Former Philadelphia Flyers standout Wayne Simmonds officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday morning, complete with a date set for the Flyers to honor him – Saturday, April 13, when the Orange and Black host the New Jersey Devils at 5 p.m.
Simmonds played over 500 games as a Flyer – 584 to be exact – leaving behind dozens of vivid, warm memories for the city of Philadelphia to look back on over time.
#5. Simmonds honors Ed Snider, sets personal best
On April 9, 2016 – two days before the late, great Ed Snider passed away – Simmonds dedicated the Flyers’ upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Penguins to the legendary co-founder of the Orange and Black.
After the Flyers found themselves in a 1-0 hole in the first period, Simmonds scored two even strength goals – one in the first period and one in the second – to tie the game and then to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored the empty-netter to give the Flyers a 3-1 win, punching Philadelphia’s ticket to the 2016 playoffs. Simmonds’ 32 goals that season set his career-high in that category.
#4. Simmonds scores his first Flyers playoff goal
On April 15, 2012, nearly 12 years to the date the Flyers are honoring him, Simmonds recorded his first playoff goal as a Flyer in an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh.
Late in the second period, Jordan Staal scored a goal to bring the Pens within a goal at 5-4, but, with 46 seconds before the second intermission, Simmonds potted a crucial power play goal to restore Philadelphia’s two-goal lead.
Simmonds also recorded his first assist on Danny Briere ‘s first period marker, ultimately finishing the game with one goal, one assist, two shots, two blocks, two hits, and 12 penalty minutes, in classic Wayne Simmonds fashion.
The Flyers were up 3-0 in the series over Pittsburgh after this win and eventually won the series in six games, 4-2.
#3. Simmonds records his first Gordie Howe hat trick as a Flyer
This guy hates the Penguins, doesn’t he?
Simmonds recorded his first Flyers Gordie Howe hat trick against the Pens in a 6-5 victory on February 20, 2013.
No. 17 scored the game-tying goal to make it 2-2 in the first period before assisting on Jakub Voracek’s power play tally in the dying seconds of the second period. Of course, Simmonds had dropped the gloves with Tanner Glass earlier, giving him his first Gordie Howe hat trick.
Simmonds finished with two goals and an assist, while Voracek completed his first NHL hat trick.
#2. Flyers blank Devils, Simmonds scores his first in Philly
1-0-0, 2-0-0, 3-0-0… the Flyers started their 2011-12 season with a bang, defeating the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, runners-up Vancouver Canucks, and eventual finalists New Jersey Devils in back-to-back-to-back games.
Simmonds scored the third of three goals to give the Flyers a 3-0 shutout win over New Jersey on October 8, 2011, and his first of 203 goals as a Flyer.
Although the Devils would get revenge in the playoffs many months later, Simmonds had a fairytale start to his time donning the Orange and Black.
#1. Simmonds hammers Rangers with playoff hat trick
Ultimately, the New York Rangers won the series with a 2-1 in Game 7, but Simmonds gave the Flyers life in Game 6 on April 29, 2014.
The Rangers, who only dressed five defensemen, including current Flyer Marc Staal, suffered at the hands of Simmonds. Simmonds scored three goals, including two on the power play, to guide the Flyers to an early 4-0 lead before finishing the game with a 5-2 win.
Simmonds’s first and only playoff hat trick helped the Flyers stave off elimination to force a Game 7 in the epic back-and-forth series.
The Scarborough, Ontario native finished his Flyers career with 203 goals, 175 assists, and 378 points in 584 regular season games, as well as five goals, 10 assists, and 15 points in 30 playoff games.
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