Dave Caron
Induction Year: 2023
Birthday: November 1, 1958
City/Town: Biddeford, ME
A native of Biddeford, Maine, who now makes his home in Belmont, N.H., Caron is credited with spearheading the creation of the Belmont-Gilford cooperative team, bringing together a diverse network of people to garner community support and, ultimately, New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association approval.
It was an idea that dated back more than twenty years ago, to a summer gathering on the back deck of Caron’s house, finding a way to give local student-athletes a chance to play high school hockey. As Town Administrator, Caron oversaw the development of a diverse group which included a teacher, business entrepreneurs, a lawyer, referees and coaches. They brought a proposal to both school districts, attended meetings and worked on finding solutions until their plan was approved.
The next step was to propose this innovative idea to Jim Desmarais, then the Executive Director of the NHIAA, who seemed open to it. After many more meetings attended and checkpoints reached, the NHIAA allowed the program to begin as a club team playing a sub-varsity, eventually growing into a team that would play its first varsity season in 2004-05.
Funding was a major challenge, but Caron got the support of Will Fay, the manager of what is now the Merrill Fay Arena in Laconia, to schedule the most and best ice time within a minimal budget. Thanks to the acceptance and openness of the school boards, administrators, athletic directors and the financial support of the local businesses, boosters, communities and parents, the team continues to flourish.
Cooperative high school sports teams have become numerous in New Hampshire in the two decades since Belmont-Gilford first took the ice together. In sports like boys’ and girls’ hockey, football, and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse,
which require larger rosters and costlier equipment, cooperative teams have allowed hundreds of more athletes the experience of playing high school sports.
Caron also served as a coach and on the Board of Directors for the Lakes Region Lakers from 1989 to 2007 and as a USA Hockey referee from 1999 to 2019. He currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Winnipesaukee Skating Club, owner of the Merrill Fay Arena.
Please welcome to the Class of 2023, Dave Caron as a member of the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame.