Funeral celebrates Walsh’s life 1,000 gather in Bangor to remember coach

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BANGOR – University of Maine hockey coach Shawn Walsh always cherished a thorough, top-notch performance from his teams.

It was only fitting that his funeral would match one of those performances, as approximately 1,000 paid tribute to him in a two-hour Mass and celebration of his plentiful life at Bangor’s St. John’s Catholic Church on Saturday.

Walsh, who was in his 18th year behind the Maine bench, died after a 15-month struggle with kidney cancer last Monday. He was 46.

The two-hour service featured emotional recollections of his vast contributions to hockey, the university and the state and his ability to make a positive impact on the lives of his players, coaches and anyone who knew him.

Among his more memorable traits was his Irish wit, which allowed him to swap one-liners with the best of them.

Humor was ever-present during the tribute speeches about him.

Even the Rev. Gerard Gosselin of St. John’s, who presided over the Mass, got into the act.

“I’m sure Shawn is with God. He’s probably telling him how things should be run or how to improve his golf swing,” said Gosselin.

Longtime friend Ted Sator, who considered Walsh his best friend for the past 30 years, recalled meeting Walsh for the first time when Walsh was with the Bowling Green (Ohio) High School team.

“I was the exception. I liked him right away,” said Sator, former coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

He went on to tell how Walsh’s intense desire to win paid dividends for a local softball team that was about to play the defending city champs. The game had all the markings of a blowout in favor of the city champs.

“Shawn was the self-appointed manager for our meager Dairy Queen softball team. Shawn went out and recruited six former Bowling Green [baseball] players who played pro ball. The final score: Dairy Queen 21, City Champs 2.”

He also poked fun at the fact Walsh had his final coaching record altered due to the NCAA troubles that resulted in the forfeit of several wins.

Officially, Walsh compiled a 399-215-44 record.

“Shawn celebrated his 300th coaching victory four different times,” chided Sator.

Former Bear captain Brendan Walsh recalled how Walsh used him to recruit a player.

“He told me we had to land this guy and that he wanted to study forestry,” said Walsh, a native of the urban sprawl known as Dorchester, Mass. “He said after telling him about the arena, the team and the campus, tell him how much I loved being in the forestry program.

“I said ‘Coach, I’m a com [communications] major and I’ve never been in a forest in my life. He said, ‘Tell him your roommate is a forestry major and how much he likes the program,'” said Walsh as the congregation howled.

When Walsh informed his coach that his roommates weren’t forestry majors, the coach said, “Tell him how nice the trees are in Maine.”

Brendan Walsh also turned serious and paid homage to the coach who gave him a second chance after he left Boston University.

“I loved Coach. He was one of the guys. He loved to talk hockey. He loved being controversial. He was a true maverick,” said Walsh. “He was one great guy. He had a huge impact on my life as well as other lives.”

Thirteen-year Maine recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Grant Standbrook talked about how Walsh “seized each day” and lived life with an “unharnessed zest.

“He lived a long, remarkable life in a short period of time,” said Standbrook, who quoted verses from Rudyard Kipling books.

Standbrook also discussed Walsh’s remarkable organizational skills and how he would have made a great CEO.

“He would have been successful at any profession,” said Standbrook, who added that Walsh’s deep love for his wife of three years, Lynne Vickery, gave his life balance.

He also said Walsh taught everyone around him the value of persistence, mental toughness and a never-quit attitude.

Former Bear Bob Corkum, who is currently playing for the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, said Walsh “loved challenges” and was the consummate “problem solver.”

He also reinforced Standbrook’s assertion of how Lynne Vickery changed his life.

“He had found something bigger than the game: family,” said Corkum, who added that their conversations in recent years were primarily about their families.

But he never lost his passion for his program, either.

“Maine hockey is Shawn Walsh,” said Corkum, who also said his former coach would want the program to continue to flourish without him.

“Maine hockey wants for no man. It’s up to us to move forward,” said an emotional Corkum.

All of his former and current players talked about how Walsh was much more than just a coach and how he was instrumental in their development as people, not just hockey players.

“He was the type of person who made a difference in your personal life,” said current captain Peter Metcalf. “He made us better people.”

They also talked about how he disliked self-pity and negativism.

Two of Walsh’s favorite phrases were ‘”Turn a negative into a positive” and “If you don’t have the best of everything, do the best with what you have.”

“He was a winner,” said Metcalf.

Bangor’s Alan Miller, one of Walsh’s closest friends, said when he first met Walsh it was on the golf course at the Penobscot Valley Country Club with Bill Linscott and the late Garrie Murray.

“He shook my hand and said, ‘Hi. I’m Shawn Walsh. What’s your handicap and how much money do you want to play for? Unlike Ted Sator, I didn’t like him the first time I met him,” chided Miller, who ran off a variety of adjectives describing Walsh.

“Focused, driven, dismissive, brash, arrogant, organized, motivated, cocky and cheap,” joked Miller.

He quipped that in the year Walsh was out of hockey due to a school-imposed suspension for his role in NCAA violations, he worked for Chip Hutchins at Alternative Energy Inc. and “I still haven’t figured out what he did. Director of corporate golf, I think.”

But Miller, Walsh’s brother Kevin, his sister Patti Walsh Widerman and his father-in-law, John Vickery Sr., all talked about his uniqueness.

“He was one of a kind,” said Miller.

“He inspires us to do the best we can,” said Patti. “He always strived to make us do our best.”

“Thank you, Shawn. You’re my hero,” said Kevin, concluding his eulogy, in which he stressed Shawn’s belief that determination and persistence compensated for any deficiencies.