News Release

MONCTON (GNB) – The names of six new members who will be inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame were announced today.

“On behalf of the province, we extend our congratulations to the 2018 New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister John Ames. “Your achievements in your respective area of sports and athletics are the result of years of discipline and an inspiration to New Brunswickers everywhere. Our government is firmly committed to improving the quality of life for all New Brunswickers and is proud to recognize these exemplary New Brunswick athletes and sport builders.”

The new members will join the hall during an induction ceremony on June 9 at the Moncton Coliseum. More than 700 people have been inducted since the hall was established in 1970.

“We are incredibly proud to announce the inspiring athletes and sport builders being inducted in 2018,” said Clem Tremblay, chair of the hall’s board of governors. “These individuals showcase the talent our province has to offer. We are also very excited to recognize the city of Moncton as the host community for our 49^th annual induction gala.”

The new members are:

The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus hockey team, 1989-90

The Aigles Bleus won the Canadian university hockey crown in 1990. Winning 16 of their 21 games during the regular season, they won the Université de Moncton’s seventh Atlantic University Sport championship and secured a spot in the national championship. Two members of the team, Danny Gauvin and Sylvain Lemay, were named to the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union all-star team, and their coach, Len Doucet, received the Father George Kehoe Memorial Trophy for the Atlantic University Athletic Association coach of the year. The team was inducted into the Moncton Sports Wall of Fame in 2011.

Team members include: David Bastille, Mathieu Béliveau, Marc Bernier, Alain Bissonnette, Éric Boisvert, Stéphane Briand, Pierre Cliche, Réjean Després, Dany Gauvin, Claude Gosselin, Alain Harvey, Claude Lagacé, Martin Lamoureux, Dany Landry, Jean-Claude Latour, Michel LeBlanc DesNeiges, Sylvain Lemay, Richard Linteau, Don McGrath, Louis Melanson, Serge Pépin, Steve Salter, Serge Thériault, Len Doucet (coach), Paul Belliveau (assistant coach), Pierre Giard (assistant coach), Louis Guay (assistant coach) and Charles Pellerin (manager).

Al Charuk

Al Charuk of Moncton was ranked among the 50 greatest football players on a list compiled by Sportsnet. As a conference all-star at Acadia University, he accumulated more than 100 points in a single season and set three league records while playing multiple positions for the team. Charuk was a first-round draft pick of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts in 1975. In 1980, he led the league in yards per catch and was nominated for the Schenley Award, which is given annually to the league’s top Canadian. Charuk was inducted into the Acadia University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Moncton Sports Wall of Fame in 1995.

Master Chung

Master Chung of Moncton is the founder and director of the renowned Chung Won Institute of Taekwondo, the first of its kind in the Greater Moncton area. He is credited with bringing organized taekwondo training and competition to New Brunswick and eastern Quebec. He coached and trained several New Brunswickers who went on to become national champions. As a master instructor, a ninth-degree black belt and an honourary life member of the WTF Taekwondo Association of Canada, Chung’s legacy in the sport will continue to inspire future generations.   

Bob Deap

Bob Deap of Scotchtown is a respected coach and administrator with over 45 years of motivating and encouraging future leaders in the sport of hockey. Under his direction, the Minto High School team won the A, AA and AAA provincial championships, which is a feat that has never been duplicated and was featured on Hockey Night in Canada and ABC’s Wide World of Sports. After his retirement from coaching, he continued to serve as chair on several provincial and national hockey organizations. Deap was inducted into the Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame in 2007 and is a four-time inductee in the Minto Sports Wall of Fame (2011-2013 and 2017).

Bill Phillips (1857-1900)

Bill Phillips of Saint John is credited as being the first New Brunswicker to play Major League Baseball in 1879 with the Cleveland Blues. Before playing in the International League with the Hamilton Hams, Phillips would become the first New Brunswicker to hit a home run in 1880. He is also the first Canadian with more than 1,000 career hits, recording 1,130 hits in 1,038 games. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.

Rob Stevenson

Rob Stevenson of Fredericton is a highly decorated equestrian specializing in eventing, and was named the high performance chair for the Canadian eventing team in 2016. Stevenson got his start at the Fredericton Pony Club, competing in local events including dressage, cross-country and show jumping. With his horse, Carcroft Tiger, he won the Canadian Young Riders Championships in 1988 and the bronze medal at the North American Young Riders Championship the following year. With his new partner, Risky Business, he qualified for the Olympics, placing second at the US Fall Championship in 1991. Stevenson finished as the top Canadian rider in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He was inducted into the Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame in 2010.

Tickets for the induction gala may be purchased at the Moncton Coliseum box office or the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, 503 Queen St., Fredericton, or by calling 506-453-3747.

The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization located in the Historic Garrison District in downtown Fredericton. It functions as a seasonal museum with an interactive virtual sports system, more than 250 original portraits and numerous exhibits.