584 games. 193 goals. 137 assists. Eight years. The Philadelphia Flyers have seen it all in the last eight years. From that incredible playoff run in 2011-2012 that came to a heartbreaking end, to changes in coaching staff, near messes and unlikely playoff berths. But one man who has seen it
It would be expected by this point that the Canadian would have some ‘Broad Street’ DNA flowing through his veins. The 30-year old has become synonymous with the Orange & Black thanks to his unbelievable grit and determination, the heart that pulses on his sleeve and the respect and love he has always shown the fans, even when they didn’t always reciprocate it. Simmonds played his last game as a Flyer in the only way a tenure as storied as this one possibly could. Against the team’s biggest rival, in front of a home crowd that stood 70,000 strong.
Simmonds entered that game not really knowing what to expect. Not knowing if he’d wake up as a Flyer, or to a call from his Agent, informing him that he needs to pack his bags and catch a flight. Of course, being the driven, passionate leader that he is, he wasn’t going to take that lightly.
Simmonds played hard…and it showed. The Flyers rallied from a 3-1 deficit, largely thanks to the efforts of Simmonds on the wing, who commandeered the offense to help provide a spark of explosiveness late into the proceedings. But when there was one more shot to make a mark…to leave a lasting memory and to unleash every ounce of anxiety, frustration, anger, fear and sadness over how tough this season must’ve been, he took it.
A thunderous hit on Brian Dumoulin echoed throughout Lincoln Financial Field as the tension soared to new levels. There was no simmering here, this was beginning to boil.
But did you really expect anything less? This is the same player who walked up to Jonathan Ericsson and dropped him with one punch. The spirit of the ‘Broad Street Bullies’ lived through Simmonds during his time with the team, as a throwback to that brutish, blue-collar work ethic that made the Flyers so dangerous. That spirit filled the Linc prior to the trade deadline, knowing the end of an era was on the horizon.
“He’s been an ultimate warrior. He’s been the best teammate all these years.” Words from best friend and Flyers captain, Claude Giroux, never fail to evoke every last bit of appreciation in this situation, as players, media and team staff know what’s going to happen. “It’s not something that we can control. It’s definitely frustrating a little bit, but we’ve all been here for a lot now and we understand the business of it, but it doesn’t mean we have to like it. But, there’s not enough words I can say about Wayne Simmonds.”
“Well, for starters, he makes everybody play braver, there’s no question about it.” Said interim Head Coach, Scott Gordon. “The energy he brings, whether it’s a hit or a fight or whatever it might be, his enthusiasm on the bench. I don’t know what is gonna happen moving forward with him but I’m certainly hoping he’s here with us and he provides us with a lot and whatever appreciation I had for him before I got the job here, I have more now.
The Wayne Simmonds era came to an end on Tuesday when the Flyers opted to trade him to Nashville for what was in all senses, a questionable haul.
But the tenure of Wayne Simmonds as a Flyer didn’t end in bitterness. Nor did it end in a steep decline in play. It ended in the most iconic win of the season. A 4-3 OT
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