Simon Gagne announced his retirement on Tuesday and he was no doubt a fan favorite in Philadelphia.
In his 11 seasons there, he put up 535 points in 692 games, good enough for 10th on the Flyers all-time scoring list. Although Gagne was plagued by injury at times, there was no shortage of memorable moments here in Philadelphia.
From sparking miraculous comebacks, to wasting no time getting the job done in overtime, Gagne always seemed to find himself in the right place at the right time, and when the Flyers needed him most. He will go down as one of the most clutch and timely forwards the Flyers have ever seen, and fans will surely remember him for a long time to come.
Here are his top 5 goals in a Flyer uniform.
5) January 5th, 2006 vs. New York Rangers
This was vintage Gagne. Following a faceoff win, Gagne cut through multiple Ranger defenders and never gave up on the puck as he scored to give the Flyers a 4-3 win. All of this took just 7 seconds to complete The goal also set the Flyers record for fastest overtime goal and was the second fastest overtime goal in NHL history.
4) May 7th, 2010 vs. Boston Bruins
All hope had just about run out by the time Gagne scored this goal. In his first game back from injury, Gagne was looking to help the Flyers in any way he could. The Flyers were down 0-3 in the series, and then surrendered a lead late in the game forcing it into overtime. About 15 minutes into overtime, Gagne gave the Flyers life, scoring the goal that finally gave the team a win and a glimpse of hope in the series. Little did they know what was about to happen.
3) May 20th, 2004 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Bill Clement said it best: “Wipe off a spot on the museum wall for this one, because this is a work of art”. Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004 was a must win for Philadelphia. Down 3-2 in the series, they found themselves quickly behind in-game 6. A few minutes later, Gagne broke in, tipped a puck up into the air, and then swatted it past Nikolai Khabibulin. The Flyers went on to score two more in the period, and set up what would be a great finish.
2) May 20th, 2004 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
As I said above, a great finish, and according to many Flyers fans, the loudest they’ve ever heard Wells Fargo Center.
After the Flyers surrendered a lead, and Primeau scored with time ticking away in the third, Gagne found himself in the right place at the right time. It was the team that refused to go away, and Gagne carried them to the win in game 6. It almost propelled the Flyers into the Cup finals, but they fell just short in game 7. Nevertheless, Gagne’s game 6 performance was nothing short of a memorable one.
1) May 14th, 2010 vs. Boston Bruins
The man who started the comeback, was the man who finished the comeback.
The Flyers looked all but out in the first period after they fell behind 3-0 to the Bruins in game 7. They came back to life in the second and third period, and when the Bruins took a too-many men on the ice penalty, Gagne proved his worth once again. With around 7 minutes left in the third period, Gagne found a rebound and beat Tuuka Rask to put the Flyers up 4-3. This would cap off one of the most memorable comebacks in sports history, and leave many Flyer fans with a lasting memory of Gagne.
Matt is a contributor for the Philadelphia Flyers at The Hockey Writers. He has previously covered the Flyers for GrandstandU. He enjoys playing hockey and making music in his spare time.
