Family tragedy has cost this former Flyer his season.

As many of you know, Simon Gagne’s father  passed away at the age of 68 from cancer and now it seems that the loss of his father has taken a severe toll on Gagne. Simon Gagne announced via a message on the Bruins website that his season is over. Here's the message:

The last month has been extremely difficult for me with my father being sick and his passing. To play in the NHL you have to be 100% mentally, emotionally and physically committed to the game. At this time I know that I cannot be close to those levels. The Bruins organization and my teammates have been great to my family and I during this time. When I decided not to return this season, I spoke to Peter and assured him that I did not want the organization or my teammates to be impacted. Together we made the decision that my status would be changed so that the team could have a full active roster. In addition, I would like to thank the fans and the NHL family for all of the support that they have given my family and I during this difficult time – it has truly meant a lot..

We can not even imagine how difficult of a time this must be for Simon and his family. We would like to offer our thoughts and prayers to Simon and the entire Gagne family.