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 of 1973-74, Simmer was selected in the third round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, 39th overall, by the California Golden Seals of the NHL. He split his first three professional seasons between the Seals and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL, meeting 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.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971-72	Kenora Muskies	MJHL		45	14	31	45	77		—	—	—	—	—
1972-73	Kenora Muskies	MJHL		48	43	68	111	57		—	—	—	—	—
1973-74	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHA-Jr.		70	45	54	99	137		—	—	—	—	—
1974-75	California Golden Seals	NHL		35	8	13	21	26		—	—	—	—	—
1974-75	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	CHL		47	12	29	41	86		—	—	—	—	—
1975-76	California Golden Seals	NHL		21	1	1	2	22		—	—	—	—	—
1975-76	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	CHL		42	23	16	39	96		—	—	—	—	—
1976-77	Cleveland Barons	NHL		24	2	0	2	16		—	—	—	—	—
1976-77	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	CHL		51	32	30	62	37		—	—	—	—	—
1977-78	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		3	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1977-78	Springfield Indians	AHL		75	42	41	83	100		4	0	1	1	5
1978-79	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		37	21	27	48	16		2	1	0	1	2
1978-79	Springfield Indians	AHL		39	13	23	36	33		—	—	—	—	—
1979-80	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		64	56	45	101	65		3	2	0	2	0
1980-81	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		65	56	49	105	62		—	—	—	—	—
1981-82	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		50	15	24	39	42		10	4	7	11	22
1982-83	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		80	29	51	80	51		—	—	—	—	—
1983-84	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		79	44	48	92	78		—	—	—	—	—
1984-85	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		5	1	0	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
1984-85	Boston Bruins	NHL		63	33	30	63	35		5	2	2	4	2
1985-86	Boston Bruins	NHL		55	36	24	60	42		3	0	0	0	4
1986-87	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	29	40	69	59		1	0	0	0	2
1987-88	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		50	11	17	28	24		—	—	—	—	—
1988-89	Eintracht Frankfurt	1.GBun		36	19	32	51	68		4	1	2	3	13
1990-91	San Diego Gulls	IHL		43	16	7	23	63		—	—	—	—	—
1991-92	San Diego Gulls	IHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				712	342	369	711	544		24	9	9	18	32

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.

Awards and achievements

• MJHL First All-Star Team (1973)
• MJHL Scoring Champion (1973)
• Holds the highest career scoring percentage in NHL history for a player playing in at least 700 games.
• Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1981 and 1984.
• Named to NHL First All-Star Team in 1980 and 1981.
• Won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1986.
• Named to the Central Hockey League's Second All-Star Team in 1977.
• Named to the American Hockey League's Second All-Star Team in 1978.
• Scored goals in thirteen consecutive games in 1980, the longest such streak since Punch Broadbent's still unbroken record of sixteen in 1922.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]