Wayne Simmonds, Chris Stewart to join Czech team

• Players' 30-day contracts in Germany were about to expire
• Liberec was willing to take both players
• Simmonds led his German team in points and penalty minutes

Wayne Simmonds and Chris Stewart are moving from Germany's second division to the top league in the Czech Republic.

The locked-out NHL friends had been on a 30-day contract with the Crimmitschau Ice Pirates and it was expiring soon. They will leave on Monday and will play for Liberec, which is second to last in the Czech league.

"Wayne and Chris wanted to stay together and Liberec was one of a handful of elite league teams that could add two players," said their agent, Eustace King.

Simmonds, who had a breakthrough 2011-12 season with the Philadelphia Flyers, led the Ice Pirates with 14 points in nine games. He also had a team-high 35 penalty minutes and his fight with Fischtown's Ralf Rinke has been viewed nearly 70,000 times on YouTube.

The St. Louis Blues' Stewart was tied for the team lead with five goals and was third with 11 points.

"The guys loved playing in Crimmitschau. The fans were one of the best they ever played in front of and the coach and management treated them first class," King said.

Liberec is led by former NHL player Petr Nedved. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ladislav Smid and Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec also play there.

"At this point, the opportunity Liberec presented was one that we felt we needed to explore," King said.