What I remember of Eric Gagne is a pitcher who, when he came out of the pen to close a game, you were pretty sure he would shut the opposition down. And he was very good at it for about three years. From 2002-2004, there was not a more dominant closer in the majors. Eric Serge Gagne was born on January 7, 1976, in Montreal in the province of Quebec in Canada. He grew up in the town of Mascouche, near Montreal, and went to Edouard Montpetit High School. The same High School that Russell Martin went to. He played hockey and baseball as a child.