Popular sportscaster Shawn Simpson has died

A sad day: The City of Ottawa is mourning the loss of well-known sportscaster Shawn Simpson who died on Wednesday. Known as “Simmer” to many, his cause of death was not immediately known, but he was very vocal on social media in recent months about his mental health struggles. 

News of Simpson’s passing began to circulate on Facebook and X Thursday morning and was later confirmed on the radio. TSN’s John Rodenburg said it “comes as a shock” to everyone.

• “We know that when you work on the radio, especially if you are a regular listener, you’re always considered to be family,” Rodenburg said, according to CTV. “That’s what people love about radio, that’s what those of us who work in radio love about it is that we are considered family by you. When you lose a member of your family, it shocks, especially when it comes as it has.”

A complicated life: Simpson was born in Vancouver, adopted, and moved around a bit before settling in Ottawa at the Rockcliffe Air Base when he was five-years-old. His parents divorced five years later and lots of family change happened. In interviews, Simpson called it a “rollercoaster of instability and uncertainty.”

Success on the ice: Simpson played minor hockey with talent and joined the OHL before becoming a third-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 1986. 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.

In an interview with the Ottawa Sun, Simpson explained how hard it was to be away from home at a young age. It’s when his mental health struggles began. 

• “It was an absolute struggle. To be away from home, 16 turning 17, it was so overwhelming. I remember one of my first games up there getting booed by the local fans,” he said. “We went to Sudbury and people were throwing stuff. I remember thinking how serious everybody was. I was used to parents cheering for me, even after letting in a lot of goals and everybody telling me how good I was. Looking back, I was too young.”

Some people looked at Simpson as “wild”. He later called himself “immature” at the time. There were girls, drinking, money, but it was all too much for a young person to handle. 

Then came Ottawa: An early retirement followed because of an injury, and Simpson joined the Capitals' television network, where he worked for two years as a colour commentator while completing law school at Georgetown University. Then there were more jobs — all hockey-related — before joining the TSN 1200 team in 2012. That was a position he held until being terminated through cuts in June 2023. 

Tributes pour in: On social media, many friends, former colleagues, sports lovers and listeners shared their memories of Simpson, who was always a dedicated fan of the Ottawa Senators. 

Former Roger’s Cable 22 Daytime Ottawa presenter Derick Fage called Simpson a “breath of fresh on the radio with his hockey knowledge and various sports takes.” 

The two broadcasters got to know each other when they lived in the same neighborhood. In September, Simpson needed a place to stay and Fage opened his doors to help the struggling sportscaster. 

• “He was sober and somber. Every day that we asked how he was early on, he replied with, ‘I'm good, it's a process. It's going to take some time.’ Unlike his public persona which we all fell in love with, he was timid, and quiet, and hurting,” wrote Fage. “He tried to hide the hurt from us, but between hockey and political talk, he would share his regrets, his raw emotions, his greatest fears, his struggles to get back to, as he described it, ‘to the man he knew he could be’". 

Ian Mendes, who worked with Simpson on TSN and is now the head of communications for the Ottawa Senators, called it his “most satisfying professional relationship” in his career that “blossomed into a genuine friendship.”

• “My only wish is that you are now free from that pain and agony. You are a beautiful, kind soul who didn't deserve the weight you carried. Nobody does. On Jackie Robinson's tombstone it simply reads, ‘A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.’ Your life was so important Simmer, because you impacted mine profoundly,” said Mendes. 

Ottawa NHL historian and expert Liam Maguire said he had known Simpson since his hockey days and is wrestling with guilt and wishing he could have given more support. 

• “I just wish I had reached out more. I did what I could; there were text messages, we met for breakfast at Broadways in Riverside South a couple of times. I knew he was hurting when he lost the radio gig. So sorry Simmer.....so sorry buddy… rest in peace my dear, dear friend,” Maguire wrote. 

If you need support: It’s a reminder to hold your loved ones close and check in with those around you. For anyone who is struggling there are resources there to help. The number for the Ottawa Distress Centre is (613) 238-3311.