Master of Ceremonies, Bob Norton, and the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey Board of Directors welcomed five new inductees into the New Hampshire Hockey Hall of Fame, as a crowd of more than 280 family members, friends, dignitaries and guests looked on. The Legends also paid tribute to Concord High School’s Boys’ and Girl’s ice hockey programs and their tradition of excellence, including 8 State Championships. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held on October 27, 2013 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord and marked the NH Legends’ twelfth year holding the event.
Greg Moffett, current President of the Legends’ Board of Directors, welcomed the large audience and thanked them for supporting the 2013 Hall of Fame inductees and the Concord High hockey program. Moffett offered special thanks to Bauer Hockey, the Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Hall of Fame Ceremony, for its continuing support of the Legends’ mission, and he praised this year’s Co-Title Sponsors, St. Paul’s School and Vachon Clukay& Company, PC., for their significant financial contributions. Moffett also recognized New Hampshire Distributors, Inc. which again hosted the pre-event Social Hour, and thanked the 27 other individuals and businesses who helped make the Hall of Fame Ceremony possible through their Gold, Silver, and Bronze-level sponsorships.
2013 Inductees – L to R: Mark Stuckey; Dick Bradley; Harvey L. Smith; Roger Dignard (representing the late Bea Lambert); and Bill & Chris Rice (representing the late Ted Rice).
The Honorable Governor Maggie Hassan congratulated this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and praised them for their significant accomplishments and achievements. The Governor spoke of her appreciation for the game of hockey and the team-building skills and self-confidence it promotes. She also spoke directly to the current members of the Concord High Girls’ Hockey team who attended and encouraged them to reach for the sky. Governor Hassan concluded her remarks by providing State of New Hampshire Citations for each of the 2013 inductees.
State Senator Lou D’Alessandro, longtime Legends supporter and a former Board member, delivered State Senate Resolutions, honoring each of the members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Concord Mayor, Jim Bouley, extended a welcome on behalf of the Capital City and briefly traced the history of ice hockey in the City of Concord, from the first hockey game played in 1883 at St. Paul’s School to the more recent Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship at White Park. Bouley remarked that the Black Ice event will be held at Concord’s White Park again this year in late January, and he encouraged everyone to participate.
Tara Mounsey
Keynote speaker, Tara Mounsey, a two-time Olympic ice hockey medalist and former Concord High standout, recalled her early days playing in the Concord Youth Hockey system and of the various parents, coaches, and friends from within the Greater-Concord community and across the state who influenced her outstanding hockey career. Mounsey, who is currently a Nurse Practitioner, spoke of the valuable relationships she’s developed through hockey and of the life-lessons hockey taught her along the way. Mounsey also praised the current Concord Girl’s Hockey Coach, Stacy Boudrias, and offered that the Concord High Girls program is poised to do great things in the future under Coach Boudrias’s leadership.
The Legends recognized the Concord High School Crimson Tide, whose boys’ team played its first season in 1933-34 and has won 8 State Titles between 1977 and 2010. Concord High teams have competed in 19 State Championship Title Games. During the luncheon, attendees were shown a video tribute to the Crimson Tide boy’s and girls teams, recapping various Concord High victories.
Duncan Matthews, former Boys’ Coach at Concord High, recounted his days growing up across the street from Concord’s White Park, watching players like Rusty Martin play on the White Park Pond in the early 60’s. Mathews recalled his days as the Captain of the Crimson Tide hockey team in 1969-70 and, eventually, coaching CHS for two years. Matthews had special words of praise for Concord High’s current boy’s hockey coach, Dunc Walsh, and his string of successes behind the bench.
Concord High School principal Gene Connolly thanked the Legends for honoring their school this year and for recognizing the great ice hockey tradition of the Crimson Tide. President Moffett presented Mr. Connolly with a replica jersey from Concord’s first Championship season in 1976-77. Connolly thanked Moffett and the Legends for the gift, which he said will be placed in the School’s trophy case.
Concord High Hockey Alumni (players and Coaches) Left to Right Front Row: John Reagan; Hunk O’Connell; Tom Champagne; Chris Rice; Bill Rice; Tara Mounsey; Duncan Matthews; Buster Gilbert; Peter Champagne and Steve Vallieres. Back Row: Tom Foote; Vic Stanfield; Jim Heath; Mike Commerford; Todd Philbrick; Tom Champagne; Kurt Gillies; Tom Wright; Jack Mudge; Mark Ruddy; Tom Dustin; Lee Blossom; Chris Brown; John Stevenson; Shayne Lebreton; Greg Herrick; Scott O’Donnell; Brent Sowle; Ken McKinnon and Jim Hayes. Missing from photo: Stacey Boudrias; Barney Colgan; Pike Colgan; Ethan Cole; Tom Croteau; Matt Landis; Dick Sibley; John Pendleton; Jeffrey Reagan and Brian Smith.
Secretary Jim Rivers recognized the 24 returning Hall of Fame members shown in photo below.
All Hall of Famers in Attendance, Front Row Left to Right: Leo Gould; Steve Arndt; Ken Cail; Jim Rivers; Ken McKinnon; Dede Villeneuve; Jim Tufts; Peter Maher; Dick Dodds. Back Row Left to Right: Omer Morin; Lee Blossom; Dick Boucher; Ryan Brandt; Mark Stuckey; (Roger Dignard); Harvey L. Smith; Merrill Fay; Dick Bradley; Roland Lavigne; (Bill Rice and Chris Rice); Tara Mounsey; Bob Norton; Pierre Belanger; Dick Roy and John Normand. Missing from Photo: Andre Prefontaine; Brian Stone and Dunc Walsh
Executive Director Jim Hayes announces the team that will be honored during the 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame Ceremony. “In 2014, the Legends will be honoring a school whose Boy’s team has long been a cornerstone of Division I Hockey. This school began playing ice hockey in 1933 and is celebrating its 80th year of competition this year. In addition, this school’s Girls’ program, founded in 1987, is entering its 27th year of play. The school’s Boys’ teams have competed in 15 NHIAA State Championship games, winning 8 of them, and its Girls’ teams have won 5 of 6 NHIAA Championships. Of note, the Boys’ first NHIAA State Championship was in 1970, when they became the first team other than Notre Dame (of Berlin) and Berlin High School to take the crown. With us today, are six (former) players of the two teams, including their two Head Coaches and their wives: John Dodds and (Hall of Famer) Dick Dodds, of Hanover High School. It’s my pleasure to announce the Hanover High School Mauraders as next year’s honored team. Please help me give a warm welcome to the Marauders of Hanover.”
Hanover High School Representatives Left to Right: Dan Peraza, Head Boys’ Coach Dick Dodds, Head Girls’ Coach John Dodds, Bob Peiffer and Clark Brighton. Peraza, Peiffer and Brighton are all former players for the Marauders.
Presenting Sponsor
Bauer Hockey
Co-Title Sponsors
Vachon Clukay & Company, PC and St. Paul’s School
Social Hour Sponsor
New Hampshire Distributors, Inc.
Gold Sponsors
Amoskeag Beverages, LLC
Bogacz Photography/Digital Media
Banks Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC
Christian Party Rental
Corriveau-Routhier, Inc.
Great State Beverages, Inc.
Speedy Printing and Copying
Silver Sponsors
Berlin City Auto Group
Brine – Capital Sporting Goods
De Niro Construction
Fay’s Boat Yard
Morgan Storage
Olivier Law Offices
Bronze Sponsors
Berlin IGA Foodliner
Capital City Paving
Central Paper Products, Inc.
Dwyer, Donovan & Pendleton
EVR Advertising
Granite State Glass
Mason & Rich P.A.
Northway Bank
Plodzik& Sanderson, PA
PretiFlaherty
Rene LeClerc Insurance Agency
Tardif Contracting and Landscaping, Inc
Town and Country Motor Inn
Zero Waste
Services Provided by
Spotlight Video Productions, David Pearl – Hooksett, NH
Defining Moments Photography, Amanda Sullivan – Bedford, NH
Text writer – Mike Zhe
Layout and design – Bonnie Jaillet
Master of Ceremonies – Bob Norton
Audio / interviewer – Ken Cail
All photographs at our event taken by Defining Moments Photography will be posted on their website at a later date after December 15th. Go to www.definingmomentsphotonh.com and click on On-Line Ordering, to view or purchase photographs. You may purchase individual photographs or the entire CD with all the images, including copyrights for $50.00. Accepted cards are VISA, MC and AMEX.
In addition, DVD’s of the Induction Ceremony as well as Interiews may be purchased for $15.00 through Spotlight Video Productions, Hooksett, NH. Contact David Pearl at www.videonh.com or email info@videonh.com. Copies of the Concord High Hockey Tribute will be available for $10.00.
Mark your calendar for the 2014 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony scheduled for Sunday October 26, 2014 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.