I’ve written my personal tale about Wayne Simmonds. I’ll post it again. It illustrated why Wayne Simmonds was a fan favorite. More importantly, he was a Big Ed Snider favorite.
Simmer would shake your hand in a well tailored suit as soon as he would punch you in the face on the ice or slam you into the boards. Just like Big Ed. As Ed Snider would roar at referees from his box at the Spectrum to the cheers of fan’s delight. So was Simmer. He enforced the law for the Flyers on the ice. He rarely lost a fight if ever. And man was he tough. Broken ankle, pelvic injury, shoulder injury and lost six teeth… and that was just last year!
Simmer laid it on the line for our Flyers. Beloved for the same reason Reggie White, Bobby Clarke, Moses Malone and Pete Rose were loved. They gave it all. And don’t ever let me hear that Simmer bought a drink or a meal in any of our presence. He was certainly WE!
And he’s a free agent at the end of the year. GM Chuck Fletcher said something with a bright light on it. He said, “We weren’t ready to sign him (Simmonds) right now. So we wanted to get something back for him.” Right Now? He may be back! We can pray.
Win that Cup Simmer!
The Philadelphia Post 