Wayne Simmonds has a new fan after his Monday night scrap - and it's one of his teammates
During the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, Canes defenseman Brendan Smith caught Leafs forward Ondrej Kase with a nasty knee-on-knee hit. As Kase went for a line change after the play, it was Wayne Simmonds who jumped over the bench for him. He was looking for one man when he stepped on the ice and that was Smith.
The Scarborough native went right after Smith, who obliged him and agreed to drop the gloves. The two had a spirited tilt in front of the Leafs' bench, which Simmonds won, and of course it gave the team a little extra momentum to build off of. Luckily for the Leafs, Kase was okay and won't miss any time after the hit. Simmonds' actions that night meant a lot to Kase, who had this to say: "It was huge for me. I told him thank you four times.»
Simmonds' fight on Monday perfectly exemplifies his role on the Leafs. He is not a goon who is there to fight just because. He is still a quality bottom-6 NHL player, but his real value to the team is in how protected his teammates feel with him on the bench. If you cross the line with a Leaf, expect to answer to the Wayne Train.
Simmonds has that grit that drags the Leafs into the fight with him. His willingness and sense of duty to stand up for his teammates if they're on the wrong end of a dirty play is just one of the qualities that has endeared him to his teammates and to Leafs Nation.
These guys are teammates, and they obviously liked each other already, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Kase's appreciation for Simmer was amplified after Monday night.
