Wayne Simmonds, right, skates against Kirill Kaprizov at the Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 24, 2022 in Toronto.Claus Andersen/Getty Images
It has been a long time, but Wayne Simmonds remembers his first game in the NHL. He was only 19 and six months removed from playing for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds when he made his debut in 2008 with the Los Angeles Kings.
“My first game was in San Jose,” Simmonds said on Friday. “I had a lot of butterflies in my stomach and was pretty nervous but it was a great experience.”
The Sharks lineup included future Hall of Famers in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
“At that point, their team was stacked,” Simmonds recalled. “My eyes were definitely open pretty wide.”
On Saturday Simmonds, who grew up in Scarborough in the eastern end of Toronto, will suit up for the Maple Leafs against the Vancouver Canucks in regular-season game No. 1,000 of his NHL career. His parents and close friends will be in the audience at Scotiabank Arena to celebrate with him. There is no longer any capacity limit so the rink will likely be full.
“It has been a long journey but I am definitely happy,” Simmonds said after practice at the Ford Performance Centre in Toronto’s west end. “I don’t think I ever really thought about playing for 1,000 games. It was just one at a time and a blessing to be in the NHL.
“I took everything that came my way and tried to make the best of it and 14 years later here we are at 1,000.”
Toronto is the sixth NHL team for which he has played. Over the years he has proved himself to be a top scorer, has always been a physical presence and among the game’s best irritants. He has 521 points and has accrued 1,217 minutes in penalties.
“It is an incredible accomplishment for him to get to 1,000 games,” said Sheldon Keefe, the Maple Leafs coach. “He has never had an easy game. There are extra demands on someone who plays like he does. He is a passionate guy, a vocal guy and very competitive.
“He brings a lot of spirit to our group and we are incredibly proud of him.”
A right wing, Simmonds is in his second season in Toronto and has played in 52 of the Maple Leafs’ 53 games. He enters Saturday with four goals and nine assists and a team-leading 49 minutes in penalties. Michael Bunting has the next-most penalty minutes with 36 but logs far more playing time.
“It is just the way I approach things,” Simmonds said. “I always like to initiate rather than retaliate. I am usually the guy who tries to get in the first punch and that has done well for me for all these years.”
Toronto, 35-14-4, is a close third in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay and Florida are ahead and have begun to juggle first and second place on an almost nightly basis. Vancouver is 27-23-6 and sixth in the Pacific Division but 19-8-4 since Bruce Boudreau replaced Travis Green as head coach. The Canucks are 7-3 over their past 10.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a bad 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday and are 5-4-1 in their past 10 outings. Saturday will mark the first of three games for them in four days. They play on Monday in Columbus against the Blue Jackets and are back home on Tuesday for the Seattle Kraken’s lone visit to Scotiabank Arena.
“When you lose games, you are looking for a response,” said Jason Spezza, the 38-year-old centre. “You quickly turn the page and move on. To lose the way we did to Buffalo is frustrating for all of us but it is also a reminder that you can’t have a sloppy game. Teams will make you pay.”
Simmonds has made opponents play since his earliest days in the game. Keefe remembers coaching against him 17 years ago in the Central Junior A Hockey League. One of his players, several years older than Simmonds, picked a fight with him.
“It didn’t go very well for our guy,” Keefe said.
There was a time long ago when Simmonds considered bypassing hockey for an education.
“The percentage of players in minor hockey and the junior ranks that make the NHL is very low,” he said. “It was a tough decision.”
And for him, clearly the right one.