Simmonds, who played 15 NHL seasons with six different teams, signed a one-day contract with the Flyers to retire in the Orange and Black.
Former Flyer Wayne Simmonds waves to fans after dropping the ceremonial opening puck before the Flyers take on the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.The smile on Wayne Simmonds’ face was as wide as the span of the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin if you placed the two bridges end to end. His toothless grin looked even wider as he stepped out onto the ice to drop the ceremonial puck and a roar from the
“I had the greatest eight years of my life in this city, and there is no other way I want to go out other than to be remembered as a Flyer,” Simmonds said on Saturday. “So for me, this is extremely special, for my family this is extremely special. I’ve been reminiscing a lot the last couple of days that I’ve been here and I have three small children ... and I think to be able to bring them here and allow them to see where I grew up, pretty much. I became a man in Philadelphia.
But it was that connection to the community that enamored Philadelphia with Simmonds, and Simmonds with Philadelphia. It is why he is the heart and soul of the Flyers organization. “He was just the best,” said Jones, captain of Eastern Regional High School’s hockey team. “Right now I’m completely speechless, I’m starstruck. But it was just great , it was like Christmas.”
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