Wayne Gagné
Born (1964-06-27) June 27, 1964
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 173 lb (78 kg; 12 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Sherbrooke Canadiens
Baltimore Skipjacks
Peoria Rivermen
Kalamazoo Wings
NHL Draft 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 19831994

Wayne Gagné (born June 27, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.

Career

Wayne Gagné began his college career at Western Michigan in 1983 in Bill Wilkinson's second recruiting class. The small defenseman was an instant hit for the Broncos, scoring 43 points in 41 games in his freshman season. After declining slightly in his sophomore year he exploded for 76 points as a junior, leading all defensemen in scoring and becoming the first AHCA First Team All-American for Western Michigan (with Dan Dorion).[1] Gagné was instrumental in helping WMU win their first CCHA Tournament, being named to the All-Tournament Team,[2] as well as their first NCAA Tournament appearance.[3]

Gagné performed even better in his senior season, finishing the year with the NCAA record for assists (76) for any position and points (89) for a defenseman in a season.[4] Additionally, he also finished with the most career assists (199) and second most points for a defenseman (241) behind only Ron Wilson (Records current as of 2019). Gagné was named as the CCHA Player of the Year and was Runner-Up for the Hobey Baker Award.[5]

After graduating Gagné played briefly for the Canadian National Team before beginning his professional career. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft.[6] He played at the top level of minor league hockey in North America for two seasons, putting up good numbers, but his small stature was an impediment for NHL teams who mostly employed large players as defensemen. With the NHL an unlikely possibility, Gagné headed to Europe in 1989, playing two seasons with SC Lyss. He finished second in team scoring both seasons, helping the team to stave off relegation twice.[7]

Gagné spent the final three seasons of his career playing for five teams in five countries, ending as the leading scorer for Hellerup IK in 1994.

Honors

Gagné was inducted into the Western Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and was named to the CCHA All-Time First Team in 2013.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 Western Michigan Broncos NCAA 418354332
1984–85 Western Michigan Broncos NCAA 334293346
1985–86 Western Michigan Broncos NCAA 4317597637
1986–87 Western Michigan Broncos NCAA 4313768938
1986–87 Team Canada International 30116
1987–88 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 140448
1987–88 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 588313930
1987–88 Peoria Rivermen IHL 71238714515
1988–89 Peoria Rivermen IHL 64841495841236
1989–90 SC Lyss NLB 3318284664
1990–91 SC Lyss NLB 3421295036
1991–92 HC Sierre NLB 199112018
1991–92 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 30442
1991–92 Brantford Smoke CoHL 12581321
1992–93 Gunco Panda's Rotterdam Netherlands 75274
1992–93 Brantford Smoke CoHL 2111213612210122
1993–94 Hellerup IK Denmark 2613253858
NCAA totals 160 42 199 241 153
NLB totals 86 48 68 116 118

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-CCHA First Team 1985–86 [8]
AHCA East First Team All-American 1985–86 [9]
CCHA All-Tournament Team 1986 [2]
All-CCHA First Team 1986–87 [8]
AHCA East First Team All-American 1986–87 [9]

References

  1. "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "2012-13 CCHA Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  3. "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  4. "NCAA - All-time season". Elite Prospects. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "WMU Legend Wayne Gagne Named to CCHA All-Time First Team". Western Michigan Broncos. March 15, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. "NHL supplemental draft". New York Daily News. June 26, 1987. Retrieved 7 December 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "SC Lyss". Elite Prospects. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "All-CCHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  9. 1 2 "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
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