Simon Gagne

Simon Gagne had 74 points in 79 games for the Flyers last season. (Getty Images)

Mark Malinowski
2009-10-03 10:38:00

Status: Philadelphia Flyers LW

Ht: 6-foot  Wt: 195 pounds

DOB: Feb. 29, 1980  In: Ste-Foy, Quebec.

First Hockey Memory: "Maybe watching the Quebec Nordiques on the TV with my dad in the living room; Hockey Night In Canada. Not the one in English, but the one in French. I remember being able to watch the whole game. That square TV we had with the wood frame around it. That's the picture I see – first hockey memory. (What players do you remember seeing?) I remember seeing Michel Goulet and Stastny (Peter). I had a chance to meet Michel Goulet one time, he was at a car dealer one day. And I had a chance to meet him and get an autograph from him."

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: "Now, I play golf a lot. Watch movies. Go to theaters. I like comedy movies a lot; I'm a big movie fan. I like cars a lot, I like sport cars."

Nicknames: "My first nickname was ‘The Kid.’ I was 16 years old when I was playing junior. I got drafted for my junior team and I looked like I was 12 years old. Before that, Sim – short for Simon."

Favorite Movies: "Old School. I like comedy, funny movies."

Favorite TV Show: "24."

Last Book Read: "Been a while. The Hockey News maybe (laughs). I like to read magazines, but I'm not a big book guy."

Favorite Meal: "A good steak with a baked potato, salad. That's maybe the best I could ask for."

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Vanilla."

First Job: "I was cutting grass on the corner at a restaurant – The O Zone. My dad knew the owner. When I was looking for a little money for the summer. I was getting paid 20 bucks for cutting the grass in front of his restaurant. It took me like an hour and a half to do.But I had 20 bucks at the end."

Current Car: "I'm a big sports car fan, I have a Lamborghini Gallardo (yellow) right now."

Greatest Sports Moments: "Just one? (Whatever comes to mind.) The day I got drafted by the Flyers. My first game with the Flyers. And one I remember the most is when I won the gold medal in 2002 with Team Canada in the Olympics. Those are memories that are up there high on my list."

Most Painful Moment: "Definitely two years ago when I had the tough season with a head injury. A lot of frustration, lot of...it was a long season, no improvement, some improvement, sometimes. So it was a lot of frustration in that year."

Most Memorable Goal: "Game 6 to force Game 7, I scored a game-winning goal in overtime. I think it was second or first overtime to force Game 7 against Tampa Bay in the conference final."

Favorite Uniforms: "Chicago Blackhawks, I think."

Closest Hockey Friend(s): "Good question. It's tough to name one. I'm close to a lot of guys, but I was pretty tight with Peter Forsberg when he played here, (we) kind of keep in touch in the summer. Maybe Daniel Briere now."

Funniest Players Encountered:  "Chris Therien."

Toughest Competitors Encountered: "I think Chris Pronger. I didn't really have a chance to play a lot of games against him. He was in the West so we played against him maybe once a year, not even once. I remember him playing with the Blues, it was so hard to play against him. He's just a hard-working guy, physical, got the mean toughness. So, definitely Chris Pronger."

Funny Hockey Memory: "I played with Jeremy Roenick, so (smiles) JR did so many things – dancing on the ice when they had some good music, on the bench. Before games he had that (disco) ball that he was putting in the middle of the room, closing the light and dancing (smiles). Those years were pretty fun with JR in the locker room."

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "When I dislocated my shoulder, in my second year in the NHL. Kind of fighting with somebody and I was a little bit angry, I tried to fight him and all that. At the moment it happened, I dislocated my shoulder. Pretty embarrassing."

Last Vacation: "Two years ago I went to St. Thomas in the Caribbean."

Favorite Sports Outside Hockey: "Golf."

Personality Qualities Most Admired: "Honest. I like a person to be honest with you. Honesty might be the thing I look for most in a person."

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Mark Malinowski's first book "Heavyweight Armageddon: The Lewis-Tyson Championship Battle" is available at amazon.com. For more features from the world of sports, check out thebiofile.com.