The names and official portraits of the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 were unveiled during the February 22 American Hockey League game between the Providence Bruins and Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence.

Among the 10 inductees-elect was city native and legendary Los Angeles Kings trainer Pete Demers. A 1961 East Providence High School graduate and former Townie hockey player, Demers is also an honored member in the trainers wing of both the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in Minnesota.

The 2019 R.I. Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony and dinner will be held on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln. 

The 2019 class of inductees includes players, executives, educators and coaches, many of whom played pivotal roles in the growth and continued popularity of the game in Rhode Island.  

The inductees were elected from a list of 30 nominees culled from a pool of over 175 qualified candidates, which the hall has diligently researched and profiled over the past two and a half years.

“Several members of this new class had the credentials to be in the hall’s 16-member charter class, which was inducted in September 2018,’’ said Vin Cimini, chairman of the R.I. Hockey Hall of Fame. “This is a diverse group that spans the entire history of the game in Rhode Island, from Malcolm Greene Chace, who brought ice hockey here from Canada in the 1890s, to Brian Boucher, a first round draft pick who analyzes NHL games for a national TV audience.”

The class is highlighted by the election of the three “fathers” of the game here in Rhode Island: Chace of Central Falls, who helped start collegiate play in the U.S.; Brother Adelard Beaudet of Mount St. Charles, one of the creators of the interscholastic game; and Johnston sports entrepreneur, Judge James E. Dooley, founder of the Providence Reds, the state’s first professional team.

The Hall of Fame Selection Committee comprises nine qualified and highly respected individuals – sports and hockey historians, broadcast journalists and sports executives – each carefully chosen for their expertise, local hockey knowledge, integrity, objectivity and impartiality.

In alphabetical order, the 10 new inductees are:

Brother Adelard Beaudet, S.C.: A founder and coach of the iconic Mount St. Charles Academy team, Brother Adelard helped organize and nurture high school hockey in Rhode Island after emigrating from Quebec in 1911.

Malcolm Greene Chace: A world class tennis and ice polo player in the 1890s, Chace eventually switched to ice hockey and introduced and promoted the game in New England and the Northeast. 

Brian Boucher: Selected in the first round of NHL Draft in 1995 by the Philadelphia Flyers, the Woonsocket native and former Mount St. Charles goalie played 11 seasons in the NHL. He holds the league record with five straight shutouts and 332 consecutive scoreless minutes during the 2003-04 season.

Brian Burke: Born in Providence, Burke grew up in Minnesota. He returned to Rhode Island to attend Providence College, where he was captain of the hockey team. He has had a three-decade career as an NHL executive, building a Stanley Cup winner with the Anaheim Ducks in 2004.

Jack Capuano: An All-American defenseman at Maine, the Cranston native turned to coaching after playing for four NHL teams. He coached the New York Islanders for seven season and is now the associated coach of the Florida Panthers.

Pete Demers: After starting out with the Providence Reds, Demers went on to spend 34 seasons as trainer for the Los Angeles Kings. He has a plaque in both the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.

Judge James Dooley: A leading sports figure in Rhode Island, Dooley was the founder and owner of the Providence Reds, as well as a founder of the Canadian-American (Can-Am) Hockey League, which later evolved into the American Hockey League.

Tom Eccleston: Regarded as one of the game’s great teachers and motivators in Rhode Island, Eccleston won multiple state championships as the coach at Burrillville High School. He coached for eight seasons at Providence College and led the Friars to their first ECAC title and the NCAA final four in 1964.

David Emma: A three-time All-Stater at Bishop Hendricken and two-time All-American at Boston College, Emma won the Hobey Baker Award in 1991, the only Rhode Islander to do so. The pride of Cranston played for the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics.

Margaret Degidio ‘Digit’ Murphy: After a great career as a player at Cornell, the Cranston native won 318 games as Brown’s women’s coach. She has been a tireless advocate for women’s hockey and women’s sports for two decades on the national and international stage.

Tickets for the Sept. 6 induction ceremonies at the Twin River Event Center are on sale now on the R.I. Hockey Hall of Fame website rihhof.com.

Hockey Hall of Fame banquet tickets on sale

The 2019 R.I. Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony and dinner will be held on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln. Among the class of 10 inductees is East Providence native and legendary Los Angeles Kings trainer Pete Demers The 2019 class of inductees includes players, executives, educators and coaches, many of whom played pivotal roles in the growth and continued popularity of the game in Rhode Island. The inductees were elected from a list of 30 nominees culled from a pool of over 175 qualified candidates, which the hall has diligently researched and profiled over the past two and a half years. Tickets for the September 6 induction ceremonies at the Twin River Event Center are on sale now on the R.I. Hockey Hall of Fame website rihhof.com.