Speedo/Odometer Gear question

Hi there everyone. I just have a quick question about the speedometer on a '95 3.8 v6. I pulled the cluster out to check the odometer gear because it stopped working and some teeth were broken so I ordered a new one. I had been driving it with the odometer broken for about a week, and the speedometer worked fine. I pulled the gear out and threw it away, and then reinstalled the cluster so that I could drive to town to pick up the new gear. When I started the car, the speedometer needle was pointing straight down and now it's not working. I know the answer might seem pretty obvious since I pulled the odo gear out, but I just want to be sure......Does the speedometer need this gear to work (not just the odometer) or did I just mess up the wiring somehow? Thanks in advance.
p.s. Someone told me to check the fuses, but they're fine.

Wow you guys are quick....

I appreciate the responses. That step by step pictorial you posted above is the exact one I followed. The only thing I did differently was put the cluster back in without the odometer gear (so I could drive to pick up the new one). I couldn't figure out the relationship of the gears to one another which is why I asked if the odometer gear is necessary for the speedometer to work. I didn't take any needles off either. The one thing I did notice, that's sort of odd, is that on pictures of other peoples' speedometers, there's a thin plastic piece stopping the needle from moving down to the 6 0'clock position. I have that piece but it's shorter (the needle goes right over it) so I'm thinking that I may have broken that when I set it down to get to the gear. That could be my problem right there.

No, I didn't see the speedometer move once. It just sits at the 6 o'clock position. When I have some daylight in about 7-8 hours I'll do like you said and put a toothpick or something on it. Sadly, I had problems with the delivery of the gear so I'm going to have to wait 2-3 days to throw it in and see if that fixes it. But until then, I'll play with the wires a little and try what you suggested.