Simon Gagne

(www.zimbio.com)

What is a hero? A hero is a person who people would look up too, he influences people to do their best and is someone who people enjoy to have in their lives. I have a hero. He is one of the best to ever play the game of hockey. He is Simon Gagne, a current player for the Tampa Bay Lightning but will always be remembered as a member of the Philadephia Flyers.

Simon Gagne was born in St-Foy, Quebec on the date of February 29, 1980. His parents are named Philip and Nicole Gagne. He has one younger brother named Jean Francois. He is married to his wife, Karine, and they have a son named Matthew. Simon comes from a hockey family. His grand-father Roger played for the Cleveland Barons, a minor league team in the 1940s and his father played as well where he attended the Quebec Aces training camp in 1967. Simon is the most successful in his family by playing in the NHL. Simon played in the QMJHL, where he was drafted at the age of 16 and played for 2 years with the Beauport Hartfangs. He was traded to the Quebec Ramparts where he played the rest of his junior career and the team retired his #12 jersey. He is one of 3 players to ever receive this honour from the team. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers where he played 10 seasons with the team and was an alternate captain for them until being traded from the team to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gagne recieved the highest honour of being a hockey player by being selected to play for his national hockey team, team Canada. In his international career he won silver in the 1999 World Junior Championships, gold in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, gold in the 2004 World cup, and silver in the 2005 Austria World Championships. He has won multiple awards and high honours such as being named to the QMJHL second All-Star team in 1998-99, the NHL All Rookie team in 1999-2000, the NHL All-Star game in 2001 and 2007, the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial, which is the Philadelphia Flyers' most improved player award and he won the Bobby Clarke trophy which is the Philadelphia Flyers MVP in 2005-06 and 2006-07. He has never won the Stanley Cup but came close last year with the Flyers before losing in the finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Simon Gagne is a leader, nice, popular, talented and is resilient. He is a leader because he is a veteran of the league with a lot of experience and leads his team into games with confidence and determination to win. He is a nice person because he will stay after games and sign autographs and will also donate to charities that help children. He is very popular because he plays at the highest level of hockey in the world and is very talented. He is very talented and shows it every time he plays by either scoring goals or making nice plays. He's resilient by coming back from injury with the same amount of skill as before he got hurt. He has had a lot of injuries throughout his career.

He is a hero because he has influenced the game of hockey this way by influencing kids to play the game and with the amount of of talent that he shows that influences kids to do their best. Obstacles he has overcome would be the world and the amount of injuries he has received over the years. The world was an obstacle for him beacause everyone who plays hockey aspires to play in the NHL but so few ever do. Gagne persevered and made his dream come true and is one of the best players in the NHL. He has overcome multiple injuries such has concussions, hernias and his neck but he overcame those by still playing the game and he continues to do his best and be one of the best.

Simon Gagne is a hero to me. He shows great talent wile playing hockey, he has won multiple championships, awards and honours. He came from a hockey family that has influenced him to play the game. He is a father and a husband. He has overcome obstacles. Simon Gagne has influenced me to play hockey. Every time I play I try to play like my idol does. I have also met my idol by going to one of the Flyers practices and I have received an autograph. Simon Gagne is my idol, he is a great influence on me to play hockey and he is my hero!!!