Flyers' Voracek, Simmonds to join 500 club tonight, together

JAKE VORACEK is a slob.

Or, so says his roommate on the road, Wayne Simmonds.

"That's all right," Simmonds said. "I can be a bit of a slob at the same time. I've got my mess on my side of the room, and he's got his mess on his side. It's not that bad."

In their hotel room, supremacy isn't determined by points, dollars, or even age. Voracek, 25, and Simmonds, 26, both have enough years of NHL service to demand their own room. They choose to room together.

The rule of the roost - or who controls the television remote in this odd couple - is instead governed by games played.

Tonight against the Maple Leafs, both Voracek and Simmonds will hit their 500th-game milestone, a freaky occurrence for two players who broke into the league on opposite side of the country in 2008.

"No one wants to get hurt because of the remote," Voracek said, laughing.

The last time either one suited up for the Flyers without the other was Feb. 7, 2013, a streak of 170 consecutive games, including tonight. They also hit the 400th game mark on the same day last season.

"It's a little bit weird," Simmonds said, "but it's really cool, at the same time. I remember when I got my concussion during the lockout year, I missed three games. He had three games on me. Then, 2 weeks later, he got hurt for three games. I wasn't wishing it on him, but I was happy the remote went right back to the middle."

Why do two teammates, who are around each other enough to be brothers, pick to share a room over privacy?

"We enjoy each other's company," Simmonds said. "We do a lot of the same things. We're on the same time schedule. I think, since we've been traded here, we just clicked. It's definitely an honor to hit my 500th game with a guy like Jake."

Of course, there are predictable hijinks that occur over an 82-game season that you might expect from two men in their mid-20s. Just recently, Voracek was pranked by teammate Michael Raffl, who usually bunks with Zac Rinaldo.

"I asked 'Raff' for a charger," Voracek explained. "He told me he left the door open, to go in and grab it. I walked it, it was dark. I saw the charger, so I went to go get it. He jumped out of the closet and I almost [soiled] myself. He scared the [bleep] out of me. I hate that stuff. That was just one recent memory. There are so many stories, just being around the guys, dinner, bars, jokes, having fun with them."

Over the course of 8,664 minutes on the ice together, indelible on-ice memories have been forged, too. The Flyers are 133-100-29 since Simmonds and Voracek arrived in separate trades on June 23, 2011. They have won one Stanley Cup playoff series, lost two, and are likely to miss the playoffs twice in four seasons. They've endured a coaching change and an entire managerial coup.

"There's so many memories, so many things that go through my mind," Voracek said. "My first game, my first shift, my first goal. Making the playoffs for the first time. The trade. That playoff series with Pittsburgh. The way we played, the way we came together, it was uneblievable. Those 2 weeks and that hockey were the most spectacular that I've ever been a part of."

These milestones, though, have roots in other places, too - from Scarborough, Ontario, and Kladno, Czech Republic, to Columbus and Los Angeles - where both began their careers.

"It's kind of surreal," Simmonds said. "I remember getting drafted and, 7 years later now, you kind of stop and think. It's unbelievable the life we live and the opportunities we get. I guess it's a good time to stop and look back and not take anything for granted and appreciate what we have."

There are tolls to pay physically, too. Five hundred nights of pounding - plus 22 grueling Stanley Cup playoff games - will do that to you.

"When I get on the ice, I'm fine," Voracek said. "When I'm off the ice, sometimes my body feels like [bleep]. I wish I felt like I was 50. I feel like my dad's age somedays, and he's 58. Everybody has those days, though, right?"

Simmonds is signed to earn at least $29 million in his career. Voracek is inked to bring in at least $17 million - and he'll be due a bigger windfall if he continues to lead the NHL in scoring. Both players are on pace to reach the silver stick 1,000-game plateau before their 32nd birthdays, something Simmonds said is "an ideal for any hockey player."

"The money is something that sometimes doesn't make you feel good," Voracek said. "You're almost embarrassed. I'll never forget why I started playing hockey to begin with - because I love the game. Sometimes, I think we don't realize what we have as hockey players. It's not that we take it for granted, but we don't always realize there are people that are doing way worse. They have health issues, or they are homeless, or something like that. Sometimes, I am bitching about being tired or today's practice. I need to think about other things. Being in the NHL is a privilege. I've been very fortunate. This is the best job in the world, as far as I'm concerned."

Tonight also will be goaltender Steve Mason's 100th appearance as a Flyer. He is 47-32-13 with a .921 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average since his April 3, 2013, trade . . . The Leafs are 1-8-1 since replacing Randy Carlyle with interim coach Peter Horacek . . . In a bigger picture, the Maple Leafs have won only three times in their past 20 games (3-16-1), picking up only seven of a possible 40 points. The Flyers thumped them, 7-4, in Toronto on Dec. 20 . . . Craig Berube said Nick Grossmann (right shoulder) is getting closer to a return, which could come tonight. Scott Laughton (concussion) is ruled out.

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