Position Left Wing Role Ice hockey player Children Brittany Ann Simmer Name Charlie Simmer Career start 1974 | Weight 95 kg Shot Left Height 1.91 m | |
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Played for NHLCalifornia SealsCleveland BaronsLos Angeles KingsBoston BruinsPittsburgh PenguinsAHLSpringfield Indians NHL Draft 39th overall, 1974California Seals WHA Draft 26th overall, 1974Cleveland Crusaders Similar People Brian Sutter, Mike Milbury, Terri Welles, Bill Masterton, Claude Julien | ||
Charlie simmer reminisces
Charles Robert Simmer (born March 20, 1954 in Terrace Bay, Ontario) is a retired ice hockey forward, most notably for the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League, who was notable for his scoring and power play prowess.
Contents
- Charlie simmer reminisces
- 1979 80 Triple Crown Line
- Playing career
- Retirement
- Awards and achievements
- References
1979-80 Triple Crown Line
Playing career
After a junior career with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey Association that saw him score 99 points in his only season (1973–74), Simmer was selected in the third round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, 39th overall, by the California Golden Seals. He split his first three professional seasons between the Seals and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL, having success in the minors but receiving limited playing time in the NHL. The Seals relocated to Cleveland in 1976, but Simmer received little more playing time.
He was traded in 1977 to the Los Angeles Kings, but spent the season with the Springfield Indians of the AHL, winning All-Star accolades. The next season Simmer was promoted halfway through the campaign to the Kings, and scored 21 goals in 39 games.
While with the Kings, he played left wing on the "Triple Crown Line" with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, one of the most potent and famed forward lines of the era. Despite injuries costing him significant playing time, Simmer had back-to-back 56-goal seasons and was further named an NHL First Team All-Star in 1980 and 1981. In the latter season, Simmer almost accomplished one of hockey's most difficult feats: scoring 50 goals in 50 games, with 50 in 51 games. That same season, Mike Bossy became only the second player in NHL history to score 50 in 50. Simmer's shooting percentage of 32.75 in 1981 was, and remains, an NHL record.
Simmer was traded at the beginning of the 1985 season to the Boston Bruins, where despite the cumulative effects of several injuries throughout his career, he starred for three more seasons. In 1986, Simmer won the Bill Masterton Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey.
Simmer played his final NHL season for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988. He subsequently played the 1989 season for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga, and after a season off, parts of two seasons as a player-coach for the minor league San Diego Gulls before retiring.
Retirement
Simmer finished his NHL career with 711 points (342 goals, 369 assists) in 712 career games. At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player in North American professional hockey to have played for the Seals/Barons franchise (though Dennis Maruk was the last alum of the franchise to play in the NHL, upon his retirement in 1989.)
He was formerly married to one-time Playboy Playmate of the Year Terri Welles; the couple had one daughter. Simmer spent years as a color commentator for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet.