Alphonse Corriveau
Induction Year: 2005
Birthday: June 21, 1916
City/Town: Manchester, NH
Al Corriveau was a founder of the Manchester Youth Hockey League and was instrumental in the building of the two local ice arenas. He served as president of the Junior Hockey League and Queen City Hockey, Inc. Al was an owner of the Manchester Blackhawks and the Manchester Monarchs of the New England Hockey League. He was also a sponsor of men’s Senior “A” Hockey League teams.
Al was one of the original “movers and shakers” of ice hockey in Manchester. He founded the Manchester Youth Hockey League, the genesis of what became the one of the largest and most respected youth hockey programs in the country, Manchester Youth Regional Hockey Association (MYRHA).
As a pioneer in developing youth hockey, he gathered coaches, organized teams, got ice time and scheduled practices and games. Al provided order by breaking down the players into age groups and insisting that every player, no matter his/her abilities get equal ice time. His system was first line against first line, second line against second line, etc. As the program got underway smoothly, some people objected to the equal ice time for all players, Al never gave in to the pressure of creating just winners, he ran his program the right way from day one. Al always insisted on equal ice time for all kids, period!
The results of his method can be seen by hockey players from the Manchester Youth System that have excelled in the sport of ice hockey at the high school and collegiate levels through professional play.