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Sam Gagner News & Rumors

Having official wave off Hemsky goal 'frustrating' for Gagner
March 11
Edmonton Journal
 
"Sam Gagner was certain he was in the clear when he wound up behind Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov early in the third period of Saturday's game at the Pepsi Center. The officials said otherwise and waved off Ales Hemsky's goal, leaving the Edmonton Oilers frustrated and down 2-1. There was no penalty called on the play. "The explanation was that I was in the crease. It's frustrating," said Gagner. "The puck was there. "I was just going for the puck and I tried to stay out of the way of the goalie and I did that. That's why he said he didn't call goalie interference because I didn't touch him. I thought it was a good goal. Frustrating call." Oilers head coach Tom Renney said"
Gagner pleads innocence
March 11
Edmonton Sun
 
"As far as Sam Gagner is concerned, the Edmonton Oilers got a Denver Boot. A steel-toed number right in the back of the hockey pants. The Oilers, fighting back in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche, thought they'd tied it up when Ales Hemsky buried one in the back of the net, but the referees waved it off like it never happened. They ruled that Sam Gagner's presence in the crease prevented netminder Semyon Varlamov from making the save. Problem was, he never would have made the save in 100 years. It was in the back of the net before he even looked over, and he never even really made contact with Gagner. "I tried to stay out of the way of the goalie and I thought I did that,""
Gagner can't wait for the Oilers to return to the playoffs
March 8
Edmonton Journal
 
"Sam Gagner has had at least 40 points in all five of his NHL seasons, but the number he would most like to see on his resume is one. As in one game in the playoffs. This is a festering sore for the Edmonton Oilers centre. His buddy and former junior linemate, Patrick Kane, who was drafted first overall in 2007 while Gagner went five spots later, has been in 45 playoff games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also partied with the Stanley Cup. Gagner, who has played 350 league games — second only to Kane among players from that draft year, would settle for dreaming of what he'd do with the silver mug, but first he has to get into a playoff game."
Gagner surprised by Gilbert trade
March 1
Edmonton Sun
 
"If Sam Gagner knew Saturday would be the last time he saw Tom Gilbert in an Edmonton Oilers jersey, the centre would have made a point to wish his good friend best of luck in person. But as is often the case, there is little notice when it comes to deals just prior to the trade deadline, and Gagner found out Gilbert had been traded following the morning skate Monday in Winnipeg. He had to settle for a phone call to his former roommate. "It's tough to handle but it's part of the business and you learn to cope with those sorts of things, losing friends to trades and whatnot," Gagner said prior to Wednesday's game against the Blues. "It's tough to see him go, he's obviously one of my best"
Oilers kids show their mettle
February 24
Edmonton Sun
 
"Interim head coach Ralph Krueger was talking about his two scorers in perhaps his final game replacing concussed Tom Renney as the coach of the Edmonton Oilers. "I was coaching a country for 13 years that couldn't score goals," said the former national coach of Switzerland. "We would win games 1-0 or 2-1 or not at all. "When I came to training camp here last year, it's the one part of my coaching portfolio which has expanded — learning about offence and how these players are able to create and find holes. "It's the most exciting thing for me."
Gagner probably staying put
February 15
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini is getting calls about Sam Gagner, but it would be a shock if the forward is dealt at the NHL trade deadline. Eight points in a single game and figuring in 11 straight goals over two games makes you a tad more unavailable. "I've said from the outset (even before his incredible splurge to tie Ryan Smyth for third in team scoring) that I believe in Sam. He's played a lot of different roles for us over the last year and a half (centre or the wing) and I was so happy he had a couple of nights (eight points versus the Chicago Blackhawks and three the next game against the Detroit Red Wings), where you saw the potential come to reality. It was a"
Gagner named NHL first star of the week
February 6
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner's 11 point explosion in his last two games has earned him the NHL's first star of the week honours. Gagner will again play between Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle in the game against the Leafs. Gagner's week was capped by his hard-to-fathom part in 11 consecutive ponts for the Oilers — a new franchise record. He had eight points against the Chicago Blackhawks then another three points in Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings."
Edmonton's Sam Gagner brings high-scoring act to Toronto
February 6
Toronto Star
 
"Leafs defenceman Cody Franson had a notion of Sam Gagner's potential back in 2007, when they were teammates for Canada at the world junior championship in Sweden. Most hockey fans will remember that WJC for Jonathan Toews' amazing display in the shootout. Gagner's impact was less dramatic, but his notoriety has forever changed over the past four days. "He's on fire now, and good for him," Franson said of Gagner, who has 11 points in his last two games — an offensive explosion unheard of since Wayne Gretzky's heyday in Edmonton. The Oilers are in town to face the Leafs Monday night. "It's quite the thing to accomplish. We have to do a good job taking away his time and space.""
Gagner continues to impress in win over Red Wings
February 5
Edmonton Journal
 
"Even the encore was impressive. Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner, who left Rexall Place on Thursday night with an eye-popping eight points, racked up another three points in the first period of a 5-4 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings at Rexall Place on Saturday. The Oilers built a 3-1 first period lead, gave up three straight goals in the third then headed to overtime on Jordan Eberle's second goal of the night. He scored at 19:21 — the only goal Gagner hadn't had a hand since Thursday. Gagner and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the six-round shootout. Todd Bertuzzi, who scored twice for Detroit, was the only Red Wing to beat Devan Dubnyk in the skills contest. The Oilers are now"
Gagner trying to 'stay as even-keeled" as possible after historic eight-point night
February 4
Edmonton Journal
 
"At first, Sam Gagner was dubious that Wayne Gretzky had sent him a text after he had put away an astounding eight points in the Edmonton Oilers' 8-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. He read the congratulatory message, saw that it was signed '99', but it wasn't until he verified the number that he realized Gretzky really was among his hundreds of well-wishers. Gagner, who tied the franchise record for points in a game, held by both Gretzky and Paul Coffey, said that he had 60 texts after the game, and another 50 the next day. Before he headed out for Friday's practice, he even intercepted a phone call from Coffey. "I'm just trying to stay as even-keeled as I can," said"
Oilers Gagner still in spotlight
February 4
Edmonton Sun
 
"More than anything, the town needed it. Four games ago, before the players chose to save Tom Renney from spending the rest of the season coaching from the edge of a cliff, with three wins at home and a loser point in Vancouver, Edmonton fans were running out of patience. Oilers fans were having a difficult time focusing on the future. But then they experienced Sam Gagner's night of nights — four goals and four assists, for an Edmonton Oilers NHL record-equaling eight-points — and the future came back into focus. "The town?" said coach Tom Renney. "Start with the team. The team really needed it. "It could be as galvanizing a moment as we'll have this year. This might be one of those moments"
Gagner's eight-point outing one for the record books
February 3
Edmonton Journal
 columnist John MacKinnin
"For one unforgettable night a little 1980s magic was back at Rexall Place, most of it being made by Sam Gagner. Make that a lot of magic, actually, a dazzling eight-point show for the likable forward, who finished with a five-point third-period flourish. Both the eight points in a game and the five-point period tied franchise records. The 22-year-old Gagner scored four times and assisted on the Edmonton Oilers other goals as they outskilled the high-octane Chicago Blackhawks 8-4. That made it three wins in their last four for the Oilers, who have collected seven of the last available eight points."
8 points for Sam Gagner in Oil win
February 3
Edmonton Sun
 
"If the Chicago Blackhawks left Edmonton in a huff last time because the Oilers were trying for 10, imagine how they felt on Thursday, when ONE GUY almost did it. Of course, it's tough for any team to keep pace with one of the most astonishing games the NHL has ever seen, so maybe they shouldn't feel so bad about losing 8-4 to a 22-year-old centre. Making their first visit to Edmonton since they were trounced 9-2 here in November, the Blackhawks ran into a determined little piece of history named Sam Gagner, who almost single-handedly dismantled the Hawks with four goals and four assists to join Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey as the only other Oilers to register eight-point nights."
Lasting friendship formed with the Oilers
January 13
Edmonton Journal
 
"Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano played together at the world juniors and had similar hockey ties in their hometown in Toronto, but they didn't have any real roots. Then they both made their NHL debuts with the Edmonton Oilers in 2007-08. It was the start of a fast friendship. Cogs and Gags, as they were better known, spent four seasons with the organization. They played on the same line, shared a house with defenceman Tom Gilbert, and are still in frequent contact, even though Cogliano is now with the Anaheim Ducks."
Gagner to play against Wild despite latest injury
December 22
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers winger Sam Gagner is sick and tired of being a regular customer in trainer T.D. Forss's medical room this season. His back isn't 100 per cent, but he's still playing against the Minnesota Wild Thursday night as the Oilers try to snap a four-game losing skid. "(Danny) Cleary fell on me in the Detroit game and I got put in a weird position," said Gagner. "My head came down on my chest. I didn't feel very good at the time and the doctors thought it best if I stay off the ice Tuesday. "It feels a lot better now.""
Gagner pots two in Oilers win
December 10
Edmonton Sun
 
"The Edmonton Oilers are cautious about anointing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins the next Great One. But as the season goes along and the rookie continues to dazzle, it's getting harder and harder not to make a comparison. On Friday, Nugent-Hopkins was outstanding as the Oilers skated to a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. And that was before he picked up a pair of assists on Gretzkyesque passes in the second period. "He's incredibly impressive. I know for myself being in this league at 18 how tough it was night in and night out being able to produce," said Sam Gagner, outstanding in his own right with a pair of goals and an assist. "I think when he came in here, you didn't know what to expect,"
Oilers' Gagner looks to raise game
November 29
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner wants to get back into the conversation, and it's not the one that involves him being traded. The Edmonton centre is starting to find his skating legs after missing most of training camp with an ankle injury. While Gagner was still looking for his first goal heading into Monday's game against the Nashville Predators, he did have six assists on the year and four in his previous three games. "I feel better," Gagner said. "I think sometimes it takes a while at the beginning of the season, especially when you get an injury. I don't think I ever lost confidence in my game, but I wasn't playing the way I know I can. I think in the last few games, I've had a little bit more jump and"
Oilers' Gagner Out Week-To-Week With Sprained Ankle
September 27
TSN.ca
 
"Edmonton Oilers head coach Tom Renney announced on Tuesday that forward Sam Gagner will be out week-to-week with a sprained ankle. Gagner sustained the injury in the second period on Saturday against Calgary when he collided with Brendan Mikkelson and fell into the boards. Gagner tried to continue in the game but was unable to do so."
Gagner could have high-ankle sprain
September 27
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers' centre Sam Gagner left Rexall Place Monday in a walking boot to protect his left ankle, on the way for an MRI picture to hopefully show how badly he's stretched the ligaments. The concern is it's a high-ankle sprain after he fell into the end boards in the second period of Saturday's 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames after a collision with defenceman Brendan Mikkelson. Gagner thought he might be able to return but when he took his skate off, it didn't feel right so he took the rest of his gear off after just eight shifts."
Gagner injures left ankle after getting hit by puck
September 25
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner had a slight limp as he left Rexall Place Saturday night after crashing into the end boards in the second period. The mishap, after took a shot on his left ankle, doesn't appear to be serious. Gagner injured his ankle when Calgary Flames defenceman Brendan Mikkelson rode the forward into the wall on Gagner's seventh shift of the night. At the time, it looked like Gagner may have also hit his head on the boards because he was down for a couple of minutes as trainer T.D. Forss came out to see him, but the Oilers dismissed that. He's out day-to-day."
Gagner tries to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way
September 18
Edmonton Journal
 
"It was just the first day of Edmonton Oilers training camp, but it felt like everyone — the players, the coaches, management, the fans out there in the twitterverse — had already been at it for weeks, if not months. Which they pretty much had in what has become a 24/7, year-round hockey environment in Canada. Still, on Day 1, there were things like enticing new line combinations to ponder: Sam Gagner centring Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky, No. 1 draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins between Ryan Smyth and Jordan Eberle, Shawn Horcoff with Magnus Paajarvi and Linus Omark. For whatever that was worth, this being training camp. At first glance, it sure signified the Oilers deepening pool of high-end"
Oilers' centre Gagner a victim of 'flying skates'
March 12
Edmonton Journal
 
"etroit Red Wings centre Mike Modano empathizes with Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner because he, too, severed a tendon which took him out of the lineup for months. Modano had his right wrist sliced behind the Red Wings net in a Nov. 26 game in Columbus when Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger stumbled and the upward kick of his skate punctured Modano's arm. He missed exactly three months. Gagne, 21, was sitting on the Oilers bench, having a drink of water, during Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals when teammate Ryan Jones skate blade sliced into the top of his left hand. He would also have been out for 12 weeks if it was earlier in the season. But he's gone for the rest of"
Gagner cut by errant skate
March 10
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner will have his left hand examined by a specialist here Thursday after it was sliced open by a skate blade while he was sitting on the bench during the opening period of Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. "I had a drink of water, my glove was off and a skate came up and clipped me ... somebody hopping on and off. I don't know who it was," said Gagner, who had the side of his left hand stitched before returning to play. The specialist will look over the 21-year-old centre to make sure there isn't any tendon damage. "It was enough of a nick to be bleeding for a long while," said Gagner. "That's why I took so long to get it fixed. Hopefully, it's"
Gagner struggling with defensive play
January 23
Edmonton Journal
 
"Zack Stortini a defensive stalwart? Jeff Petry playing Pronger-like defence so far in his short Oilers stint? Sam Gagner struggling in his own end like he never has before in his NHL career? That's what the defensive stats say. The National Hockey League does an inadequate job of covering defensive play with statistics, most likely because it's no easy thing to do. In my system, I study each goal against and try to ascertain which players made mistakes. If you make a mistake, you're assigned an error. I've done this for four years now. This year, I'm also finding all the culprits on all scoring chances (hard shots from the slot) against the Oilers. In the past, NHL coaches have employed a"
Doubters drive Gagner
December 20
Edmonton Journal
 
"In his fourth season as a pro, Sam Gagner is less a project than a projection. Nobody disputes his ability to play in the top six on this up-and-coming Edmonton Oilers team. But is he a bona fide first-line centre in the making; a puck-distributor capable of extracting the most out of a healthy Ales Hemsky and Taylor Hall on an every night basis for the next several years? Or is he merely a good second-line pivot to match up with the likes of Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi, while they wait in line to become first-liners and Gagner watches Shawn Horcoff play top minutes at top dollar? The debate began in Edmonton on that June day in 2007 when the smallish Gagner was drafted sixth"
Gagner makes most of opportunity
December 18
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner has never been much of a back-seat driver. Cast in a supporting role, the Edmonton Oilers centre has, at times, struggled to find his scoring touch and failed to live up to his first-round selection potential. But as the lead, Gagner looks a very different player. "I think that Sam has really worked hard on his game ever since he got here," said Oilers head coach Tom Renney. "My exposure to him has been this year and last year, and all I've seen him do is try to get better every day. I think he's done that and as someone that's always been a good offensive player, he's rounding himself into a solid two-way guy.""
Gagner catches fire
December 5
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner has seven points in five games. "It was nice to see the points going in and be sharp around the net and produce," he said. "But the biggest thing is you want to be a big part of wins, that's definitely the best feeling. In my time here we haven't made the playoffs and at the end of the day that's all you want to be part of, a winning team. It's definitely nice to contribute in that way. "As a group everyone is doing the right things and being open in the right spots When you're doing that everyone is more individually successful. Everybody has been helping each other out and we've been getting wins because of it.""
Lightning's Simon Gagne misses 16th straight game
November 25
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Simon Gagne on Wednesday missed his 16th straight game with a strained neck despite coach Guy Boucher's indication Monday the left wing was "very probable" to play. Boucher did not mention a setback in Gagne's recovery but said he needs more practice time. "There's timing involved here," Boucher said. "If he could have had three, four practices with the team, he would have been a lot closer." Boucher said it is "more realistic" Gagne will play Friday at Washington. The problem with that timetable is the team is not scheduled to practice today, and given a game Saturday against the Panthers, it will not practice again until Monday."
Oilers' Gagner finds inspiration from lifelong friend
November 9
Edmonton Journal
 
"The plan was in place as far as Dan Aziz was concerned. He was going to rush into the National Hockey League right alongside his buddy Sam Gagner — his pal since they were in Grade 5 together in Oakville, Ont. He was 13 years old and blissfully unaware of how quickly life can change. These days, Aziz lives vicariously through Gagner. He is seldom far from a TV when the Edmonton Oilers are playing and later this week, he will be in Madison Square Garden to take in the game against the New York Rangers. "You always think what if?," said Aziz, who is studying and rowing at Brown's University, a monumental accomplishment in itself given his brush with death in 2002. "Who in their right mind"
Oilers' Gagner lighter, quicker, more mature
September 21
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner has done a lot of growing up in his first three years with the Edmonton Oilers. Making the jump straight out of junior hockey, the native of London, Ont., had little choice but to mature quickly. Once touted as a core of the Oilers future, Gagner, 21, heads into his fourth NHL season leaner, more determined and ready to take on a bigger leadership role with the club. "I've realized over my first three years how much of a mental game it is," Gagner said. "Obviously you feel physically ready but there are ups and downs and things happening and it's how you respond to them that determines your success. "That's something that I can maybe teach the new guys coming in. You can't be"
Oilers sign Gagner to extension
August 30
Edmonton Sun
 
"With all the excitement over their new prospects, Sam Gagner has almost become an oversight. Yet it wasn't too long ago the 21-year-old centre was considered the future of the Edmonton Oilers franchise. Gagner would like to regain that status this season, having signed a two-year contract extension announced by the club late Sunday night. "I'm really excited about it," Gagner said. "I really wasn't worried too much about my contract getting done, I knew my agent was working on it. I was just concentrating on getting ready for the season." A native of London, Ont., Gagner cracked the Oilers lineup as an 18 year old out of junior. Last season, he scored 15 goals and added 26 assists for 41"
Sam Gagner signs two-year deal with Edmonton Oilers
August 30
Edmonton Journal
 
"Free-agent Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner has signed a two-year contract. Gagner's contract is worth $4.55 million for two years — $2.275 million per season for this year and next — for an annual salary cap hit of $2.275 million. This is a little more than a comparable winger, St. Louis forward David Perron, who got $4.3 million total for two years. Perron has 124 points from the 2007 draft class, just behind the 131 points that Gagner has accumulated since being the sixth player taken that draft year."
Gagner, Cogliano, Souray still in limbo with Oilers
August 24
Edmonton Journal
 
"With Edmonton Oilers training camp less than a month away, disgruntled defenceman Sheldon Souray still doesn't have a change of address while free-agent centres Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano don't have contracts. Needless to say, there is a gulf between what the Oilers and best buddies Gagner and Cogliano feel they are worth after three seasons of playing in the NHL. They would have been signed long ago, but the Souray soap opera is a pricklier situation. It would not be a sound idea to have the veteran blue-liner on the ice at training camp, even if he has two years left with the Oilers at $5.4 million U.S. per season. That's because he would likely be a major distraction, just as Dany"
Wonky hip ends Gagner's season
April 9
Edmonton Journal
 
"And the beat goes on ... Sam Gagner, who was second in team scoring, has joined eight other hobbled Edmonton Oilers who won't finish the season. That's 45 per cent of the lineup, if you're into math. Gagner's sore hip will keep him out of action for the final three games of the regular season, and maybe the world championship should former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish call with an invite. The hip problem, which has sidelined Gagner since March 26, isn't serious enough for surgery like it is with many NHLers, but rest is required. So Gagner, who will finish with 41 points in 68 games, joins Gilbert Brule (sprained ankle), Ales Hemsky (shoulder), J.F. Jacques (back) and Ryan Stone (knee)"
Wonky hip ends Gagner's season
April 8
Edmonton Journal
 
"And the beat goes on ... Sam Gagner, who was second in team scoring, has joined eight other hobbled Edmonton Oilers who won't finish the season. That's 45 per cent of the lineup, if you're into math. Gagner's sore hip will keep him out of action for the final three games of the regular season, and maybe the world championship should former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish call with an invite. The hip problem, which has sidelined Gagner since March 26, isn't serious enough for surgery like it is with many NHLers, but rest is required. So Gagner, who will finish with 41 points in 68 games, joins Gilbert Brule (sprained ankle), Ales Hemsky (shoulder), J.F. Jacques (back) and Ryan Stone (knee)"
Oilers' Gagner shuts season down
April 8
Edmonton Sun
 
"If there were playoffs, Sam Gagner could easily be back for them, but when there's nothing left to hurry back for, why hurry? So Gagner and the Oilers medical staff decided to shut him down for the last two games of the season. "There's still some swelling in there," said Gagner, who's already missed the last six with a bad hip. "I skated by myself and it felt pretty good. I just feel like, and I talked it over with the doctors, that there's no point in pushing it. I don't expect it to be a long term thing, a week or so after the season it should be back to 100%. It's just a matter of letting it heal." He's had MRIs and there is nothing structurally wrong, which is a big relief. "There was"
Gagner's hip flares up
March 27
Edmonton Sun
 
"Play it again, Sam? That's debatable right now as Sam Gagner waits on the sidelines for his injured hip to come around. A condition that's been bothering him for a couple of weeks flared up in practice Thursday, keeping him out of the lineup Friday and quite possibly shelving him well into next week. "It was him that pulled himself out, so you know it's sore," said head coach Pat Quinn. "Because he's the kind of kid who keeps pushing through that stuff." He was for a while, but it keeps getting worse. "I just keep kind of tweaking it," said Gagner, who lists himself as day to day for now. "I'm just going to go by how it feels, continue to get work on it and hope it gets better. That's how"
Gagner expected back against Predators
March 1
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner expects to be in the lineup when the puck drops again. The Edmonton Oilers forward is back practising with the team and should suit up Tuesday night here against the Predators. Gagner was forced to miss the last three games before the Olympic break after sustaining a knee injury, but rest and relaxation has seemingly done him well. "It's feeling good; it's good that there's a couple of days before our first game so I get to test it a little more," Gagner said Sunday. "For the most part, it's passed every test to this point and it's feeling better. I want to be ready for our first game back and I feel I'm going to be." Gagner underwent a battery of tests on his knee in an effort"
Gagner expects to play in next game against Nashville
February 26
Edmonton Journal
 
"Sam Gagner, who missed the Edmonton Oilers' last four games with a knee injury, did not skate on Wednesday but was certain he'd be in the lineup when the NHL team returns to action on March 2 against the Nashville Predators. "It's feeling a lot better, it's feeling stronger," he said. "It didn't really respond as well as I had hoped, but I'm right there. I'm probably a couple of days away from skating and I feel like I've kept myself in good enough shape that three, four days of practice will get me ready." Gagner has had two MRIs since injuring his knee. Neither has shown any structural damage. J.F. Jacques, meanwhile, recently had fluid removed from the site of his back surgery last"
Gagner still on limp
February 25
Edmonton Sun
 
"Sam Gagner got as far as the boards, where he was reduced to spectator at practice on Wednesday. Time heals all wounds, but nine days of it wasn't quite enough to get the Oilers centre back on his skates. Still on the limp from a knee injury sustained before the Olympic break, Gagner remains a few days away from strapping on the blades. "It's feeling a lot better," said Gagner, who still hopes to be in the lineup when Edmonton resumes its schedule March 2 in Nashville. "We talked it over with the doctors and we're going to take a little time. I'm going to do some on-ice testing (Thursday) and see where it is and hopefully get back practising with the team (Friday) and be ready for our"
Gagner's injury needs closer look
February 9
Edmonton Sun
 
"The Edmonton Oilers have decided to take a closer look at Sam Gagner's knee. The Edmonton Oilers forward is flying back to Edmonton today for further observation. He won't be in the line up tonight when the Oilers taken on the Phoenix Coyotes. "I hurt my knee a couple of weeks ago and it's been bugging me and getting worse," Gagner said. "I'm going to back to Edmonton tonight, get it checked out tomorrow and if there is nothing structurally wrong, then maybe I can rejoin the team in Anaheim and maybe play there." Gagner, who has 14 goals and 21 assists this season, left Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche after the second period with a sore knee."
I am Sam ... second-half Sam I am
February 3
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner can't explain why his numbers are better in the second half of the NHL season than they are in the first. Take this season. He started out with four goals and four assists in the first nine games, then managed to compile just 13 points in the next 30. In the 14 games the Oilers have played since Dec. 30, Gagner has 12 points. Break that down to the last six contests and he has five goals and one assist. Second-half Sam I am. "In junior, I was a first-half guy. This just seems to the way it has gone," he said on Tuesday, one day after the Oilers finally snapped their 13-game winless skid with a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The homestand"
Gagner develops at his own pace
January 23
Edmonton Journal
 
"Some impatient fans might think Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner is taking too long to develop into a marquee NHL player, but the road to stardom does take time. Just look at San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton, who had just seven points in his first season with the Boston Bruins as an 18-year-old. Playing under coach Pat Burns' tough love, he sometimes wouldn't get off the bench. He had 41 points the next season, and 60 in Year 3 when he was 20. That's 107 points in his first three seasons. What about Tampa Bay Lightning star centre Vincent Lecavalier? He scored 28 points at age 18 and 67 at 19, but he only had 51 points at age 20. That's 146 points. Gagner, who scored both Oilers goals in"
Gagner's education continues
January 22
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers centre Sam Gagner took the express lane to the NHL, making it at 18, but the road to stardom has been under construction. It's been fairly slow going. Gagner, coming off a very solid game against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, when he scored, had six shots and was dangerous throughout the game against goalie Roberto Luongo, has 28 points in 48 games. The 20-year-old is on track to ­garner 47 points this season after scoring 49 and 41 points his first two years. That's fair production, but not at the pace he would like. The impatient fans want the line on Gagner's Oilers' graph to be ­going up and up, not remaining a little static, even if a little history lesson is in"
Gagner optimistic about test results
December 2
Edmonton Sun
 
"For a moment, hockey was a secondary consideration for Sam Gagner. The Edmonton Oilers forward had to get a lump on his neck checked out with a biopsy on Monday, but expects the tests to come back negative. "I was sick about a month ago, pretty much when everyone was struggling with an illness," said Gagner. "I had some lymph nodes on my neck flare up. I got an ultrasound on it, then a biopsy on it to get some peace ofmind. "It should be all right and there shouldn't be any problem. "It'll be a few days for the results, but the doctors are convinced that there is nothing abnormal about it and I shouldn't be worried at all." Currently centring the Oilers top line, Gagner has six goals and"
Greene sticks it to Oilers
November 26
Edmonton Journal
 
"The quick-witted Matt Greene is a master needler but the defenceman stuck the knife in and twisted it against his old teammates on Wednesday at Rexall Place. Greene, who scored only once in 151 games with the Edmonton Oilers before he was traded with Jarret Stoll for Lubomir Visnovsky in the summer of 2008, not only netted a rare goal but the winning goal for the Los Angeles Kings. Greene ripped a 40-foot slapper past Jeff Deslauriers' stick with 4-1/2 minutes to play to lift the Kings to a 3-1 victory. "I just tried to shoot it as hard as I could ... I didn't think I could raise it that much but the puck must have been on edge," said a giggling Greene, who now has one game-winner in 258"
Edmonton Oilers' Gagner iffy for tonight's game against Columbus
November 16
Edmonton Journal
 
"Sam Gagner, the Edmonton Oilers' second-line centre, might not play Monday night against the Blue Jackets. "Lower-body injury," said coach Pat Quinn. Gagner skated early in the practice Monday morning but left before it was over. He played 13:11 in Atlanta on Sunday, about three minutes less than his normal average, but that was because he didn't have a strong game. He only played 8:48 at even strength, the second-least time of the forwards. Linemate Mike Comrie had the least ice-time 5-on-5, just 7:51 against the Thrashers. If Gagner, who is fourth in team scoring (11 points in 20 games), can't play, Robert Nilsson will take his spot in the forward group, or they will dress seven"
Gagner becomes Quinn's centre of attrition
November 5
Edmonton Journal
 
"His first-line centre, Shawn Horcoff, wasn't playing like one and is now nursing a shoulder injury that may take him out of action for 10 days. The only other veteran, natural centre on the roster, Mike Comrie, has been too flu-bitten to play any position, other than prone, and prefers the wing anyway. And the rest of the candidates are apparently precocious pivots, kids who were given big-league jobs before they earned them, according to Oilers head coach Pat Quinn, and haven't yet grown into the role of top drawer NHLers. Oh, and as a group they have been too easy to play against, shut out three times, have lost five of their last six and the damn Flames got the H1N1 shots before they"
Fight all 'bout adding spark
October 9
Edmonton Sun
 
"Fact is, Craig Conroy didn't need to oblige when Sam Gagner asked him to fight when the Flames were in Edmonton for the Oilers season opener. Not after all of Conroy's seasons in the NHL -- this is the 16th -- and not at age 38. But he did, which would have come as a surprise to most. Not Gagner. "If I'm not expecting it, I'm not going to ask. When you look across and see I'm the one asking you, chances are you'll say, 'Yes,' " said Gagner, the 5-foot-11, 191-lb. centre. "I knew that would be the case. I'm glad it happened, because it gave us a spark." For the Oilers that night, sure. After Edmonton erased a 3-1 deficit, the Flames scored late for a 4-3 victory. Not only did Gagner score"