CALGARY -- It was here in Calgary where Sam Gagner got his first real taste of hockey.
Here, as a seven year old, his love for the game developed on the frozen pond at Lake McKenzie, where his neighbour was Theo Fleury and his father was a veteran with the Flames.
It was here he'd hang around the dressing room high-fiving his dad, Dave Gagner, and Flames teammates before they charged onto the Saddledome ice -- the same ice he streaked across last night in his seventh NHL game.
"It's obviously pretty special to be here -- a dream come true as Calgary's where I got wrapped up in the passion people have for the game," said the Edmonton Oilers' sixth pick overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
"This is the rink I remember the most. Lots of special memories
here -- except on school nights, I had to leave after the second
period."
Last night, he got to stay up for the late game on Hockey Night in Canada. He starred in it, too.
One year after his OHL debut -- and still so young he's awaiting his first credit card -- the 18-year-old is proving he belongs with the players he used to look way up to.
Blessed with even more of the speed, hands and hockey sense his father had as a 40-goal scorer, young Gagner has wasted no time proving to Oilers brass his 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame isn't out of place alongside childhood idols like Jarome Iginla, who Gagner first met in 1996 when Iggy was a 19-year-old rookie himself.
"Yeah ... I remember Gags' little boy," smiled Iginla yesterday, holding his hand waist-high to show how tall the youngster was.
"Does that make me feel old? A little bit, yeah. Dave taught me a lot about the game, so it's no surprise he helped Sam get here."
Gushing about how personable and kind Iginla was to him 11 years earlier, Gagner beamed when recounting how little the Flames captain has changed.
"At the NHL Awards show the year he won the scoring title, I talked to him for 10 minutes," said Gagner.
"That was pretty special, because he was the talk of the night and he had time to talk to me."
Influenced by so many people throughout his young life as he followed his father to six of dad's seven NHL stops, Gagner also had the luxury of having his father coach him last year with the London Knights.
Pops also owns an outdoor rink-building company, allowing him to play 30 hours a week on a frozen field of dreams that included refrigerated ice, floodlights, painted lines and boards with ads on them. Sam's best friend, neighbour and shinnymate was John Tavares, who broke Wayne Gretzky's OHL goal scoring record last year as a 16-year-old.
"It was the most important thing in my development to this point," said Gagner of the rink. "It really fueled my passion for the game -- getting out there with my friends and playing for fun."
What better ad is there for Dave Gagner's product, which Iginla said he'll be buying as soon as his son is old enough to skate.
"We're exploiting it, don't worry," laughed Dave Gagner, a first-round selection like his son. "We were at a trade show and had (Sam and Tavares) signing autographs -- I guilted them into it after all that free icetime."
Icetime is something Gagner has made the most of so far in his young NHL career, picking up four assists in six games before last night.
"The way he's played and contributed so far, there's every reason to expect him to stay here," said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, when asked if he'd send Gagner back to his junior team before next week's deadline.
"At some point, there will be the point of no return, and we've probably reached that point already."
Somewhat overwhelmed by his son's rapid ascension to the NHL, Dad admitted yesterday he misses his boy but knows he's in good hands.
"Whereas some team would just say, 'No, you're going back to junior,' the Oilers were looking to make changes and they were open-minded about who they'd bring in," said Gagner, whose son told him before the draft he hoped to stay in Canada. "Edmonton is perfect for Sam, because he's a hockey junkie."
He's a junkie who has been given every opportunity imaginable to get his fill of the sport he loves.
Copyright © CUSTOM ICE INC. 2008