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Wayne Simmonds News & Rumors

Simmonds disgusted by racist comments
April 27
Courier-Post
 
"Wayne Simmonds was seated at his locker and ripping off equipment following the Flyers' practice on Thursday when reporters approached for comment about the NHL's latest racist incident. The right wing hadn't heard. He sat up straight, leaned in and asked for details. He knew Joel Ward had scored a Game 7 road overtime goal Wednesday night that advanced the Washington Capitals into the second round and knocked out the Boston Bruins, last season's Stanley Cup champs. Hearing for the first time that Ward was the subject of racial slurs after the game via Twitter, Simmonds had a look of disgust appear on his face. Besides being the only blacks on their teams and among just 28 who played in"
NHL rewards Flyers winger
April 3
Courier-Post
 
"The reminders of a painful but rewarding weekend are right there for Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds to see when he stands in front of his medicine-cabinet mirror. There are a half-dozen stitches running from the bridge of his nose across his right eyebrow. His eye no longer is swollen almost completely shut, but there are red stains of dried blood, all of it coming courtesy of a flying puck to the face that ended up in the opponent's net last Saturday."
Simmonds pays for his 26th goal
April 1
Courier-Post
 
"Wayne Simmonds' goal celebration Saturday was falling to the ice with a bloodied face, then getting up and hustling to the dressing room for some medical attention. One tough cookie, the Flyers winger was back playing about 15 minutes later with six or seven stitches running from the bridge of his nose across his right eyebrow ... and a visor his helmet. "I'm all right, I'm good," Simmonds said after a Flyers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. Simmonds probably never will score a more painful goal."
You gotta have heart
February 17
Courier-Post
 
"Wayne Simmonds couldn't come up with the words to explain a game he'll never forget. The Flyers' rough and tough winger actually had nothing at all to say to anyone. It hurt too much for Simmonds to talk with 25 stitches in his upper and lower lips and, according to a Flyers official, two of his teeth "knocked around" because a shot ricocheted off the crossbar and into his face during the pregame skate."
Change of scenery helping Simmonds
February 3
Courier-Post
 
"Their meetings as Western Conference opponents used to be fairly regular. When Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds was spending his first three NHL seasons with the Los Angeles, Ilya Bryzgalov was tending goal for the division rival Phoenix Coyotes. "I always liked him," Bryzgalov said Thursday night after watching Simmonds score twice in the Flyers' 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators. "We played lots of games, and he's always been dangerous around the net. He was driving to the net. He always played a passionate game.""
Banana thrower at Red Wings exhibition gets a fine
January 10
Detroit Free Press
 
"A fan who threw a banana at a black player during an NHL exhibition has been fined $200. Christopher Moorhouse lobbed a banana at Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds as he was approaching Detroit Red Wings goalie Jordan Pearce during a shoot-out Sept. 22 in London, Ontario. The 26-year-old Moorhouse pleaded guilty today but did not appear in court. He was charged charged with a provincial trespassing and given 90 days to pay the fine. Police said there wasn't enough evidence to charge Moorhouse with a hate crime."
Simmonds continues hard working play
December 9
Courier-Post
 
"Flyers coach Peter Laviolette liked what he was getting from physical right wing Wayne Simmonds even though the goals weren't coming, and told him so last Friday in Anaheim. "I grabbed him after the game," Laviolette said. "I really liked his game. He was working hard. He was skating hard. He had some chances to score. He was moving his feet. I grabbed him and said, 'Don't get frustrated. Keep playing the same way, because when you play like that the results will come.' " They're coming."
Simmonds is what team needs
October 14
Courier-Post
 
"Being in the middle of the action is what the Flyers need this season from their new forward Wayne Simmonds. The Flyers lacked a sustained physical presence in front of the net on the power play last season — actually over the last two years since Mike Knuble signed with Washington after the 2009 season. "I just try to go to the net and try to cause a distraction," Simmonds said after the Flyers 5-4 win Wednesday over Vancouver."
Man pleads stupidity in banana toss at Red Wings game
September 30
Detroit Free Press
 
"The lawyer for a man who threw a banana at Wayne Simmonds during an exhibition against the Red Wings last week in London, Ontario, says his client regrets what he did and had no idea his actions could be interpreted as racist. Lawyer Faisal Joseph said Chris Moorhouse, 26, was caught up in the tense game and threw the fruit at the black Philadelphia Flyer in hopes of preventing a goal against his beloved Wings. The lawyer said Moorhouse is "mortified" and deeply remorseful."
Man arrested in banana-throwing incident
September 29
CSN Philly
 
"Police arrested 26-year-old Chris Moorhouse of London, Ont., for last week's banana-throwing incident against the Flyers' Wayne Simmonds during a game in London against the Detroit Red Wings at John Labatt Centre. At a news conference, police Chief Brad Duncan said Moorhouse admitted to throwing the banana and is charged with "engaging in a prohibited activity under the Trespass to Property Act." He is seeking legal counsel, if convicted he could face a fine of up to a maximum $2,000. Duncan said there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge Moorhouse with a hate crime."
Flyers' Simmonds denies use of slur
September 28
Courier-Post
 
"Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds acknowledges it's been quite the past few days — for all the wrong reasons. A victim of racism last week, Simmonds was accused of using a homophobic slur Monday night during a confrontation with Sean Avery, the New York Rangers' instigator who has been one of the league's most controversial players for years. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which is based in New York City, has been in contact with Flyers officials and wants an apology from Simmonds. "I'd rather see myself getting press for my play (and) instead it's other things," Simmonds said Tuesday after practice at Skate Zone."
League fails to do its duty
September 28
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"Twenty minutes after the conclusion of Monday's game in Philadelphia, Wayne Simmonds said repeatedly that he "[could not] recall every single word," he screamed at Sean Avery following a first period scrum during which the Flyer had been punched in the face by the Ranger. But somehow a day later appearing before league VP Colin Campbell, Simmonds apparently could recall with clarity that he did not use the alleged inflammatory homophobic slur that the whole word outside the NHL offices believes he used with a simple viewing of the video of the incident. Simmonds couldn't remember what he said Monday night on Monday night, but he could remember on Tuesday afternoon what he did not say on"
Simmonds won't be disciplined for alleged slur against Avery
September 28
New York Post
 
"After a couple of phone calls yesterday, Colin Campbell decided he didn't have enough evidence to take any disciplinary action against Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds allegedly called Rangers left wing Sean Avery a homophobic slur during their game on Monday night. But Campbell, the NHL's vice president of Hockey Operations, talked to Simmonds, who denied the claim, as well as the on-ice officials who were not able to corroborate Avery's account of the incident. "Since there are conflicting accounts of what transpired on the ice, we have been unable to substantiate with the necessary degree of certainty what was said and by whom," Campbell said in a statement. "To the extent we"
Flyers' Simmonds denies use of slur
September 28
Courier-Post
 
"Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds acknowledges it's been quite the past few days — for all the wrong reasons. A victim of racism last week, Simmonds was accused of using a homophobic slur Monday night during a confrontation with Sean Avery, the New York Rangers' instigator who has been one of the league's most controversial players for years. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which is based in New York City, has been in contact with Flyers officials and wants an apology from Simmonds. "I'd rather see myself getting press for my play (and) instead it's other things," Simmonds said Tuesday after practice at Skate Zone."
Avery accuses Simmonds of slur
September 27
CSN Philly
 
"This time, Wayne Simmonds finds himself on the other side of the fence. Last week in London, Ont., a fan threw a banana at the Flyers forward, an obvious racial gesture to Simmonds being a black Canadian hockey player. On Monday night during the Flyers' 5-3 preseason win over the Rangers, Simmonds was sucker-punched by Sean Avery in the first period and the two exchanged words. Avery told reporters after the game that Simmonds threw a slur at him. Asked if the slur was homophobic, Avery said, 'Yes,' it was. Neither Flyers coach Peter Laviolette nor general manager Paul Holmgren were aware of what was said by either player."
Avery: Fighting Flyer took homophobic shot at me
September 27
New York Post
 
"The NHL will be under the gun to take action against Wayne Simmonds following an early first-period incident in a preseason game here last night in which the Flyers' winger appears to have called Sean Avery a homophobic epithet. Avery confirmed after the match that he was called the ugly slur by Simmonds following a scrum in which the Rangers' winger punched the Flyer in the face while both were down on the ice. Though Simmonds implied Avery had provoked him through words of his own, the Flyer did not deny the charge, stating repeatedly that he could not remember exactly what words were exchanged early in Philadelphia's 4-3 victory. A year ago, then Islanders defenseman James Wisniewski"
Flyers react to racial taunt toward Simmonds
September 24
CSN Philly
 
"Jaromir Jagr has traveled the world because of hockey and seen just about anything. Anything, that is, but blatant racism at a professional ice rink. Though Jagr wasn't in London, Ontario, on Thursday when a fan tossed a banana on the ice at Wayne Simmonds during a shootout against the Red Wings, he was nonetheless stunned to learn about it. Simmonds, born in Scarborough, Ont., is black. "It's a sad thing that in 2011 this should happen, if at all," Jagr said. "I've never seen this in my life. And I only heard it when I got here. "It's not going to affect him. He's a nice guy, a smart guy. This is embarrassing for the fan who did it. It shouldn't be embarrassing to Wayne. I"