Simon Gagne was a true Philly favorite among all sports fans, not just Flyer hockey fans.

You don't last 10 seasons in a city like Philly without developing some kind of rapport with players. Gagne, as I have said many times, was among the classiest athletes I ever knew.

We had not seen him since his visit to Philly earlier this season when he wasn't in the best of shape because of a neck injury.

Today, he looked thinner and lighter, and not just because his hair was cut much shorter than we had ever seen him in Philly.

I won't go as far as to say that Gagne is enjoying his experience in Tampa as much as Philly or likes it as much, but I will say I felt he was honest in admitting he has adapted to here and is feeling more comfortable than he did in July.

Part of that, he said, was GM Steve Yzerman showing patience in him while he recovered from a neck injury that he called "nerve damage." We all assumed in Philly it was concussion-related but none of his symptoms seemed to mimic that based on everything I read and what the Lightning were saying.

Gagne is on a different line tonight than he was recently as the Flyers embark on the final 32 games of the season.

These two teams could meet somewhere down the line ...

Here's my story on CSNPhilly.com

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