Flyer Wayne Simmonds Wins All-Star Game MVP

Photo via NHL

Wayne Simmonds, the longtime Flyers winger who was acquired by the team in a trade with the Kings in 2011, made the best of his return to Los Angeles last night. Simmonds scored three goals over two games and led the Metropolitan Division to a victory in the four-team All-Star Game tournament. He was named MVP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_aY2BVZVi0

The NHL All-Star Game was changed to a three-on-three, four-team tournament bracket format last year. Two teams play 20-minute games of three-on-three hockey, with the winners advancing to another 20-minute final game.

Simmonds, an All-Star for the first time, scored the game-winning goal with 4:58 in the championship game. He flicked the helmet of defenseman Drew Doughty, skated around him, and put home a pass from Taylor Hall.

“You leave a place, you don’t expect to come back and get all the cheers as I did today,” Simmonds told reporters postgame. “But I must have done something right when I was here. I know I had a lot of die-hard fans here, and I really appreciate those people. They made me feel really good today.”

Simmonds has 21 goals and 17 assists this season for the Flyers, who are currently the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. He is the second-ever Flyers player to win MVP of the All-Star Game. Reggie Leach won MVP in the 1980 game.