Six new inductees to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame have been announced.
The Class of 2025 includes a tireless sport educator and builder, national champion athletes and teams, an Olympic medal hockey player, and one of the most eminent NHL coaches alive.
Sylvio Bourque
Sylvio Bourque of Grande-Digue was once Canada’s most decorated arm wrestler.
He boasts 26 World Armwrestling Federation championship medals, including six gold.
Bourque founded Grande-Digue’s first 15K race and was inducted into the Canadian Armwrestling Hall of Fame in 2021.
Rick Bowness
Rick Bowness of Moncton recently retired as the NHL’s longest-serving coach, with 2,726 games behind the bench.
He played nine NHL seasons between the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.
Bowness was the first coach of the AHL Moncton Hawks and the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets, with a recent Jack Adams Award nomination for NHL Coach of the Year.
George Chase
George Chase is a marksmanship champion and coach from the Saint John-area town of Grand Bay-Westfield.
Chase won the Grand Aggregate title and competed in 23 national championships.
The two-time Canadian Full Bore Champion also coached provincial and national teams and was inducted into the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association Hall of Fame.
Saint John Alpines
The Saint John Alpines became a New Brunswick baseball powerhouse from 1993 to 2002, winning a total of five provincial titles.
The franchise peaked when they won the 2001 provincial and Canadian championships, winning silver the following year.
During those two seasons, the team placed first in the league and was honoured in Saint John’s Hall of Fame along with their head coach Mike Skidd.
Frank ‘Red’ Synott
Frank ‘Red’ Synott of Chatham captained the U.S. hockey team to a silver medal in the 1920 Olympics.
It earned him the distinction of being the first New Brunswick-born Olympian and Olympic medalist.
Synott was a multi-sport athlete, playing baseball, hockey, and rugby for the Chatham Ironmen. He would later serve as a referee at the collegiate and amateur level in the U.S
Judy Astle
Judy Astle has more than 40 years as an educator and administrator devoted to golf, athletics and basketball.
She has served as president of Golf NB and currently presides over the Old Mill Pond Golf Club.
Astle was named Volunteer of the Year by Golf NB and Sport NB and received the Order of New Brunswick in 2018.
The 55th induction gala will take place at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John on May 31. Tickets will go on sale in early December.
