Simon Gagné

 

Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	ft  in ( m) 195 lb (89 kg)
NHL Team	Philadelphia Flyers
Nationality	Canada
Born	February 29 1980 (1980--) (age 27), Sainte-Foy, PQ, CAN
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 1998 Philadelphia Flyers
Pro Career	1999 – present

Simon Gagné (February 29, 1980 in Sainte-Foy, Quebec) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays with the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL and is an alternate captain with the Flyers. Gagné currently has the longest tenure among current Flyer players.

Playing career

QMJHL

Gagné was 16 when he broke into the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) as a member of the Beauport Harfangs during the 1996–97 season. Playing mostly on the third and fourth lines, Gagne finished with 31 points (9 goals and 22 assists) in 51 games. In two full seasons with the Québec Remparts, Gagne totaled 189 points, 80 goals and 109 assists, in 114 games, including a 120-point season in 1998-99. Gagné also recorded 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in 25 career playoff matches with the Remparts. After the 1998-99 season, Gagné graduated to the pro ranks, and the Remparts retired Gagne's #12 jersey during a ceremony early on in the 1999–2000 season. Gagné joined Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur as the only two players that have had their jerseys retired by the Quebec Remparts.

Philadelphia Flyers

Gagné was drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and made the Flyers out of training camp prior to the 1999-2000 season. His rookie season saw him score 20 goals and 28 assists in 80 games, good enough to be named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. He chipped in 5 goals and 5 assists in 17 games during the playoffs before the Flyers lost in seven games to the New Jersey Devils. Playing on a line with Keith Primeau and Mark Recchi in 2000-01, Gagné scored 27 goals and 32 assists in 69 games and took part in his first NHL All-Star Game. 2001-02 saw him score 33 goals and tally a career high 33 assists in 79 games. A nagging groin injury limited Gagne to 46 games and career lows in goals, assists, and points in 2002-03. The next season, Gagné posted 24 goals and 21 assists in 80 games. He also scored a big overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning.^[1]

Once the 2004-05 NHL Lockout came to an end, Gagné assumed a greater role on the Flyers and played most of the year as the left winger on the top line with Peter Forsberg and Mike Knuble. The line became known as the "Deuces Are Wild" line due to their numbers (12 - Gagné, 21 - Forsberg, 22 - Knuble) and Gagné responded with his best season as a pro with 47 goals and 79 points in 72 games. He was awarded the Bobby Clarke Trophy, which is awarded to the Flyers Team MVP. Gagné was given a 5-year contract extension in the off-season, worth over $25 million guaranteed. Despite not having Forsberg as his center for much of the 2006-07 season due to injury and Forsberg's eventual trade to the Nashville Predators, Gagné scored 41 goals and 27 assists in 76 games and won his second consecutive Bobby Clarke Trophy. He also played in his second NHL All-Star Game.

Awards

• 1998-99: Second All-Star Team (QMJHL)
• 1999-00: All-Rookie Team (NHL)
• 2000-01: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)
• 2000-01: Pelle Lindbergh Memorial (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2001-02: Toyota Cup (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2005-06: Bobby Clarke Trophy (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2005-06: Toyota Cup (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2006-07: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)
• 2006-07: Bobby Clarke Trophy (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2006-07: Toyota Cup (Philadelphia Flyers)

Career statistics

				Regular season							Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
1996-97	Beauport Harfangs	QMJHL		51	9	22	31	-5	39		-	-	-	-	-	-
1997-98	Québec Remparts	QMJHL		53	30	39	69	+20	26		12	11	5	16	-	23
1998-99	Québec Remparts	QMJHL		61	50	70	120	+51	42		13	9	8	17	-	4
1999-00	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	20	28	48	+11	22		17	5	5	10	0	2
2000-01	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		69	27	32	59	+24	18		6	3	0	3	-2	0
2001-02	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	33	33	66	+31	32		5	0	0	0	-3	2
2002-03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		46	9	18	27	+20	16		13	4	1	5	+1	6
2003-04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	24	21	45	+12	29		18	5	4	9	+10	12
2005-06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		72	47	32	79	+31	46		6	3	1	4	+2	2
2006-07	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		76	41	27	68	+2	30		-	-	-	-	-	-
NHL Totals				502	201	191	392	+131	185		65	20	11	31	+8	24

International play

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice Hockey
Gold	2002 Salt Lake City	Ice Hockey

Played for Canada in:

• 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
• 2002 Winter Olympics
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• 2005 Ice Hockey World Championships
• 2006 Winter Olympics

International Statistics

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999	Canada	WJC	7	7	1	8	2
2002	Canada	Oly	6	1	3	4	0
2004	Canada	WCH	6	1	1	2	0
2005	Canada	WC-A	9	3	7	10	0
2006	Canada	Oly	5	1	2	3	4
Int'l Totals			33	13	14	27	6

Gagné has been a member of Team Canada and won an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, as well as representing his country at the World Junior, World Cup, and World Championship levels. Also, he was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics.

Notes

External links

• Simon Gagné's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Simon Gagné at TSN.ca
• Simon Gagné's biography at Legends of Hockey

Preceded by Mark Recchi

Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy 2006, 2007

Succeeded by incumbent

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