PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Simon Gagne signed a multiyear contract and is heading to Philadelphia as fast as he can.

``I am pretty excited today and I cannot wait to pack up my stuff and drive to Philly (Tuesday),'' Gagne said.

Gagne should feel free to splurge on that premium gas. The Flyers re-signed their leading scorer to a five-year contract Monday night, ending a summer of difficult negotiations right before the start of training camp.

``It is very tough to believe that I am signing a pretty nice contract like that for five years and I will be with the Flyers for the next five years,'' Gagne said. ``It is the city I love.''

Gagne, a first-round pick in 1998, is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 47 goals and 79 points for Philadelphia. The restricted free agent was involved in lengthy contract negotiations for most of the summer, but general manager Bob Clarke flew to Montreal on Monday to meet with Gagne's agent.

``I think it was critical to our organization to get Simon signed and to get him signed for a number of years,'' Clarke said Monday, three days before the opening of training camp. ``He's one of the better two-way players in the game.''

Clarke needed only a few hours of a face-to-face meeting with agent Bob Sauve to complete the deal.

``I always wanted to get this done with Bob and, finally today, after the meeting, the three of us got it done,'' Gagne said. ``It was pretty fun to shake the hand of Clarkie after a couple of hours of talking.''

Both Gagne and Clarke wanted an agreement before training camp opens in Voorhees, N.J., at the end of the week. Clarke went public with contract negotiations last week, a move he rarely makes with unsigned players.

``When a player misses training camp, it is disruptive for the player and for the team,'' Clarke said.

The 26-year-old left winger has 160 goals and 164 assists in 426 career games. He's scored 20 goals in five of his six seasons.

``Simon is a very complete player,'' coach Ken Hitchcock said in a telephone interview. ``He plays the most minutes on the team, he goes against the other team's best player, he can handle multiple positions. He does all of the other things needed to win.''

Gagne had said he wouldn't report to camp without a new contract. Clarke said the Flyers wanted to offer him a long-term deal while Gagne wanted the same amount - reportedly $5 million - over a shorter time frame. Because Gagne was a restricted free agent, another team could have made an offer, and the Flyers would have had the right to match.

``I didn't want to miss training camp,'' Gagne said. ``I was hoping in my mind I wouldn't have to do that. I was crossing my fingers.''

With Peter Forsberg possibly set to return from ankle surgery on opening night, the Flyers will have their two best players in the lineup as they try to win their first Stanley Cup title since 1975. The Flyers were eliminated in the first round by Buffalo last season.

``I think the potential is there if he and Peter and (Mike) Knuble and the line stay healthy,'' Hitchcock said. ``If the line stays healthy, it has a chance to do some serious damage.''

Gagne was the Flyers MVP last season and was tied for first with seven game-winning goals. He was second on the team in power-play goals with 12.

``It was a long negotiation all summer,'' Gagne said. ``I'm happy with going forward.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.