Paul Gagne arrived in the NHL with plenty of offensive promise. The Colorado Rockies selected the Windsor Spitfires standout 19th overall in the first round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. In his second season with Windsor, Gagne scored 48 goals and finished with 101 points, tying for ninth in the league in goals. The Wayne Maxner-coached Spitfires also reached the league final before being swept by the Peterborough Petes.
Highlights
Colorado selected Paul Gagne 19th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.
He scored 48 goals and 101 points in his final season with the Windsor Spitfires.
Gagne jumped directly from junior hockey to the NHL.
He scored his first NHL goal in his second career game.
Gagne scored twice against Quebec in NHL game number three.
His first goal against the Nordiques stood as the game winner.
He finished his rookie season with 25 goals in just 61 games.
Gagne played 390 NHL games but never appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Gagne made the jump directly from junior hockey to the Rockies for the 1980-81 season without spending any time in the minors. After being held off the scoresheet in his NHL debut, he scored his first career goal in game number two, helping Colorado to a road victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Gagne beat Eddie Mio for the Rockies' first goal of the game, with Lanny McDonald picking up the assist.
Things got even better in his third NHL game. On October 14, 1980, Colorado hosted the Quebec Nordiques at McNichols Sports Arena. Gagne scored at 10:43 of the opening period, beating Michel Plasse with assists going to Walt McKechnie and Rob Ramage. The goal gave the Rockies a 2-0 lead and would stand as the game winner in a 4-1 Colorado victory.
Gagne wasn't finished. He added his second goal of the night to account for Colorado's fourth and final goal, once again assisted by McKechnie and Ramage. Just three games into his NHL career, the 18-year-old rookie had already recorded his first goal, first multi-goal game and first game-winning goal.
Gagne went on to score an impressive 25 goals despite playing just 61 games during his rookie season. He would surpass the 20-goal mark once more, scoring 24 for the New Jersey Devils in 1984-85. From 1980-81 through 1989-90, Gagne appeared in 390 NHL regular season games with the Rockies, Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, but never played in an NHL playoff game. He later spent much of the 1990s playing professionally in Germany and Switzerland.
Stories From The Epic History Of NHL Hockey (Volume IV)
Dive into unforgettable tales from NHL history — the biggest moments, legendary players, and classic rivalries.
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