QMJHL Hall of Fame | Class of 2020 | Simon Gamache
Simon Gamache is one of the most significant figures of the turn of the millennium in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
A native of Thetford Mines, the 5’9” forward quickly charmed the Val-d’Or, Abitibi fanbase thanks to his outgoing personality, his determination and his scoring proficiency.
Without ever missing any of the Val-d’Or Foreurs’ 241 games, including the playoffs, he scored 180 goals, while also setting franchise records of 269 assists and 449 points.
During the 1999-2000 season, the Foreurs were in the midst of an important rebuild following their 1998 President Cup win. Gamache, then 18-years-old, would end the season with 143 points. It was more than enough for him to finish as the team’s leading scorer, with an astounding 89-point lead on the team’s second highest scorer, Eric Fortier.
The following season, Gamache ended the campaign with 74 goals and 184 points in 72 games. Since he posted those outstanding totals in 2000-2001, no QMJHL player has since surpassed 180 points or 72 goals in a single regular season.
Simon Gamache was a true gamer; every time the stakes rose, so too did his desire to perform. Head coach Claude Bouchard played a key role in his successes, making sure that his superstar understood that the team’s results took precedence over personal statistical milestones.
For Gamache, his signature game was undoubtedly his last one in Val-d’Or which was played on May 4, 2001. That evening, with a performance of three goals and two assists, his fifth point of the game eclipsed the prestigious 52-point playoff record set by the legendary Mario Lemieux in the spring of 1984, 17 years earlier.
After leading the Foreurs to their second President Cup title thanks to a 57-point playoff output that included 22 goals, the Guy Lafleur trophy was awarded to the new record holder as the most valuable player in the playoffs. He and his teammates would compete hard in the Memorial Cup tournament, but would end up losing 6-5 in overtime in the national championship final against Red Deer. Gamache finished first in tournament scoring with four goals and three helpers in five games played.
Gamache was selected in the 9th round, 290th overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He would go on to play 48 games in the big league, suiting up for the Thrashers, the Nashville Predators, the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs between 2002-2008.
He would go on to sign a contract with SC Bern of the Swiss Hockey League where he would play five seasons before being traded to HC Fribourg-Gottéron. He would eventually play in Germany, Norway and Austria before retiring from professional hockey. In total, after nine seasons played in Europe, Gamache had picked up 354 points in 362 regular season games, close to a point-per-game average.
His #22 jersey was immortalized when it was retired by the Val-d’Or Foreurs organization in 2017.
Simon Gamache will enter the QMJHL Hall of Fame as a player on April 8th, 2020.
