Flyers' Gagne enjoying his fast-forward career


From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DAVE MOLINARI, POST-GAZETTE SPORTS WRITER

Pierre Gagne wasn't much of a prospect, but he lived near Quebec City and Philadelphia was holding its training camp there, so what was the harm of seeking a tryout?

Gagne asked for an invitation to camp and received it -- the Flyers were just entering the NHL in the fall of 1967 and couldn't afford to ignore even marginal players -- and did well enough that he was able to pull down a minor-league paycheck for a couple of seasons.

Eventually, though, Gagne decided it was time to get a real job, so he stashed his hockey equipment and settled into a position with the police department in Ste.-Foy, a Quebec suburb. But even after his playing career ended, Gagne's friendship with one of the forwards he met at that first camp, Simon Nolet, did not.

Gagne watched as Nolet enjoyed a solid NHL career, including a 39-game stint with the Penguins, before taking a scouting job with the Flyers.

They stayed in touch, and as Gagne's son began to move through the ranks of youth hockey, his dad would urge Nolet to keep an eye on him, that he showed genuine promise.

Maybe the elder Gagne's prodding wasn't necessary -- by the time Simon Gagne was claimed with the 22nd choice in the 1998 entry draft, his name was in bold letters on the hot-prospect list of virtually every scout -- but it obviously didn't hurt, because it was the Flyers who chose him. And that has turned out to be a pretty shrewd move because Gagne, who won't turn 21 until Feb. 29, is developing into one of the finest young talents in the league.

Gagne distinguished himself as Mario Lemieux's linemate during the All-Star Game Sunday in Denver, when he scored two goals and was praised by Lemieux as someone who "is going to be a great star in this league for many years to come."

More significant, Gagne has been a member in good standing of the Flyers' No. 1 line, along with Mark Recchi and Keith Primeau.

That's the group that overwhelmed the Penguins during Philadelphia's 5-1 victory Wednesday at Mellon Arena and will try to do it again in the rematch tomorrow night.

Gagne also has spent some quality time on a line with Rick Tocchet and Daymond Langkow and was a pretty nice fit with them, too. If there's a niche he has not able to fill, Flyers Coach Bill Barber hasn't found it yet.

It was apparent last season, when Gagne had 20 goals and 28 assists in 80 games, that he could be a factor at this level. Now, it's clear that he's an absolute force.

"My confidence is the big thing," Gagne said. "I feel more comfortable on the ice. Last year, I looked at myself more like a rookie, and this year ... I'm still like a rookie, but I feel like I'm a little bit more important for the team. I feel like I can make a difference by scoring a big goal or winning the game.

"Off the ice, I feel more comfortable with the guys. Last year, I was not able to speak. I was not very good in English. And I'm still not 100 percent, but I can speak with the guys." Gagne has a decent command of English, but if there's anything he can't quite find the words for, he can always let his numbers make the point.

With 22 goals -- seven of them game-winning goals -- and 23 assists in 53 games before the Flyers play tonight in Boston, those stats make an eloquent statement about his skills.

Gagne was suitably deferential toward his elders -- guys such as Lemieux and Raymond Bourque -- during All-Star weekend but didn't seem intimidated by them. And, to his credit, Gagne seems to realize how remarkable it is for a player his age to have the kind of success he has enjoyed as a pro.

"I was just drafted by the Flyers three years ago, and now I'm here in my second year, already going to the All-Star Game," Gagne said. "Everything's going very fast. All the guys tell me to enjoy it because it goes very fast. Guys like Tocchet, [Eric] Desjardins all tell me that."

Gagne said he has followed Lemieux's career, just like about every kid born in Quebec during the past two decades. He noted, though, that when Lemieux was scrawling his name all over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League record book as a member of the Laval Voisins, Gagne wasn't old enough to care.

"I was too young, but sometimes they show some clips from when he was with Laval," he said. "But I saw him with Pittsburgh when I was probably 8 years old, so I know a lot of things about Mario Lemieux."

Gagne's admiration for Lemieux figures to last for a long time. Maybe as long as the friendship between his father and Nolet, the men whose careers and personal lives have become so intertwined the past three decades or so.

"My dad and Simon are good friends," Gagne said. "They talk to each other all the time." With the way Gagne has been playing for the Flyers, they shouldn't have trouble coming up with a topic of conversation.

February 6, 2001


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