WOONSOCKET — On Friday, May 20, Mount St. Charles Academy celebrated its third athletic hall of fame induction ceremony, a biannual tradition that recognizes notable former Mount athletes who have gone on to achieve great accomplishments in sports and life.
Director of Athletics Richard Lawrence served as master of ceremonies, while President Herve Richer presented the awards. In an interview with Rhode Island Catholic following the ceremony, Richer noted the importance of recognizing the accomplishments of former Mount athletes, explaining that hall of fame inductees serve as role models for current students.
“Mount St. Charles challenges its students to always do their personal best, to become the best that they can be, to realize their full potential, and to contribute to the betterment of mankind. Our hall of fame inductees exemplify that spirit,” he said. “Whatever their chosen sport, they recognized the talent given them and dedicated themselves to developing that talent to its fullest potential.”
“Our students today need to know that,” he continued. “They need to know that in order to excel at whatever talent with which God has blessed them, they must overcome challenges. They need role models to inspire them.”
Fifteen individuals and one team were inducted into the hall of fame, including several former members of the school’s hockey team. Among these were Bryan Berard, a ’94 graduate who was drafted by the New York Islanders as first overall pick in the 1995 NHL entry draft. Berard, who was named top rookie player and received the Calder Trophy during his first season, had some advice for current Mount hockey players.
“Just have fun,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be at Mount. I think it’s made a lot of players who were lucky enough to play professionally.”
Another former hockey player and teammate, Brian Boucher, traveled from New Jersey with his family to be inducted into the hall of fame. A Woonsocket native, he said the ceremony provided an opportunity to revisit the school and introduce his children to his high school alma mater.
“It’s awesome. I grew up in Woonsocket,” he said. “To be back here and to be honored is really something neat.”
Boucher, a ’95 graduate, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 1995 NHL entry draft. He went on to have a successful NHL career and now serves as a television analyst for the Flyers.
Not all of the inductees were known strictly as hockey players during their time at Mount. Garret Coyne, class of 1947, also played football, and was once described by then-Woonsocket Call sports editor Greg Green as “one of the finest schoolboy competitors we have ever seen in action.” Coyne, one of two inductees to be honored posthumously, was killed in action during the Korean War. His niece, Virginia O’Connor, attended the ceremony to accept the award in his honor.
“It is such an honor for me and my family because after that many years, I can’t tell you how I feel about being here,” she told Rhode Island Catholic. O’Connor shared memories of her uncle, explaining how she was present the day Coyne’s mother learned of his death.
“I stood beside my grandmother when the two army officers came around and read the telegram that he had been killed,” she recalled. “He was just such a fun-loving guy.”
Also recognized during the evening was Marc Staelen, recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award, given to an individual who exemplifies the ideals of the positive spirit of sport and represents the core mission of education-based athletics. Staelen, a ’71 graduate, played on the school’s first soccer team and has continued to support Mount athletics as a sponsor of the annual hockey tournament and alumni soccer game and as president of Sports Systems Custom Bag.
Following the induction ceremony, Robert Berard, a ’74 graduate and inductee chosen as speaker of the hall of fame class, offered remarks.
“Thank you MSC for what you’ve done in shaping careers, character and for the celebration tonight,” he said. “The Mount athletic program is not just about producing all-staters and winning championships. It looks at the athletic program as an extension of the individual’s education by teaching values through sports.”
Berard, a tri-sport athlete who served as captain of the soccer, basketball and baseball teams during his senior year, went on to play soccer and baseball at Assumption College, where he received the Caddings Leadership and Assumption Athletic Awards. He continues to hold the NCAA Division Two record for stolen bases with six stolen in one game.
The names of the inductees now appear on the Mount St. Charles Academy athletic hall of fame wall, where they join members of two previous hall of fame classes. Past inductees include first Mount hockey coach and “Father of Schoolboy Hockey” Brother Adelard Beaudet, first lay athletic coach William Coffey and longtime hockey coach Bill Belisle.
