He was backup to the stars in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. When called upon in a relief role, he proved to be a clutch National Hockey League playoff goaltender. Don Simmons replaced the injured Terry Sawchuk for the entire 1956-57 playoffs with the Bruins reaching the finals before falling to the Habs. In the 1961-62 finals, Simmons replaced Johnny Bower midway through game four and helped the Maple Leafs to a six game victory over the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup championship.
Don Simmons – Junior and Minor Pro
Simmons played the 1948-49 season in OHA Junior A with the Galt Black Hawks. After less than stellar numbers with Galt, Don played the entire 1949-50 season in Junior B. He returned to the OHL for 1950-51, playing the bulk of games for the St. Catherines Teepees.
Don Simmons Collection
From 1951-52 to 1968-69, Simmons played for several teams in the AHL, IHL, CPHL and WHL with stints in the NHL intermingled. His first experience as a clutch playoff goalie came in 1953-54 with the Johnstown Jets in the IHL.
The Jets finished third in the nine team league during the regular season. Don backed up Claude Roy for most of the year. However, when it came to the playoffs, Simmons played all ten games for Johnstown as the team reached the finals before falling in six games to the first seed Cincinnati Mohawks.
The following year, 1954-55, his play in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Indians served notice to NHL teams that he was worth a look. Simmons was named the AHL’s Second Team All-Star goalie.
Nearer the end of his career, Simmons would return to the minors and have some outstanding seasons. In 1964-65, he played 69 of the Tulsa Oilers 70 CPHL regular season games, posting a 3.17 goals against average with three shutouts. The Rudy Migay coached Oilers finished fourth in the six team CPHL with players like Pat Quinn, Mike Walton and Bill Flett on the roster. Tulsa reached the finals before being downed by the St. Paul Rangers.
In 1966-67, Don played the full 72 game schedule for the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL. He was the First Team All-Star goalie, recording a 2.97 GAA and seven shutouts. The Bert Olmstead coached team reached the finals but again Simmons was denied a minor league championship, eliminated by the Seattle Totems.
Don Simmons – NHL
Simmons appeared in the NHL between 1956-57 and 1968-69, often splitting seasons between his NHL club and the minors. Over his career Don played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.
His first major success came in 1956-57 with the Bruins as backup to the great Terry Sawchuk. After Sawchuk went down with injuries, Simmons played in all ten playoff games for Boston. The Bruins reached the Stanley Cup finals by the dynastic Montreal Canadiens proved to be too much.
In 1957-58, with Sawchuk gone, Simmons became the number one in Boston with Harry Lumley playing the backup role. Don appeared in 11 of 12 playoff games as the Bruins once again reached the Stanley Cup finals before being ousted by the Habs.
During Toronto’s Stanley Cup run of three consecutive championships from 1961-62 to 1963-64, Simmons was backup to Johnny Bower. However, the only playoff action he saw over the three years was in 1961-62. Don replaced Bower midway through game four with the Chicago Blackhawks in the final series. He played all of games five and six and the Maple Leafs won the series in six games.
In the latter part of his National Hockey League career, Simmons played sparingly with the New York Rangers. Don appeared in eleven games in 1965-66, five games in 1967-68 and five more in 1968-69.
Although he passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on in the form of Don Simmons Sports. The store specializes in goalie equipment and is based in Fort Erie, Ontario.
Don Simmons – Rookie Card
The Don Simmons rookie card appears as number 14 in the 1957-58 Topps set. He is shown as a member of the Boston Bruins and the card is valued as a common. His final card came as part of the 1965-66 Topps set, despite appearing with the Rangers up until the 1968-69 season.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | A | PIM | SO | GAA |
| 1951-52 | Springfield Indians | EHL | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.27 |
| 1952-53 | Springfield Indians | EHL | 44 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3.76 |
| 1953-54 | Johnstown Jets | IHL | 24 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2.75 |
| 1954-55 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 54 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3.43 |
| 1955-56 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 52 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.48 |
| 1956-57 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.42 |
| 1956-57 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.36 |
| 1957-58 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 39 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2.41 |
| 1958-59 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 58 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3.16 |
| 1959-60 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 28 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3.25 |
| 1960-61 | Providence Reds | AHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.19 |
| 1960-61 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 18 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3.23 |
| 1961-62 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 51 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3.31 |
| 1961-62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.33 |
| 1962-63 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 |
| 1962-63 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.50 |
| 1963-64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3.17 |
| 1964-65 | Tulsa Oilers | CPHL | 69 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 3.17 |
| 1965-66 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.35 |
| 1965-66 | New York Rangers | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.52 |
| 1966-67 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 72 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2.97 |
| 1967-68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.60 |
| 1967-68 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.44 |
| 1968-69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.33 |
| 1968-69 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.24 |