Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Simmonds ready for All-Star closeup
Wayne Simmonds will be the Flyers’ lone representative at the NHL All-Star Game, now essentially a 3-on-3 game of pickup pseudohockey which takes place next Sunday afternoon.
While other Flyers such as Jake Voracek and ... well, Jake Voracek ... could have presented a valid argument for a spot in the game, too, Simmonds might have been the only guy here appreciating such an appointment.
The game’s in Los Angeles, and when asked some weeks ago about his candidacy, Simmonds joked his girlfriend was busy voting for him on-line because she wanted “a weekend in L.A.”
Crystal Corey not only got that wish, the two got engaged during the Flyers’ bye week.
As for Simmonds, it’s his first All-Star appointment, one coach Dave Hakstol thinks is well deserved.
“He’s such an honest person. You see that in his game on the ice,” Hakstol said. “He’s a guy that his emotions show through on the ice. He’s a very honest two-way player in terms of every aspect of the game. You see the same things in him off the ice as well . ... What you see is what you get.”
Simmonds, 28, was a popular player during his first three NHL seasons in Los Angeles, lauded for his work ethic and character. This was prior to the 2011 trade that sent Mike Richards to L.A. and brought Simmonds and Brayden Schenn to the Flyers. It helped produce two Cups in L.A., but the deal looks great for Philly now. Not just because of what the trade brought to the Flyers on the ice.
“It takes special people to have true impact on virtually everybody they come across or meet,” Hakstol said. “Simmer is one of those guys because he genuinely cares . ... He’s earned everything that he’s been able to achieve and accomplish in this game. Look at his history coming into the league and everything he’s built his game into today. He’s done it the old-fashioned way. He’s earned everything.”
With games against the Devils, Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs still on the Flyers’ docket before he was to head to the West Coast, Simmonds said he was focused on the job at hand rather than looking ahead to a weekend of fun. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t upbeat.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey to play and we’re still in the playoff picture, so it’s easy to be optimistic,” Simmonds said. “We have to make sure we’re playing strong in our defensive zone and creating offensively. We just have to play more like we were in the beginning of the year than we were in the stretch between the breaks.”
Simmonds was told that the last time a teammate got engaged (Claude Giroux), the Flyers responded with eight more consecutive wins to run a pre-holidays win streak to 10. Remember that? “We need everyone to get engaged in here, I guess,” Simmonds said with a laugh.
But he might have been serious in saying that, too.
“We know we have a lot of work to do. We got off to a good start, compared to what we’ve done in the past, but then we had a little falter there. We know we have to be better; we’re all here and we’re all going to be accountable to one another and to the coaching staff. So let’s just make sure we come back fresh and play hockey the right way.”
Saturday’s game marked the first time since early in the season that the Flyers entered with a completely healthy lineup. “We’ve gone through our fair share of that as everybody does,” Hakstol said. “I’m sure we’re going to run into some other bumps in the road as we go forward. It is nice to be healthy. Coming off the (five-day mandated) break I hope we’re refreshed, mentally and physically.” ... Of course, being so healthy also means the healthy scratch list is at full strength, too. Still carrying eight defensemen, the Flyers scratched Brandon Manning and Nick Schultz Saturday night. The forward benchee was Dale Weise.