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Detroit Vipers fans are
seeing Star(s).
PH OTO BY ALLEN EINSTEIN
STN Entertainment
PAUL HARRIS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
he Star of David on the knob of Detroit
Vipers center Todd Simon's hockey stick
has an ironic beginning.
While Simon was playing junior hock-
e for the Niagara Falls Thunder of the Ontario
Hockey League during the 1990-91 season, he
noticed a couple of players on other teams had
a terribly familiar design on the knobs of their
sticks.
"A couple of guys had swastikas on their
sticks, and I kind of didn't like that," the soft-
spoken Simon said after a recent Vipers prac-
tice. "So I put a Star of David on mine."
That incident wasn't the first time in Simon's
hockey career that his religion had become an
issue. A native of Toronto, Simon, like most oth-
er Canadian youngsters, began skating around
age 4 and playing hockey, considered by some
to be a lily-white, gentile-dominated sport, soon
thereafter.
"Actually I did have a few problems growing
up," said Simon. "Players knew I was Jewish,
and there was a little anti-Semitism," he said.
"It was tough coming up in those leagues. But
eventually, I got accustomed to it."
One of the worst incidents occurred when Si-
mon was 13 and playing pee wee hockey. He was
taunted for being Jewish, got tired of it and got
into a fight with another player at one of the area
rinks.
Simon was proving his displeasure at the
words of his opponent by repeatedly battering
his face. The boy's father happened along and
didn't like what he saw. So he slapped Simon in
the face. Simon's older brother took care of the
boy's father in short order.
Simon didn't remain in Toronto much longer
though. As do most Canadian hockey players
who are thought to have professional potential,
he left home at an early age (17) to continue to
climb through the ranks of minor hockey.
The Niagara Falls Thunder drafted Simon in
the summer of 1989. During the next two sea-
sons he was one of the best players in the On-
tario Hockey League.
But anti-Semitic incidents still occurred. Dur-
ing an "on-ice brawl, one player grabbed Simon
by the jersey and screamed, "How did Hitler miss
your family?"
Despite that incident, Simon picked up his
pace in the 1991-92 playoffs. In 17 games, he led
the league in playoff scoring with 17 goals and
24 assists, good for 41 points.
He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, but not
until the ninth round (203rd pick overall), prob-
ably because of his size — he's just 5-foot-10 and
190 pounds.
He had an outstanding first professional sea-
son. In 1992-93 with Rochester of the American
Paul Harris is a Detroit-area freelance writer.
Hockey League, Si-
mon collected 27
goals and 66 assists.
The next season
he was promoted to
play in the National
Hockey League with
Buffalo.
He got into 15
games but only had
an assist to show for
it. And he didn't get
much ice time.
"It was kind of
frustrating," he said.
"It's tough when you
sit there and get one
shift per period or
night."
After that it was
back to Rochester
for the 1994-95 sea-
son. He once again
put up good num-
bers, but at the end
of the season, Si-
mon's three-year
contract with the
Sabres ran out and
he wasn't signed.
He came on board
with the Interna-
tional Hockey
League's Las Vegas
Thunder for the
1995-96 season and
had 26 goals and 74
points in his 48
games.
But on Feb. 6,
1996, he was traded
to the IHL's Vipers
along with former
Red Wing Daniel
Shank for Guy
Larose and Joe Day.
In the final 29
games for the
Vipers, Simon had
19 goals and 16 assists.
This season, he had 15 goals and 38 assists in
the Vipers' first 56 games.
It's a little bit below his usual scoring pace,
but the Vipers have been on a winning streak.
Simon believes it's the success of whatever team
he's playing on that will ultimately decide
whether or not he gets back to the NHL.
"If we continue to do well and go on and win
the championship, maybe I'll get another shot,"
he said.
Simon's parents are devout Jews. His moth-
er works in a synagogue. Because of his travel
schedule — he's been away from home since age
17 and was housed with non-Jewish families
when playing junior hockey — he hasn't had
many opportunities to practice his Judaism.
"I know in my heart I'm a Jewish guy, and
that'll never change," said Simon, who's single.
"You always want to [be involved with the hol-
idays]," he said. "But if you're not home, Judaism
is pretty hard to follow." As long as he's a hock-
ey player, though, the Star of David will always
be with him on the ice. ❑
Todd Simon, in front,
skates for the Detroit
Vipers. "I know in my
heart I'm a Jewish guy."