22 oct 2014 – Times & Transcript Two more editions of Aigles Bleus to join wall of fame

The 1982 and 1995 Canadian university sport men’s hockey champion Université de teams will join the 1981 and 1990 national title winners in the Moncton Sports Wall of Fame on Saturday at the Capitol Theatre. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available free of charge at the box office.

The class of 2014 will see the Aigles Bleus teams inducted in the team category, while golfer Greg Jones and wheelchair athlete Peter Cameron will be inducted under the athlete category and journalist Eddie St. Pierre in the builder category.

The Aigles Bleus captured the national title in 1981 (Calgary), 1982 (Moncton), 1990 and 1995 (Toronto). The 1980-81 team was inducted into the Moncton wall in 1987 and the 1989-90 club in 2011. Meanwhile, the 1980-81 and 1981-82 teams, coached by Jean Perron, who was also behind the bench when the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1986, are also honoured members of the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame (2004).

In 1981, goals by Francois Bessette, his first with nine seconds left in the third period and second into an empty net at 19:59, gave the Jean Perron-coached Aigles Bleus a 4-2 win over the Dave King-coached at Calgary. After Bessette’s goal broke the tie, King requested a stick measurement. The stick, which would have nullified the goal had it been illegal, was determined to be legal, and the Huskies were penalized. Bessette then scored his second goal. Jean Sansfacon (6:08) and Michel Bechard (14:54) gave UdeM a 2-1 first period lead. The second period was scoreless, thanks to the sharp goaltending of

Benoit Fortier, who faced 40 shots. Bob Dougall of the Huskies faced 33.

After finishing first in the Kelly Division, the Aigles Bleus won the Atlantic Universities Athletic Association title, scored six goals in the third period and defeated University of New Brunswick Red Devils 8-5 in a sudden-death semifinal game. They then topped the 4-3 and 8-4 to win the best-of- three finals 2-0.

Team personnel 1980-81 – Benoit Fortier, Jean-Claude Charest and Mario Larouche (goaltenders); Francois Robert, Francois Bessette, Remi Levesque, Michel Bechard, Louis Durocher, Denis Marquis, Michel La-Forest, Charlie Bourgeois, Jacques Plante, Alfred Goguen, Roch Bois, Denis Rochon, Michel Breau, Raoul Boudreau, Kevin Gaudet, Jean-Francois Boutin, Jean Sansfacon, Jon Coster, Pat Morgan, Claude Gagne . Head coach – Perron; assistant coaches – Bob Bellefleur (goaltenders), Ronnie LeBlanc (offensive) and Denis Gingras (defensive); manager – Yvon Tremblay; trainer – Claude Gagne; equipment – Jean LeBlanc; statistician – Benoit Savoie; mascot – Camille Brine.

In 1982, defenceman Louis Durocher’s power play goal with 33 seconds left in the third period gave the Aigles Bleus a 3-2 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies before 8,500 fans at the Moncton Coliseum. Durocher connected on Jean- Francois Boutin’s rebound. The Huskies’ Greg Chudiak had received a minor penalty at 17:37. The Huskies’ goaltender was Steve Amiss.

Trailing 2-0 entering the third, Pierre Giard broke the ice of the Perron-coached Aigles Bleus over the King-coached Huskies at 7:02 on a play with Jean (Dixie) Belliveau and Jacques Jobin. Alain Grenier tied the game at 12:40 on a pass from Kevin Gaudet. Grenier was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while goaltender Fortier and Patrick Dodier were named to the all-star team.

The Aigles Bleus won the national tournament’s opener, defeating the Brandon Bobcats 3-1. Alain Grenier, Remi Levesque and Jean-Francois Boutin scored for

UdeM. Fortier faced 47 shots and the Bobcats’ Gary Clark 46.

Backed by the two-goal, two-assist performance of Alain Grenier, the Aigles Bleus qualified for the final against the Huskies, defeating the University of Toronto Blues 8-3 before 8,000 fans at the Coliseum. Other UdeM scorers were Jean-Francois Boutin with two, Michel Laforest, Remi Levesque, Jacques Jobin and Roch Bois.

The Aigles Bleus defeated the University of Panthers 7-4 and 6-3 to win the best-of-three AUAA finals. Meanwhile, in a three-team round- robin tournament semifinal series held at the Coliseum, the Aigles Bleus topped

Mount Allison University of Sackville 7-4 and the Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-1.

Team personnel 1981-82 – Benoit Fortier and Mario Larouche (goaltenders); Denis Rochon, Remi Levesque, Francois Bessette, Kevin Gaudet, Alain Grenier, Mike Breau, Jean (Chico) Bellliveau, Raoul Boudreau, Louis Durocher, Jean Sansfacon, Pierre Giard, Sylvain Allard, Doug McGrath, Roch Bois, Alfred Goguen, Michel LaForest, Jean-Francois Boutin, Michel Vautour, Pat Dodi-er, Jacques Jobin, Jean (Dixie) Belliveau. Head coach – Perron; assistant coaches – Ron LeBlanc, Denis Gingras and Bob Bellefleur; manager – Yvon Tremblay; statistician – Bob White; trainer – Claude Gagne.

In 1990, the Aigles Bleus, coached by Len Doucet, topped Sir Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 in the champion game at Toronto. Mathieu Beliveau (on a rebound) scored the winning goal at 10:16 of the third period as the Aigles Bleus became the first team to capture three national university championships.

UdeM’s Claude Legace was penalized at 11:51 of the third, but goaltender Alain

Harvey made three key saves in the final eight minutes to preserve the victory.

Claude (Goose) Gosselin fired a 25-foot slapshot for a 1-0 first period Moncton lead, and Mike Maurice tied it for Laurier at 11:17. Both goals were on a power play.

Earlier the Aigles Bleus, on an overtime goal by Sylvain Lemay at 2:51 of the 10- minute period, defeated the Calgary Dinosaurs 5-4. Down by two goals Pierre Cliche tipped in Seve Salter’s slapshot at 18:08 of the third, and with goaltender Harvey on the bench, Beliveau dug the puck out of the corner and passed to

Dany Gauvin, who scored the equalizer at 19:39.

In AUAA action, the Aigles Bleus beat the St. Thomas Tommies 2-1 in the quarter-finals (7-3, 2-7 and 6-3). In the semifinals, they defeated d the Dalhousie

Tigers 5-4 and 7-0, while in the finals they topped UPEI Panthers 3-2 and 7-2.

Team personnel 1989-1990 – Michel LeBlanc and Alain Harvey (goaltenders); Alain Bissionette, Claude Gosselin, Marc Bernier, Sylvain Lemay, Steve Salter, Rejean Despres, Martin Lamoureux, Stephane Briand, Don Mc-Grath, Mathieu Beliveau, Richard Linteau, Pierre Cliche, Jean-Claude La-tour, Danny Landry, Danny Gauvin, Serge Pepin, David Bastille, Serge Theriault, Eric Boisvert, Claude Lag-ace, Louis Melanson, Jacques Pin-et, Eric Galarneau. Head coach – Len Doucet; assistant coach – Pierre Giard; goaltender coach – Louis Guy; manager – Paul Belliveau and Charles Pellerin; trainers – Jacques Godin and

Bertrand Gaudet; equipment – Chislain Foulem; academic adviser – Edgar Leger.

In 1995, the Aigles Bleus, coached by Pete Belliveau, defeated the Guelph, Ont., Gryphons 5-1 at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens for their fourth national university title.

Patrick Caron and Dominic Rheaume (he was named tournament MVP) scored twice for Aigles Bleus, while Peter Jacob notched the other. Pierre Gagnon, who was brilliant in goal, lost his shutout at 9:25 of the third. UeM outshot the Gryphons 42-23. Meanwhile, UdeM reached the finals by topping the University of Western Ontario Mustangs 5-4. Martin Duval and Rheume gave Moncton a 2-1 first period lead, but the Mustangs scored three consecutive goals early in the second period in a span of one minute and 39 seconds. Yves LeBlanc closed the gap within one with a power-play goal at 10:31. Jean Imbeau evened the game at the 15-minute mark. Then Rheaume scored at 18:23. His shot missed the net. The puck, however, hit the metal bar joining the two planes of glass and bounced back into his stick. He dumped the puck into the net while the Mustang goaltender Sean Basillio was looking the other side.

In the AUAA playoffs, the Aigles Bleus beat the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers 4-2 and 6-5 (overtime) in the quarter-finals. In the semifinals, they defeated the St. Thomas Tommies 3-2 and 7-4. In the finals they topped Acadia Axemen 5-4 and 4-3. Pierre Gagnon blocked 49 of 52 shots in the last game for a total of 91 saves on 98 shots in two games. (Note: The win gave UdeM their eighth Atlantic title. They were ranked No. 1 in the country throughout the season.)

Team personnel 1994-95 – Pierre Gagnon and Frantz Jean (goaltenders); Francois Chaput, Mathieu Bibeau, Patrick Caron, Mathieu Cote, Sylvain Ducharme, Luc Doucet, Jean Imbeau, Patrick Daviault, Yves LeBlanc, Carl Exantus, Terry Toner, Michel Savoie, Raymond Delarosbil, Ricky Jacob, Dominic

Rheaume, Peter Jacob, Martin Duval, Stephane Chartier. Coach

– Pete Belliveau; assistant coaches – Leonard Allain and Louis Guy; statistician

– Fred Venoit; trainers – Jean Arsenault and Serge Chiasson; manager

– Jean-Sebastien Defoy.

Eddie St. Pierre

Eddie St. Pierre is sports editor emeritus of the Times & Transcript. His column appears every Wednesday.

Eddie St. Pierre

LOOKING BACK