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Honoring former Philadelphia Flyers All-Star Wayne Simmonds who, after playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, will retire as a Flyer after signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the team.
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WHEREAS, Wayne Simmonds, whose family originates from Nova Scotia, was born to Cyril Simmonds and Wanda Mercury-Simmonds, and was raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. Since Wayne was in the third grade, he expressed an immense passion of one day being a professional ice hockey player; and
WHEREAS, Wayne Simmonds spent the majority of his minor hockey career playing A and AA hockey in the east end of Toronto. His natural skill for ice hockey was quickly noticed, and he went on to represent Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship and at the 2013 and 2017 IIHF World Championships. Wayne was one of three rookies to be drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and was traded to the Flyers June 23rd, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Out of the 1,037 NHL games Wayne Simmonds played, 584 were played as a forward with the Flyers from 2011-2019. During his tenure as a professional, Wayne scored a total of 203 goals, placing him 14th in the team’s history, and of which 34 were game-winning; and
WHEREAS, Wayne Simmonds impacted Philadelphia in more ways than as a Flyer. He was an honorary member of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education Foundation, where he inspired countless under-resourced youths and was a part of a greater purpose to create opportunities for those within the Greater Philadelphia Region; and
WHEREAS, Wayne Simmonds was named the most valuable player of the 2017 NHL All-Star Game and received the 2019 NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award while playing for Philadelphia and Nashville. May his hard-working and industrious spirit continue to inspire young athletes and professionals alike.
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors former Philadelphia Flyers All-Star Wayne Simmonds.
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