Simmons stepped in to help Maple Leafs win Stanley Cup in 1962

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Fischler flashes back 60 years to one of the most pressure-packed moments in NHL postseason history and the first of three consecutive Stanley Cup championships for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Don "Dippy" Simmons longed for the day when a Stanley Cup championship would be within his grasp again. He already had two chances to win the Cup with the Boston Bruins and had fallen short each time. And in the spring of 1962, Simmons was the backup for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who led the Cup Final 2-1 heading into Game 4 against the Chicago Black Hawks.
Simmons was watching starting goalie Johnny Bower from the Chicago Stadium stands with Toronto trailing 1-0 in the first period. Chicago's "Golden Jet," Bobby Hull, unleashed a booming shot that Bower saw all the way.
"I caught it all right," Bower recalled, "but when I went down I could feel something snap."
Simmons uneasily watched and wondered how badly his buddy was injured and so did the other anxious Maple Leafs.
"Johnny was hurt all right," defenseman Carl Brewer said, "but he was the kind of guy who never wanted to leave the game, injury or not."
Bower eventually resumed his position but for only seven more minutes.
"I thought all my muscles were going right up to my stomach," he said. "I had to get out of there 'cause I couldn't move fast enough anymore."
Simmons got the signal to come down and put the pads on as it appeared certain that Bower wouldn't return to the game.
"I knew it was a tough place to put the kid in but Donnie was a good goalie," Bower explained.
Just how "good" was debatable at the time. He gave up three goals and Chicago tied the series with a 4-1 victory.
"No one was faulting Simmons since he had to come in cold out of the stands," wrote historian Eric Zweig in his book, "The Toronto Maple Leafs."
But there was reason for doubt. Not only was Dippy replacing a future Hall of Famer but he had spent most of the 1961-62 season playing for Rochester of the American Hockey League. On the other hand, Simmons already had Stanley Cup Playoff experience with the Bruins in 1957 and '58.
"He had led Boston to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Final against the powerhouse [Montreal] Canadiens," wrote Hockey News columnist Ken Campbell. "The Bruins lost both series, but Simmons performed admirably."
Maple Leafs general manager/coach Punch Imlach -- once a Bruins' aide -- knew all about it.
"I see no reason why Simmons can't handle the goaltending assignment," Imlach insisted before Game 5. "He'll know ahead of time that he's on deck and won't be brought in from the stands cold."
But the pressure was intense. Chicago was primed for a second straight championship and with Bower gone for the duration, the Black Hawks smelled blood.
"We have the Leafs on the run," Hull said. "We'll beat them in Toronto."
As fans lined up for tickets at Maple Leaf Gardens, they were thirsting for a Cup as well. It had been 11 years since Bill Barilko scored the Cup winner for Toronto in overtime against Montreal.
"We've come too far to fold," Maple Leafs defenseman Tim Horton said. "Too far!"
Simmons hardly stood out for the home team in Game 5, but then again future Hall of Famer Glenn Hall hardly had Vezina written all over him either. The Maple Leafs backup yielded four goals but Hall allowed twice as many, and Toronto took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
"Even so," noted Eic Zweig, "most experts expected Chicago to win at home again and force a Game 7."
A scoreless duel reached the third period when, finally, Hull's laser whirred past Simmons at 8:56 and it was 1-0 Black Hawks.
Unfortunately, the goal unleashed an emotional outburst by the Black Hawks fans, the likes of which I've never seen. For more than a dozen minutes every imaginable missive was tossed on to the ice, including a bottle of ink that shattered and spread a blotch that required several arena workers to scrape off the ice.
"This is awful," complained a Chicago newsman. "It's going to ruin the Black Hawks' momentum."
By the time the mounds of debris had been cleared, the Maple Leafs had benefitted from the respite. When play resumed, the Maple Leafs took over.
"The rest sure didn't hurt us," Brewer said. "It just calmed us down and we were ready to go once the mess was cleared."
In fact only two minutes and 13 seconds passed before Maple Leafs forward Bob Nevin scored to tie the game. Less than two minutes later, Dick Duff made good on a Toronto power play and it was 2-1 for the visitors.
"After that," Brewer concluded, "it was up to 'Dipper' to hold the fort for us and he came through like a champ."
One critic opined that Simmons' win "ignited a run of three straight Cups." His other reward was to return for two more seasons as Bower's backup, which amounted to a total of 49 regular-season games. And not one playoff appearance.
As time has gone by, Simmons' playoff heroics have virtually been forgotten. However, writing in The Hockey News' Top 100 Goalies of All-Time, historian Bob Duff observed:
"I think Simmons is the greatest backup in the history of the NHL!"
And if Punch Imlach was around today, I'd bet that he'd second the motion!