Wayne Simmonds is a pretty remarkable guy. Drafted in the 2nd round 2 years ago, Simmonds beat out many older, more polished players to win a spot alongside Michal Handzus. While other young players on the Kings (Kopitar, Moller, Purcell, Boyle, Johnson,etc.) have struggled at times to adjust to the pro game, Simmonds has quietly plugged along without much difficulty. He has a very simple game: get back on defense, get the puck, chip it along the boards and go for the puck. It's simple, but effective. Last night he scored a good rebound goal against the Sharks and was the only King to get consistent pressure in deep. Wayne Simmonds has 15 points this season as a 20 year-old with no power play time; given a few more pounds and a little seasoning, I think Simmonds is going to grow into a consistent 30-point forward with a solid defensive game. And, quite possibly, my favorite player.
Since Simmonds has proven he is a solid NHLer and a King for a few years to come, it's time to give him a nickname. Let's be honest, Wayne Simmonds is the coolest guy on the Kings. (Not that much competition when you have guys that look this on your team.) He's from Toronto, the only real city in Canada, and he's hilarious in any picture you see of him. (See?)
So he needs a nickname. I nominate "Cool Runnings." He looks just like Leon from Cool Runnings and Cliffhanger, so it fits there, plus we can say, "Feel the rhythm!" whenever Simmonds rails someone. And then when a King signs with someone else for more money, I can imagine Simmonds saying, "It amazes me, in this day and age, when a man would put money before the personal safety of himself and his bitch." Then I'll giggle.
What do you guys think? Let's hear some cool nicknames and then we can have a little vote if we get enough quality submissions. One thing: no "Night Train," or "Black ______." We're not Marvel, we can come up with something that doesn't point out that Simmonds is African Canadian.
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