Charlie Simmer

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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. He was traded in 1977 to the Los Angeles Kings, but spent the season with the Springfield Indians of the AHL. 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. Despite injuries costing him significant playing time, Simmer had back-to-back 56-goal seasons and shared the NHL goal scoring title in 1980. He was named an NHL first team All-Star in 1980 and 1981. Simmer almost accomplished scoring 50 goals in 50 games; he entered his 50th game with 46 goals and scored three times to finish just shy of the mark. Simmer scored his 50th goal the following night in his 51st game. His shooting percentage of 32.75 in 1981 was, and remains, an NHL record. During a game on March 31 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Simmer missed a check on Borje Salming that resulted in a broken right leg. During the 1983-84 season Simmer scored 44 goals and 48 assists, leading to him playing in the 1984 NHL all star game and being awarded the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings most valuable player. Simmer was traded at the beginning of the 1985 season to the Boston Bruins, where he starred for three more seasons. In 1986, Simmer won the Bill Masterton Trophy. 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. He then spent parts of two seasons as a player-coach for the minor league San Diego Gulls before retiring.

In Their Own Story

The defining moments of Simmer's Kings career were a mix of historic highs and devastating lows. His promotion to the team halfway through the 1978–79 season sparked an immediate offensive explosion. He became a central part of the "Triple Crown Line," one of the most potent forward lines in hockey history, alongside Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor. During the 1979–80 season, Simmer scored goals in thirteen consecutive games, the longest such streak since Punch Broadbent's record of sixteen in 1922. He was named to the NHL First All-Star Team in both 1980 and 1981. The tragedy of his career occurred on March 31, 1981, during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While missing a check on defenseman Borje Salming, Simmer's right skate became caught in the ice, causing one leg to fly into the air and resulting in a broken right leg. This injury limited him to just 15 goals in 50 games the following season, though he still managed back-to-back 80-point seasons thereafter. He was named an All-Star again in 1984 after scoring 44 goals and 48 assists, earning the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' most valuable player before being traded to Boston five games into the 1984–85 season.

Reader's Guide

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. In 1994 he was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario sports Hall of Fame. He was formerly married to one-time Playboy Playmate of the Year Terri Welles; the couple had one daughter. He subsequently remarried in 1995 to Jody and together they had a son and a daughter. Simmer spent years as a color commentator for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet. After his career ended, he resided in Calgary for a number of years before moving to Texas along with his wife in the mid-2010s to work with Decca, a consulting company specializing in oil and gas. In 2023 he was named one of the top 100 Bruins players of all time.

Did You Know?

• Simmer shared the NHL goal scoring title in 1980, becoming the first (and so far only) Kings player to lead the NHL in goals.
• Simmer's shooting percentage of 32.75 in 1981 remains an NHL record.
• Simmer scored goals in thirteen consecutive games in 1980, the longest such streak since Punch Broadbent's still unbroken record of sixteen in 1922.