NB 326
Mar. 8, 1999
FREDERICTON (CNB) - Four individuals and one team will enter the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies here this summer. The names of those elected were announced Monday by Tom Jarrett of Saint John, chairman of the board of governors.
The inductees are:
-Charlie Bourgeois of Moncton, a former professional hockey player with Calgary, St. Louis and Hartford of the National Hockey League;
-Lise Gautreau-Robichaud of Dieppe, who competed for Canada in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea;
-Ronald Surette of Scoudouc, an outstanding marksman in national and international competition;
-Mike Washburn, a native of Oromocto, and an all-round athlete, who played in the Canadian Football League;
-the Saint John Basketball Club, represented by the 1938-39, 1945-46, and 1948-49 teams, all of whom were Maritime champions and national finalists.
The induction ceremonies will be held on Saturday, June 5. Municipalities and Housing Minister Marcelle Mersereau and Jarrett will officiate. With the new inductees, membership in the Sports Hall of Fame totals 150.
Following is background information on the inductees:
Charles Marc Bourgeois- Hockey
Charlie Bourgeois was born in Moncton and remains one of the community's most visible sports figures as assistant coach of the Université de Moncton hockey team, and for his work with the Special Olympics, the Boys and Girls Club and his own hockey school.
His return to les Aigles Blues in 1996 was a homecoming for Bourgeois, whose own professional hockey career was launched in 1980-81, after the U de M team won its first of four Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union championships. He was selected as an All-Canadian defenceman, and signed with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League immediately following the university season.
Between 1981 and 1984 he played for the Flames and their affiliate in the Central Hockey League. He played the full season with the Flames in 1984-85, and, the following year, was traded to the St. Louis Blues where he spent two seasons. In 1988, he was traded to the Hartford Whalers. In all he played 290 NHL games scoring 16 goals and 54 assists and accumulating 788 penalty minutes.
Following the 1988-89 season, which he spent with Binghamton of the American Hockey League (AHL), Bourgeois moved to France where he played and coached teams in the Division 1 League. He returned to Moncton in 1992 to serve as assistant coach of the Moncton Hawks of the AHL.
Bourgeois is president and director of the province's largest hockey school with sites in Shediac, Edmundston and St. Andrews, and an annual enrolment of about 800 players. He also organizes an annual charity golf tournament which has raised more than $60,000 on behalf of the Special Olympics.
He was inducted into the Moncton Sports Wall of Fame in 1996. He lives in Moncton with his wife Colleen and two children.
Lise Gautreau-Robichaud - Rhythmic Gymnastics
During her impressive athletic career, Lise Gautreau-Robichaud proved that dreams do come true. The Moncton native fashioned an outstanding nine-year career in rhythmic gymnastics, capped by her participation in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
She began competing in 1979 and quickly proved she had the talent and the determination to succeed. In 1980 she won the first of four eastern Canadian championships. In 1981 she won the Canadian Junior title in Halifax and in 1982, at the age of 15, she finished fourth at selection trials for the World Championships.
She moved into the senior division in 1983, winning the first of many New Brunswick titles and tying for third at the Canadian Championships. The following year proved to be one of highs and lows. She was named the most promising athlete at an international meet in Moscow, and finished second at the Canadian Championships, apparently earning a berth on the team for the Los Angeles Olympics. However, the national association replaced her with another gymnast from Ontario.
Not to be deterred, she finished ahead of both Olympic team members in a meet to select representatives to the Four Continents competition where she registered a ninth-place finish. During her career she represented Canada in more than 30 international competitions in 15 countries. She finished second at the Canadian Championships four times. She overcame a serious injury in 1987 to pursue her goal of making the Olympic team, which she did in 1988. She qualified for the team and finished in 32nd place overall.
She retired from competition following the Olympic Games, but remains involved by working with young athletes. She lives in Dieppe with her husband, Bernard Robichaud, and their daughter.
Ronald Alfred Surette - Shooting
Ron Surette has been involved in the sport of shooting for almost 40 years, and few in Canada can match his record of success in national and international competition.
A native of Shediac, Surette joined the regular armed forces in 1960 with the Canadian Guards. He later served with the Royal New Brunswick Regiment and retired in 1991.
He has been a member of the Canadian Forces Bisley Rifle Team 19 times. The prestigious Bisley competition brings together the top marksmen in the Commonwealth, and in addition to enjoying considerable personal success, Surette is credited with leading the 1997 Canadian contingent to its best showing ever. His shooting expertise and vast experience were cited by the team captain as the driving force in the team's overall performance.
At the 1986 Bisley competition, he captured the Green Jacket Trophy and, in 1995, he finished first in the Prince of Wales Match and the Morrow Memorial competition. In 1997, he won the Prince of Wales competition, finishing first in a field of 1,200 shooters, and he also won the Graham Trophy gold medal.
He has been a member of the Canadian team to the Military World Championships and the Palma Team Matches for 15 years. He has won 20 national championships, including the Canadian Service Rifle championship five times and the Canadian Combined Rifle championship six times. He has also won the Queen's Medal five times, the only New Brunswick shooter to do so.
Surrette was elected to the Canadian Forces Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. He lives in Scoudouc and continues to be involved in the sport.
Michael Thomas Washburn - All-Round
Mike
Washburn is one of those rare athletes who achieved success in
every sport and at every level at which he competed. A native
of Oromocto, Washburn competed at the national level in five sports,
and is one of only a handful of New Brunswick athletes to play
in the Canadian Football League.
At Oromocto High School, he stood out in several sports, and was named male athlete of the year in 1975. As a junior he competed nationally in softball, volleyball and track and field.
Washburn excelled in volleyball, football, wrestling and track and field at the University of New Brunswick. He was a four-time Atlantic Universities Athletic Association all-star in football and volleyball, and won both the Corbett Medal as the university's best all-round athlete in 1980, and the Labatt Shield as the top male athlete in the spring of 1981. He was the AUAA triple jump champion three years running and captured a silver medal in wrestling in 1979-80.
With no previous experience in organized football, he joined the UNB Red Bombers in 1978. By 1980, he was the third-leading pass receiver in the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union. He enrolled in the University of British Columbia and played the 1981 season with the Thunderbirds who won the western zone championship that year. He was given a tryout by the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, and spent the 1982 season with the Lions before being traded to the Montreal Concordes.
Washburn played two seasons with the Concordes where he was used primarily as a receiver and on special teams. Former coach Joe Galat cited Washburn as a gifted athlete whose trademarks were his teamwork and attitude. A neck injury ended his career in 1985.
As a volleyball player, Washburn was a member of the UNB Reds from 1977 to 1980 and also competed in three Canadian Senior Open Championships. His coach Malcolm Early, described Washburn as the "complete player" with the "great ability to play better under pressure."
He was elected to the Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame in 1992. He lives in Fredericton with his wife Kathy and three sons.
The Saint John Basketball Club - Basketball
The
Saint John Basketball Club (or Saint Johns as they were called)
created a dynasty in the sport. They dominated the basketball
scene in New Brunswick from 1938 to 1949, and three of those teams,
the 1938-39 juniors, the 1945-46 intermediates, and the 1948-49
seniors have been designated for induction. (Front
row, from left: Bernie Ough, assistant manager; Yvon Lacasse,
playing coach; Jim Fox, Ralph Costello, Richard Canavan, Doug
Costello, manager. Back row: Bill MacDonald; David Stothart; Al
Ludka; Norman Seely; Ralph Fitzpatrick.)
The early teams were coached by Doug Skinner and managed by Doug Costello and Art Covey, who often dipped into their own resources to finance road trips. The team was undefeated in city and provincial play, and won the Maritime title. In the national finals, the Saint Johns fell to the Montreal YMHA in a two-game series. Members of the original team were George Boyle, Harold Bullock, Lawrence Carey, Lloyd Feltus, Ralph Fitzpatrick, Aubrey Izzard, William Neil, Norman Seely, Faulds Spinney, and Boris vonRichter.
The 1945-46 version of the Saint Johns consisted of the nucleus of the original team, many of whom were back from the war, bolstered by new recruits. Costello was again at the helm, with the assistance of Covey, and the team immediately resumed its championship style. They defeated Woodstock and then Moncton CYO to capture the provincial title, and handily knocked off Glace Bay to win the Maritime championship. The Saint Johns, with only six players due to work commitments, lost the national final to Ottawa, but Rip Seely was the outstanding player scoring 41 points in the two games. Players joining the team in 1945-46 included Ralph Costello, Jim Fox, George Johnston, William MacDonald, Cecil McLeod, William Thorne, Ken Vallis and Lloyd Whelton.
Those familiar with the sport during this era considered the 1948-49 Saint Johns as the best team of the entire 10-year period. Three of the originals, Doug Costello, Norman (Rip) Seely, and Ralph Fitzpatrick were still with them, and several new players were recruited. The Saint Johns won the Maine-New Brunswick league title with an impressive 26 wins and 11 losses record, and again captured the Maritime championship, setting the stage for yet another attempt at a national title. However, the Saint Johns came up short, losing to the Montreal YMHA.
The highlight of the 1948-49 season was the five-game series played against the Philadelphia Coloured Giants in January and March, 1949. The Giants were a professional team that played exhibition games throughout Canada and the United States. The games drew huge crowds and the Saint Johns did not disappoint, winning the final game 73-60 and the series three games to two. Additions to the roster that season included Dick Canavan, William Harrington, Yvon Lacasse, Al Ludka, Burnie Ralston, David Stothart, and Bernie Ough (manager).
These three teams were inducted into the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Kathy Meagher, executive director, N. B. Sports Hall of Fame, Fredericton, 506-453-8930 (w); 506-457-9111 (h).
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