Coach Shawn Walsh
The ice hockey program was failing at the University of Maine before Coach Shawn
Walsh took over the team in 1984, the first year the team started playing for Hockey
East. He was the coach who built the team into what they are today. University of
Maine won their first national championship in the 1992-1993 season with a 42-1-2
season.
Coach Shawn Walsh coached for 17 seasons and the team had overall statistics of
399-215-44. He led his boys to seven Frozen Four appearences. Walsh was known as one
of the greatest coaches of all time, and was recognized by the NHL.
Shawn Walsh is not only an amazing coach but an amazing person. His players
respected him as a coach and sometimes even like a father. In 2000, Walsh battled a
rare cancer for 15 months.
"I believe everyone is here for a reason,
says Walsh. That’s one of the reasons why I’m carrying my fight public.
Cancer is a word that scares people, but it doesn’t have to end your life, it
doesn’t change your friends or your zest for life. I’m very appreciative
of my lot in life."
What walsh thought had been severe back pain was actually a canercerous kidney. His
brother donated stem cells so they would fight off the cancerous cells, however it
shut down his immune system making it easy for infections to get in. On September 10,
2001, Walsh was having a difficult time breathing and he checked himself into the
hospital, remaining optimistic he couldn't wait to get back to the ice and his boys
even if he had to sit on the bench for his 18th season. The first practice of the
season for the UMaine hockey team was Tuesday, Sept. 25,2001. Walsh died in Eastern
Maine Medical Center in the afternoon on Monday Sept. 24, 2001.
"Shawn was one of the most skillful coaches I have ever known," said Maine
athletic director Suzanne Tyler. "His ability to get the most out of his
student-athletes is unsurpassed. Perhaps more remarkable was how positive he
approached everything in his life, including his illness. Despite his great odds, his
pain and the distress his treatments caused, he maintained a sense of humor and an
amazing drive to regain his health."
Tim Whitehead was hired as assitant coach when
Shawn Walsh was in and out of the hospital. He was soon named head coach. No one knew
if this season was going to take off. Not only the players but the campus and so many
people locally and nationally were devastated by Walsh's death. Walsh was the man who
turned the hockey team around, he was not only a coach but a loving father of a young
family and his hockey players. Peter Metcalf, captain of 2001-2002 announced that the
season was dedicated to Shawn Walsh. The team placed 2nd in Nationals that year, only
losing to Minnesota.
"To say he will be missed is an understatement. To say that he will be replaced
is not accurate. His commitment and loyalty to the University of Maine was
impressive. His loss leaves a tremendous void in UMaine athletics," says
Tyler
1955-2001
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