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Trade Deadline Day: Simmonds Tribute, Raffl, Elliott, A Special Thank You |
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A Tribute to Wayne Simmonds
At some point this morning or afternoon, the Flyers are likely to announce that Wayne Simmonds has been traded. As of even two days ago, the Flyers apparently were not overwhelmed by any of the offers coming in. There were multiple suitors, yes, but teams were not engaging in a bidding war or meeting the Flyers' asking price. So it's come down to the final day.
If NHL didn't have a hard-cap economic system and severely cracked down on back-diving contracts, the Flyers probably would have found a way to get a Simmonds contract extension done to pre-empty his unrestricted free agency. It is what it is. A business decision involving a power forward in his early 30s who had multiple injuries (but played through them) last season and who is not having his best of statistical seasons yet is still capable of scoring 20+ goals per season.
Sentimentally, Simmonds clearly prefers to stay here and the Flyers would like him to stay for all he represents in embodying the qualities upon which the franchise prides itself. If/when the news comes down today, it's not going to be a happy day.
Four quintessential Simmonds' on-ice moments stand out when I think about his Flyers career:
1) Scoring a goal that bounced in off his face and smiling about it afterwards.
2) Recording a playoff hat trick against the Rangers in 2014 to force a seventh game in the series.
3) Publicly dedicating the penultimate game of the 2015-16 regular season to Ed Snider, and then going out to score two goals to clinch a playoff spot for the Flyers two days before Mr. Snider passed away.
4) Earlier this season, in the Dec. 1, 2018 game in Pittsburgh, sparking his team emotionally by fighting the gargantuan Jamie Oleksiak.
Within the Flyers' locker room, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has been as unanimously respected and admired as Simmonds. He wears an "A" and he can play the "bad cop" role when it's necessary to get a message across, but teammates also know that there's nothing Simmonds himself wouldn't sacrifice for the team. They know he always has their back, whether it's on the ice or in front of the media. And, off the ice, they have a genuine and loyal friend. Such people aren't easy to find, especially when they've been perennial 25 to 30 goal scorers for the team and the toughest guy on the squad as well.
Simmonds has always been a hockey player and man who walks the walk both on and off the ice. People talk about hard work, sacrifice and selflessness but Simmonds has lived it. He's always been one of the most charitable of Flyers players, always quite generous with his time and willing to reach out to others when he learns of people in need, especially kids.
In general, Simmons is an emotional person who wears his heart on his sleeve. What you see is what you get with him. He cares about Hockey Fights Cancer more than the average NHL player because his beloved grandmother Catherine Mercury passed away from breast cancer in 1995. He has explained that the reason why he often sports a Toronto Blue Jays cap when out and about in public is because his "Nana" was a diehard Blue Jays fans and it's one of his ways of honoring her memory.
When former teammate Steve Mason was going through an emotionally brutal family-related situation, Simmonds said something in the locker room that was so heartfelt that I didn't need to transcribe it to remember it word for word: "We are a family in here. We're all his brothers. If Mase needs me, I'm here for him. We all are. He can come to any one of us in here."
Likewise, when Ed Snider passed away, among all of the Flyers' players, Simmonds became the most genuinely emotional about his gratitude to the Flyers chairman for the way he took a personal interest in the Flyers' players as well as the team's fortunes. Simmonds said that much of what him proud to be a Flyer came directly from Mr. Snider's passion for the team.
Whether on or off the ice, Simmonds never forgets where he came from in life. He did not come from a youth of privilege -- far from it -- but he never lacked for love or priorities. As an adult, Simmonds deeply cares about kids who grow up under tough circumstances. The same loyal qualities that let teammates know he always has their back for better or for worse also manifest in his devotion to Scarborough and the Delaware Valley and Los Angeles communities that have supported him professionally. Locally, Simmonds is extremely generous with his time to Snider Hockey, the military, school programs and the fanbase in general.
For all the bad stories that come out about spoiled pro athletes behaving badly, there are still the guys like Wayne Simmonds who are just good, salt-of-the-earth human beings who believe not only in giving back to the community for its support but in directly paying it forward to other individuals.
Simmonds rewarded the sacrifices his family made for him to play hockey by doubling down on an already impressive work ethic. He's a good natural athlete but there are far more naturally talented hockey players in the NHL who get much less out of their ability than Simmonds does.
The number one reason: the burning desire that fueled a 19-year-old kid, whom former Kings GM Dean Lombardi discovered was sleeping in his car at his first camp with the LA Kings and who was the first one on the ice each day and the last to exit, still burns just as strong a dozen years later. Money hasn't quenched the fire nor has it hardened the heart that beats inside one of the toughest pound-for-pound players in the game today. He doesn't always win his battles, but he never quits and he is never out-competed.
A couple of seasons ago, I had the personal honor of presenting the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award to Wayne on the Flyers' team awards night. Wayne already had his game face on, and clearly was anxious for the awards ceremony to get over with and for the game to get underway. The next day in Voorhees, he asked me if he'd remembered to tell the local PHWA chapter "thank you" for selecting him for the award. He had indeed.
Whatever uniform Simmonds wears next, he'll always be a quintessential Philadelphia Flyer.
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Quick Hits: Feb. 25, 2019
1) The Flyers have a vital game on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres for which to prepare themselves. There will be an 11 a.m. practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Trade deadline day practices can be challenging from a focus perspective, but every team is in the same boat to varying degrees. The Sabres have a game on Monday against Toronto and then come to Philly to play the Flyers.
2) Apart from Simmonds, the Flyers might trade at least one of their other impending UFAs. Michael Raffl and Brian Elliott are the most likely trade candidates.
Raffl could be of interest to teams looking for a versatile role-playing winger who typically helps teams in their PK and 5-on-5 puck possession games and periodically chips in offensively when moved up in the lineup. He's another good locker room citizen. The thing with Raffl is that he has a tremendous sense of humor that comes across in regular conversation but rarely in interview settings.
Elliott was solid in relief of Carter Hart on Tuesday and Thursday last week and, apart from a rough goal early in the third period of the Stadium Series game on Saturday, was good in that must-win game. The returns wouldn't be overwhelming but both players could provide depth at a reasonable rental cost. He's used to being a tandem goalie, and was the starter a few years ago during a Blues playoff run that reached the Western Conference Final. Now that he's shown he is healthy enough to play effectively again, he could help a team looking for goaltending depth. The Flyers, meanwhile, want to get some work in for Cam Talbot, especially while Hart is out for the next week or so.
3) Before I wrap this up for today, I want to publicly say thank you to two Flyers Alumni who made this weekend very special for my family and me.
First, a huge thank you to Brad Marsh for giving me a pair of tickets to the Stadium Series game at the Linc, and a customized Stadium Series jersey with Carter Hart's name and number in my son, Benjamin's, size.
Secondly, thank you to Bernie and Gini Parent for inviting Benji and me to attend a large gathering last night at the house. They welcomed a very special house guest to the party: the Stanley Cup. Hockey's most cherished prize sat, gleaming and polished, on its own side table, in the kitchen. There was also a sheet cake welcoming Lord Stanley.
Benji, whose favorite players are inevitably goaltenders, has been regaled by me with many stories from Bernie's career and has read about Bernie in some of his hockey books. He met Bernie and Bob Clarke previously at the Flyers Charity Classic but this was something that was once-in-a-lifetime: not only going to a gathering hosted by the Parents but also to take a photo with himself, Bernie and the Stanley Cup.
The entire 2019 Stadium Series collection of events -- being present on Thursday for the dedication of the Philadelphia Flyers Warrior Hockey team program for wounded military vets, writing the game program for the Flyers Alumni/ Snider Hockey program on Friday, doing a Facebook live Stadium Series game preview with Chris Therien and Brian Smith on the Flyers' Facebook page shortly ahead of practice, walking around the Fan Fest on Saturday with old friend and writing colleague Anthony Mingioni and touring the travel-trailer exhibit on black history in hockey (I learned a lot that I'd never know before), covering Saturday's game at the Linc for the Flyers' website and for HockeyBuzz, and then going to the Parents' gathering last night -- will be special memories for me that will last the rest of my life.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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