Wayne Simmonds has finally decided to retire, but he won't be doing so as a Maple Leaf
Back in January, a report had surfaced stating that ex-Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds had unofficially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. Of course, the report was inaccurate and Simmonds took to social media to immediate refute the claim at the time, stating that he had not retired.
Well, a few months can change everything, as we found out today. Simmonds is indeed finally ready to announce his retirement. There is a catch, though, for Leaf fans. He won't be retiring as a Maple Leaf.
The Philadelphia Flyers issued an important announcement on Monday morning, confirming that it is their intent to sign Simmonds to a 1-day contract on April 13th so they can celebrate his career and send him off the right way.
The 35-year-old Simmonds played the vast majority of his NHL career in Philly, playing 8 seasons with the Flyers spanning from 2011 to the 2018-19 season before being dealt to the Nashville Predators.
Simmonds was able to celebrate his 1,000th career game as a member of the Leafs, but rather than retiring as a Leaf, he's going to retire as a Flyer - and you know what? That's the way it should be.
As much as Simmonds endeared himself to Leafs Nation and as much as the city loves "The Wayne Train", he spent the best years of his career in Philadelphia, and even the most loyal Leafs fans will understand his desire to go back to Philly and retire a Flyer.
Simmonds, during a recent appearance on TSN for the network's trade deadline coverage, told James Duthie that Toronto is home forever, so he's not abandoning the city anytime soon. It's just that, in this case, he wanted to end his career on his own terms, as a member of the Flyers, and no one will fault him for that.
All the best to Simmonds and his family and congrats to Simmer on his retirement after an amazing career that spanned 15 seasons, with stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville, New Jersey, Buffalo and Toronto. Truly one of the best power forwards over the last 20 years.
| POLL | ||
MARS 18 | 751 ANSWERS Wayne Simmonds has finally decided to retire, but he won't be doing so as a Maple Leaf Do you think Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas did Wayne Simmonds dirty in his final NHL season? | ||
| Absolutely. Tough to see him in the press box | 300 | 39.9 % |
| No, his best days were long behind him | 236 | 31.4 % |
| I'm just happy he's going out on his own terms | 215 | 28.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
