The skater checking at No. 33 on the Wolves Top 40 Countdown, presented by Jewel-Osco, led the team in goals during the 2002-03 season: Simon Gamache.
Before this Thetford Mines, Quebec, native turned pro, he lit up the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 138 goals in his final 144 regular-season games. He also stacked up 22 goals in 21 postseason games while leading the Val-d’Or Foreurs to the 2001 President’s Cup. In fact, Gamache still holds the Canadian Hockey League’s all-time record for points in a postseason as he piled up 57 points (22G, 35A) in those 21 games.
Gamache, the Atlanta Thrashers’ ninth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, didn’t need much time to figure out how to score goals at the professional level. In 2002-03, his first full season with the Wolves, Gamache produced a team-high 35 goals with 42 assists. He teamed with Steve Maltais, Rob Brown and others to form a devastating power play.
Gamache finished his Wolves career with 42 goals and 52 assists in 118 regular-season games. He also contributed seven goals in nine games during the 2003 Calder Cup Playoffs. Gamache went on to spend parts of six seasons in the NHL — posting six goals in 48 games — before heading overseas and playing nine years before retiring after the 2016-17 season.
Want to review the rest of the countdown?
No. 40: Gage Quinney
No. 39: Tim Breslin
No. 38: Nathan Oystrick
No. 37: Ben Simon
No. 36: Curtis McKenzie
No. 35: Kamil Piros
No. 34: Mark Mancari