Gagne, like many relief pitchers, is cut from a different cloth. Born north of the border in Montreal, Quebec, he obsessed with ice hockey as a child. As a hockey player, Gagne played the role of "goon" on the ice, protecting the skill players with bone-cracking hits on opponents. Gagne became notorious for fighting on the ice. To this day, he bears the scars on his hands from hockey fights.  The only major injury he suffered on the rink was a slash to the eye that necessitates his trademark goggles.

Although he loved hockey, Gagne showed brighter promise on the baseball diamond. He was a power pitcher that could fan hitters with a brutal fastball. Despite looks form big-league scouts, Gagne opted to accept a baseball scholarship from Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma. He came to the states knowing only the French language. As his pitching improved, so did his English.

Ultimately, Gagne signed with the Dodgers. He threw well as a minor-leaguer, but as a big-league starter, he faltered. Finally, the team tried him as a reliever. Gagne had found his medium of choice. Out of the pen, the Canadian saved the offensively-anemic Dodgers on many occasions. Gagne truly came into his own in 2003, when he notched 52 saves and the National League Cy Young Award. He was the first relief pitcher to win the award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.