Shawn Simpson obit

Remembering Former Ottawa Broadcaster and NHL Executive Shawn Simpson

Affectionately known as "Simmer," the popular Ottawa broadcaster passed away this week at the age of 56.

 

He was not on the list.

The Ottawa hockey community lost a good one on Wednesday with the passing of former NHL executive Shawn Simpson. The 56-year-old dedicated his life to hockey—whether as a player, an executive, or a broadcaster.

Simmer had an elite amateur career with the Gloucester Rangers, the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and was the first goalie selected in the 1986 NHL Draft. He was also a member of the legendary 1987 Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, the team that famously got into the bench-clearing brawl with the Soviet Union.

While Simmer’s pro career didn’t take off as he’d hoped, it led him to broadcast and front-office roles with the Washington Capitals (the team that drafted him), the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dinamo Minsk.

But that’s all the Wikipedia stuff.

Chances are, if you’ve been part of the Ottawa sports community in recent years, you were touched by Simmer’s work in hockey media. After his playing days, he returned to Ottawa in 2012, taking a position with TSN 1200, the local sports radio station.

And that’s where our paths first crossed. By that time, I’d been co-hosting the station’s morning show for 12 years, but I’d never met Simmer—or even heard of him, to be honest.

But when I tuned in to hear the new guy on the Senators’ pre-game show, my first thought was, “Who is this guy?” Simmer was a natural. His smooth delivery, perfect inflection, and deep NHL knowledge immediately stood out. And, boy, did he have opinions.

Simmer was a fantastic addition to our lineup.

Over the next few years, we became friends, and it was easy to see why. We were the same age, shared the same interests, and had a bond over all the quirky 1980s pop culture references and nostalgia that come with growing up in Ottawa.

Most of Simmer’s time on air was spent on the afternoon show with Ian Mendes, now the Ottawa Senators’ vice president of communications. But we probably did about 100 shows together—either Simmer filling in on the morning show, or me stepping in on the afternoon drive.

Those were the easiest shows ever.

But beneath Simmer’s witty, carefree persona, you couldn’t help but notice those moments when he’d suddenly go quiet, staring off into the distance, like someone who’d just recalled a bad dream.

When Bell Media let me go in 2019, Simmer was shifted to my spot on the morning show. We kept in touch, often meeting up at Broadway’s in Riverside South to catch up. After Bell Media let Simmer go in 2023, we repeatedly talked about starting a podcast together, but life got in the way.

In his final years on radio, Simmer was open about his struggles with mental health. When a few of his media friends—Ian, Brent Wallace, Steve Lloyd, Derick Fage and myself—gathered on Wednesday night to reflect, I mostly listened. What stood out to me was how fortunate Simmer was to have friends like Ian, Brent, and Derick, who were there for him again and again over the past year.

I’ll leave the final word to Ian, and reshare his beautiful post on social media Thursday morning—a heartfelt open letter to his friend and former co-host. We're all going to miss our friend.

Simpson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His professional playing career was short, with only 35 games played over three seasons for the Baltimore Skipjacks, Washington's affiliate team in the AHL. He never played in an NHL game, although in 1988 and 1990 he dressed and sat on the bench twice as a back-up goaltender for the Capitals in playoff games.