After Los Angeles traded Wayne Simmonds to Philadelphia in the off-season, he glanced at the NHL schedule to see that the Flyers and Kings would clash on the 10th day of the regular season. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
There could not be a better situation for Philadelphia Flyers rugged forward Wayne Simmonds when he meets up with his former teammates, the Los Angeles Kings, on Saturday.
When Simmonds was dealt along with Brayden Schenn to the Flyers in exchange for ex-Philadelphia captain Mike Richards last summer, he glanced at the NHL schedule to see that the Flyers and Kings would clash on the 10th day of the regular season.
The laid-back Simmonds, 23, doesn't get too excited at the best of times. But it sure makes it easier to face your former team when your current one is a perfect 3-0 and your old club has only three points in three outings.
"I really do think this will be fun," said Simmonds, who was a Kings second-round selection in 2007 and played his first three seasons in Los Angeles.
"I've played with those guys a long time. They know what I can do, but you still want to go out and show them what you have. There will be no friends out there."
One of those friends who better keep his head up is Kings standout defenceman Drew Doughty. Simmonds and Doughty played junior against one another in the OHL for two seasons, with each other on the gold-medal winning 2008 Canadian world junior team and were roommates with the Kings the past two seasons.
"Yeah, Doubts better watch out," Simmonds said with a chuckle.
Simmonds key addition
With all the tinkering Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren did to his roster during the off-season, the two most important acquisitions so far have been goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and Simmonds.
Simmonds has been a physical force. He's never scored more than 16 goals in a season, but he already has a goal and an assist in three games and has seen significant time on the Flyers power play.
"So far, so good," Simmonds said. "This has been a good situation here. The team has made me feel welcome and so have the fans."
Philadelphia sports fans can be some of the most demanding. That's why it was important for the Flyers to emerge out of the gate flying, especially with the Phillies being knocked out in the first round of the National League baseball playoffs, and the football Eagles off to a horrendous 1-4 start.
Simmonds was born and raised in humble surroundings in the Scarborough area of Toronto, the same town that has produced NHLers like Rick Tocchet, Kevin Weekes and Mike Ricci.
Simmonds was the third born of Wanda and Cyril Simmonds' four sons. Wayne played most sports, including basketball and volleyball, but his passion for hockey was ignited at age five, when he sat in the stands one day to watch his older brother, Troy, play.
It wasn't easy for the Simmonds family to keep the boys in the best hockey equipment, so sometimes Wayne had to settle for skates or gloves or shin pads from a second-hand sporting goods store. But Wanda and Cyril did their best to provide an opportunity for their son to excel at his hockey endeavours.
"My parents have been the most important people in my life," Simmonds said. "They did everything they could to make it happen for me, whether working overtime to make sure we had enough money for hockey stuff or simply just treating me properly and giving me encouragement."
Simmonds was developing nicely with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL under head coaches Mark Reeds, when he was acquired by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds a few days before the Canadian junior selection camp was to begin. The Greyhounds coach/GM was former NHLer Craig Hartsburg, who also just happened to be the Canadian junior head coach that season.
"I only spent a half a season under [Hartsburg], but he really taught the defensive part of the game," Simmonds said. "I was pretty much just an offensive player back then. He made me a more responsible player in both ends of the rink and I think helped me to adjust better to the NHL game."
The next season Simmonds cracked the Kings' roster as a 20-year-old and has never played a game in the minors.
Trademark coolness
It appeared Simmonds would be a mainstay with the Kings long term, but he took the off-season trade in stride with his trademark coolness. He was at his uncle's cottage in Prince Edward Island when he found out the news that he had been moved to the Flyers.
If Simmonds, who is black, thought he would fly under the radar in Philadelphia with its star-studded lineup, he was wrong. There was the racial incident during a pre-season game in London, Ont., in which a fan tossed a banana at Simmonds while he took a shootout attempt, and there was a run-in with New York Rangers forward Sean Avery. The latter accused Simmonds of a gay slur.
Simmonds denied Avery's accusation and a London-area fan was charged with engaging in a prohibited activity under the province's Trespass to Property Act.
"It has been [eventful], but you can't worry about things you can't control," Simmonds said. "I'm just happy the season is underway and to be in Philadelphia now. It's a first-class organization that I'm proud to be part of.
"The fans here have high expectations, so it's good that we have gotten off to a strong start."
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
