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Field Of Mixed Dreams

A hockey lover at heart and a true Canadiens fan, Éric Gagné had his eyes first set on being a National Hockey League defenceman. But when that dream didn't come true, another one came along - and this Los Angeles Dodger hasn't looked back since.

Article by Nadia Fezzani

"I love hockey! When you're Canadian, and you come from Montreal, you're a little Quebecer - you've got no choice! I guess it's in the blood."

By the time Éric Gagné was two-and-a-half years old, he was already skating with his friends and his father - all of them bigger and stronger than he was. "I had trouble standing up, so I'd start pushing a chair around, like everyone else," says Gagné. "We'd play in zones. We'd set up cones as hockey nets and we'd throw in goalies without pads. Anybody could be a goalie in those days."

Gagné's passion for hockey caught fire, thanks to his skills as a player and as an observer of the game. As a young boy, he would eagerly follow NHL games. Family visits would also bring him to Beauport in the Quebec City region, at a time when the great rivalry between the Canadiens and the Nordiques was at its peak. The Gagné family was not spared. In fact, the Habs-Nordiques rivalry would spill into the closely-knit clan and members would religiously defend their teams. Seeing families torn by the province's hottest hockey saga was not an uncommon sight in those days.

Today, Gagné spends most of the hockey season in California, but despite the requirements of his job as a Los Angeles Dodger, he remains a loyal Habs fan and regularly checks the scores of his favourite team.

"Hockey is such a beautiful sport," says Gagné. "It is a fast sport, a reflex sport. For sure, it's much more fun for me to watch a hockey game instead of a baseball game, but I guess I didn't have the talent to reach the National Hockey League."

Gagné did climb the ranks of minor hockey, playing in novice and midget leagues as a defenceman, with occasional stints as a right winger, donning number 11. After playing hockey and baseball for most of his young life, Gagné realised he had to make a choice. Playing at the midget AAA levels in hockey and baseball proved to be too complicated because of the overlapping schedules of both sports.

"When I was 17, a scout asked me if I felt like playing professional baseball," recalls Gagné. "Nobody had asked me to do the same thing for hockey, so it helped me make a decision."

"I really had a passion for baseball when I was young. It's a very mental sport, and a lot more strategic than hockey. That's what I've always liked, as opposed to hockey. Mind you, at 15, if I would have had to choose between the two sports, hockey would have been the winner."

Baseball wins with Gagné
Gagné's professional baseball career took off in grandiose style, and in two consecutive years, the 27-year-old player captured the O'Neil Trophy, honouring Canadian baseball excellence. In his second season, Gagné showed up early at training camp to get a head start on his physical and mental preparation - something that brought big results.

"I really had a great season last year. But if I don't reach the same level this season, for sure, I'll have to face the music. It's the price to pay if I want to live with this reality. Besides, professional athletes don't really have a choice, do they?" says Gagné, laughing.

Indeed, in the wake of the extraordinary season he had last year, Gagné can expect to be under the microscope this season, and even the confidence he has in his skills won't be enough for him to see how it all ends up.

"It's something that makes me nervous because you always want to perform at the same level," he says. "I will make all the efforts necessary to make sure I have another good season."

Being a closer in baseball is a bit like being a hockey goalie. The pressure and last line of defence lies on one man. In both cases, the game rests with that one player. Winning, tying or losing. It's all up to him.

"Whether we like it or not, and our team-mates never point the finger at us because they know what it's like, we want to perform and nothing else matters. And the best way to get there is to forget about the pressure. Those who are able to do that have success, but it's something we learn to deal with through experience."

As he gets set to follow another Canadiens season, Gagné will continue to hang out with his friend Ian Laperrière and take in a few Los Angeles Kings games - something he has done since the start of his career on the West Coast.

Now that Southern California has seen the miraculous exploits of Anaheim's Jean-Sébastien Giguère, perhaps it's time to entertain thoughts of Éric Gagné performing equally astounding miracles during the World Series as an LA Dodger. For Éric Gagné, the field of dreams is only beginning…

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