last season. Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday, and he'll sign a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in April.
There’s no doubt Simmonds will do great things after conquering the NHL, and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for him.
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