Simmonds retires from NHL after 15 seasons, will sign 1-day contract with Flyers

Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday after 15 seasons.

The 35-year-old will sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on April 13 and be honored by the team that day before the game against the New Jersey Devils at Wells Fargo Center.

Simmonds played 584 of his 1,037 NHL games as a forward with the Flyers (2011-19). His 203 goals in eight seasons are 14th in team history.

"Philadelphia has always got a special place in my heart," Simmonds said. "It's been unbelievable to me. Philly is a blue-collar town, and I think that's kind of what I brought in my game. I think that's kind of what made myself endeared to the fans. I loved every second of it. It was amazing, my time in Philly."

Simmonds also impacted Philadelphia away from the game as an honorary member of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education Foundation, a position he's held since shortly after being traded to the Flyers by the Los Angeles Kings in 2011.

"That was one of the biggest things of why I wanted to retire a Flyer -- it was my relationship with the community and the fans, and obviously an honorary board member on the Snider Foundation," he said. "For me, it's something that was extremely special. I'd like to get back to the city more, obviously, now that I'm not playing and participate in some of those functions.

"I remember when I was younger my mom always said to me, 'If you ever make it to the NHL, you've got to give back to the community.' I started with my hometown in Scarborough [Ontario], and then that just naturally led into Philadelphia. The people of Philadelphia, they accepted me as one of their own and for me to have been there for eight years, I felt it was only right for me to give back to the community and do whatever I could possibly do."

Simmonds spent his final three seasons with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. He played his 1,000th NHL game with them March 5, 2022, and had two assists in 18 games last season.

"Just a competitor, one of the toughest guys I've ever coached," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He was a good guy to have around, he has a good energy about him. It was a shame his first year with us here (2020-21) was played at a time when there were no fans in the building. He had a terrific career and obviously his best years in Philadelphia so fitting he retired as a Flyer."

Simmonds said the numerous injuries he sustained during his career caught up with him the past few seasons, which led to his decision to retire.

"I think my career had run its course," he said. "Having a lot of the injuries that I had slowed me down quite a bit and I think the way that I played the game, I always had to be on my toes and always had to be going. I realized the last couple of years there that I just didn't have what I used to have, and it was extremely frustrating.

"At the same time, I started a family. I have a 4-year-old [daughter] who turns 5 in a month, another daughter who just turned 2 and I have a 4-month-old son. For me, it was important to set my roots and be here for my family. If I was still at the top of my game I'd still be playing, obviously, and I think that retirement could wait. But the way I was going, I just felt it was time for me to be with my family and enjoy that that life."

Simmonds was selected by the Kings in the second round (No. 61) of the 2007 NHL Draft and had 526 points (263 goals, 263 assists) for the Kings, Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Maple Leafs. He had 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 53 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He had six seasons with at least 20 goals, was named the most valuable player of the 2017 NHL All-Star Game and was voted winner of the 2019 NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award while playing for Philadelphia and Nashville.

"He was feared when he played, respected," said Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, who was Simmonds' teammate with Philadelphia for two seasons (2011-13). "He could beat you up physically with his fists, with his body on a big body check, or by scoring goals and making plays. He was such a big, important player for so long for the Flyers that it's just natural and really well earned to do this for an ultimate Flyer, in my mind."

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen and independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report