New Arizona Coyote Sam Gagner recalls his eight-point game
Jun 30, 2014, 10:17 PM | Updated: 11:03 pm
Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Mario Lemieux and Sam Gagner.
The newly acquired Arizona Coyotes center is in some elite company when it comes to a single-game performance. On the night of Feb. 2, 2012, Gagner recorded an eight-point game as a member of the Edmonton Oilers against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It was kind of a surreal night, I actually didn’t feel like I had a great first period,” Gagner told Bickley and Marotta Monday afternoon on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “But after that things just started to click, I remember in the third period just never being in a rush to do things and things just seemed to be happening for me.”
Gagner recorded four goals and four assists in the Oilers’ 8-4 win that night, with five of his eight points coming in the third period. It had been over 20 years since Mario Lemieux had the last eight-point game in the NHL on Apr. 25, 1989, when the 24-year-old Gagner wasn’t even born yet. Gagner credited his teammates who helped him accomplish the rare feat, but the sixth pick in the 2007 draft doesn’t want his time in the league to be synonymous with that night.
“My linemates were on that night and everything seemed to fall into place,” Gagner said. “It was a special night and it’s one that I think you look back on and it gives you confidence, but at the same time I don’t want that to be the only defining story of my career.”
