Simon Gagné Jersey Card

Congratulations are in order for Simon Gagné, who signed a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins yesterday. You'll recall he'd been on a training camp try-out offer...

A long-time member of the Philadelphia Flyers and part of the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup-winning team in 2012, Gagné is no stranger to aggressive and bruising teams with black uniforms, so he should fit in nicely with the Bruins, provided they forgive him for netting the series-clinching goal in 2010, when the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit to eliminate the Bs.

The former two-time 40-goal scorer will start on the fourth line, but may get powerplay time - and might move up should rookie Seth Griffith falter on the first line; however, Gagné just wants to play:

''My conversation with (the team) was: whatever it takes; I'll be whatever. If I have to be the extra guy, if I have to be on the fourth line or a guy that will replace others when things aren't going well, or injuries, playing the penalty kill, the power play - whatever it takes. I'm here to help the team win, and I'm really happy that I have a chance to get back into the League with a good team. So I'm open to everything.''

He'll make yet another good leader on a team that already has plenty; he's also good buddies with Patrice Bergeron, so that helps.

This news gives me a chance to feature him wearing a pre-Reebok Flyers black (away) uniform, from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice set (card #CT-SG of the Cool Threads sub-set), with a white game-worn jersey swatch and simple, effective design:

Year in and year out, Ice provides some of the best bang for your buck, because even if your pulls are disappointing, the designs are terrific.