Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs
In a sad bit of news out of the hockey world, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost a former player as Paul Gagne has passed away at the age of 63.
On Monday evening it was announced that former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Paul Gagné had sadly passed away at the age of 63. Both the Maple Leafs and NHL Alumni put out tributes across social media:
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Paul Gagne.
Paul played 16 games with the @MapleLeafs during the 1988-89 NHL season.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
The NHL Alumni Association posted:
The NHL Alumni Association is deeply saddened to learn that Paul Gagné has passed away at the age of 63…Paul suited up for the Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Islanders, respectively, over the course of his NHL career…
We send our heartfelt condolences to Paul’s family, friends, and former teammates during this incredibly difficult time.
Gagne, a native of Iroquois Falls, posted 211 points in 390 games over his eight-year NHL career. Besides the Maple Leafs he spent time with Colorado Rockies and the New York Islanders.
Paul Gagne’s career breakdown
His best season came in 1984-85 with the New Jersey Devils; who had previously been Colorado before relocating. He had 43 points in 79 games (24 goals, 19 assists).
He was the 19th overall pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft and was part of a star-studded group of rookies including Dave Babych, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Kelly Hrudey.
For his career in Toronto, Gagne had five points in 16 games during the 1988-89 season, which was a return to the NHL after a multi-year hiatus.
After retiring he coached for his hometown of Iroquois Falls, but also coached for Abitibi, where he was their head coach and GM from 2002-2003 until 2014-15 before heading to Timmins to finish his career in coaching.
We here at Hockey Patrol would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Paul Gagne during this difficult time.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
30 MINUTES AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 1 ANSWERS
Maple Leafs mourn the passing of former player Paul Gagne
RIP Paul Gagné