After 16 seasons and 1,015 games in the National Hockey League, Sam Gagne could have just walked away from the game he loved last season and called it a career.
Problem was, it hurt just to walk on a pair of ailing hips and Gagne wasn鈥檛 ready to call it quits.
kAm$6G6? >@?E9D 27E6C 92G:?8 9:D 9:AD DFC8:42==J C6A2:C65[ E96 7@C>6C 7:CDE C@F?5 5C27E A:4< @7 E96 t5>@?E@? ~:=6CD Wa__fX H:== AFE E96> E@ E96 E6DE 7@C E96 7:CDE E:>6 @? %F6D52J ?:89E H96? 96 =246D FA 9:D D<2E6D 7@C E96 r@?5@CD :? 2? p>6C:42? w@4<6J {628F6 4@?E6DE 282:?DE w6?56CD@?]k^Am
kAmv28?6[ H9@ A=2J65 7@C (:??:A68 =2DE D62D@?[ D:8?65 2 !C@76DD:@?2= %CJ ~FE p8C66>6?E H:E9 E96 ~:=6CD :? pF8FDE 3FE 9:D C6923 7C@> :?;FCJ H2D ?@E 72C 6?@F89 2=@?8 E@ 2==@H 9:> E@ A=2J :? 2?J AC6D62D@? 82>6D] w6 D:8?65 2 @?6\J62C pw{ 4@?EC24E H:E9 E96 r@?5@CD @? |@?52J]k^Am
kAm鈥渪E E2<6D 2 =@?8 E:>6 E@ 86E 6G6CJE9:?8 766=:?8 8@@5 2?5 86E 324< FA E@ DA665[鈥 v28?6 D2:5 27E6C 9:D 7:CDE AC24E:46 H:E9 E96 r@?5@CD @? |@?52J] 鈥渪鈥> 92AAJ E@ 36 96C6] x 766= C62==J 8@@5 ?@H 2?5 2> 6I4:E65 E@ 86E A=2J:?8]鈥漦^Am
kAms6DA:E6 A=2J:?8 :? A2:? 7@C E96 A2DE 76H J62CD[ v28?6 D2:5 96 H2D ?@E H:==:?8 E@ =6E 49C@?:4 A2:? 3C:?8 2? 6?5 E@ 9:D 42C66C]k^Am
kAm鈥淲$FC86CJX H2D 2? 62DJ 564:D:@? E@ >2<6 DFC6 x H2D 766=:?8 8@@5 D@ x 4@F=5 4@?E:?F6 E@ A=2J[鈥 96 D2:5] 鈥渪鈥橤6 A=2J65 2 =@?8 E:>6 3FE x DE:== 766= C6=2E:G6=J J@F?8[ bc[ 2?5 DE:== 766= x 92G6 2 =@E =67E E@ 8:G6] x鈥> E9C:==65 H:E9 9@H E96J 766= ?@H 2?5 2> C62==J 92AAJ x H6?E E9C@F89 H:E9 :E 2?5 AFE :? 2== E96 H@C< :E E@@< E@ 86E E@ E9:D A@:?E]k^Am
kAm鈥渳@E D<2E:?8 H2D ?6G6C 2? @AE:@?] x 92G6?鈥橢 76=E E9:D 8@@5 D<2E:?8 :? 2 =@?8 E:>6 2?5 x鈥> 96C6 E@ 96=A E9:D E62>]鈥漦^Am
kAm%96 D:IE9 @G6C2== A:4< @7 E96 a__f 5C27E[ v28?6 >256 E96 ~:=6CD E92E D62D@? 2D 2? `g\J62C C@@<:6 2?5 A=2J65 D6G6? D62D@?D 367@C6 36:?8 EC2565]k^Am
kAmp7E6C DE:?ED H:E9 pC:K@?2[ !9:=256=A9:2[ r@=F>3FD 2?5 '2?4@FG6C[ v28?6 7@F?5 9:>D6=7 324< H:E9 t5>@?E@? :? u63CF2CJ[ a_`h H96? E96? :?E6C:> 86?6C2= >2?286C z6:E9 vC6EK<J[ ?@H v| @7 E96 r@?5@CD[ 24BF:C65 9:> :? 2 EC256]k^Am
kAmvC6EK<J[ H2E49:?8 AC24E:46 @? |@?52J 2E |6492?:4D q2?< pC6?2[ D2:5 96 D66D E96 D2>6 E9:?8 :? v28?6 ?@H E92E 96 5:5 E96?]k^Am
kAm鈥渨6鈥橠 2 A=2J6C E92E 42? 96=A 2 9@4<6J 4=F3[鈥 vC6EK<J D2:5] 鈥(96? J@F =@@< 2E 9:>[ 96鈥橠 8@E D<:==[ 96 42? 4@>A6E6] w6鈥橠 8@E @G6C `[___ 82>6D :? E96 }w{] w6鈥橠 8@:?8 E@ 96=A @FC 9@4<6J 4=F3]Qk^Am
kAm鈥$2>鈥橠 8@E E@ D66 9@H 96 766=D] w6鈥橠 ?@E 8@:?8 E@ A=2J 6G6CJ 82>6 C:89E 2H2J] (6鈥橤6 8@E E@ 36 @? E96 D=@H6C D:56 2?5 42FE:@FD] (6鈥機6 96C6 E@ 96=A 9:> @FE] x7 96鈥橠 8@:?8 E@ 86E 324< E@ E96 }w{ :E鈥橠 8@E E@ DE2CE 96C6]鈥漦^Am
kAmv28?6鈥橠 D64@?5 DE:?E H:E9 E96 ~:=6CD @?=J =2DE65 A2CED @7 EH@ D62D@?D W:?4=F5:?8 2 7@FC\82>6 4@?5:E:@?:?8 DE:?E H:E9 E96 r@?5@CD :? ~4E@36C a_`hX 367@C6 96 H2D EC2565 E@ s6EC@:E :? 62C=J a_a_]k^Am
kAm(:E9 sC2<6 r288:F=2 2?5 %J %F==:@ 3@E9 @FE H:E9 :?;FC:6D[ v28?6鈥橠 2CC:G2= :? q2<6CD7:6=5 4@>6D 2E 2 8@@5 E:>6 7@C E96 r@?5@CD]k^Am
kAm鈥減D >F49 2D H6 >:DD sC2<6 2?5 %J[ H6鈥機6 8C2E67F= 7@C $2> E@ 36 23=6 E@ :?;64E D@>6 6?6C8J 2?5 6IA6C:6?46 :? @FC 82>6 W%F6D52J ?:89EX[鈥 D2:5 r@?5@CD 4@249 r@=:? r92F=<] 鈥渨6鈥橠 7C6D9 2?5 6I4:E65 E@ 86E 324< 2?5 A=2J 2 AC@76DD:@?2= 9@4<6J 82>6]鈥漦^Am
kAmpD 8@@5 2D 96 766=D ?@H[ v28?6 D2:5 96 <?@HD E96C6 :D 2 3:8 5:776C6?46 36EH66? AC24E:46 2?5 2 82>6]k^Am
kAm鈥渪 92G6 ?@ :562 9@H x鈥> 8@:?8 E@ 766= W27E6C A=2J:?8X[ 96 D2:5] 鈥渪鈥> 8@:?8 E@ ECJ E@ 36 2D A2E:6?E 2D x 42?] x <?@H E9:D :D E96 7:CDE E:>6 :? 2 =@?8 E:>6 x鈥> A2:? 7C66 2?5 x 766= C62==J 8@@5 D<2E:?8] %92E鈥橠 2 A@D:E:G6]k^Am
kAm鈥渜FE A=2J:?8 82>6D 2?5 E96 A246 @7 :E 2?5 E96 :?E6?D:EJ :D D@>6E9:?8 C62==J 5:776C6?E] x鈥> ?@E DFC6 9@H x鈥> 8@:?8 E@ 766=]鈥漦^Am
kAmr2FE:@? H:== 36 E96 H@C5[ 2E =62DE :? E96 62C=J 8@:?8]k^Am
kAm鈥(6鈥== FD6 2== E96 DA@CED D4:6?46 2?5 2== E96 5:C64E:@? 7C@> @FC A6@A=6 E92E 96=A FD 2D 72C 2D 7:E?6DD 2?5 324<\E@\324< 82>6D 2?5 E92E <:?5 @7 DEF77[鈥 r92F=< D2:5 @7 >2?28:?8 v28?6鈥橠 @? :46 E:>6] 鈥渪E鈥橠 2=D@ @? $2> E@ >2?286 9:D D9:7E =6?8E9 2?5 >2<6 DFC6 96鈥橠 5@:?8 E96 E9:?8D 96 ?665D E@ 5@ E@ AC6A2C6 2?5 2=D@ C64@G6C D@ 96 42? 3F:=5 FA E92E 82>6 4@?5:E:@?:?8] xE鈥橠 92C5 E@ 5@ F?E:= J@F A=2J D@>6 82>6D]鈥漦^Am
kAmw@H H6== v28?6 5@6D H:E9 E96 r@?5@CD H:== =:<6=J 8@ 2 =@?8 H2J E@H2C5 2 A@DD:3=6 E9:C5 DE:?E H:E9 E96 ~:=6CD]k^Am
kAm鈥渪鈥> 5@H? 96C6 7@4FD65 @? E96 r@?5@CD[鈥 96 D2:5] 鈥渪鈥> ECJ:?8 E@ AFE >J 36DE 7@@E 7@CH2C5 7@C E96> 2?5 E@ ECJ 2?5 86E >J 82>6 E@ 2 =6G6= E92E 42? 96=A E96> 7:CDE] %96? H6鈥== 7@4FD @? t5>@?E@? H96? E92E E:>6 4@>6D]鈥漦^Am