Mount’s Guay, Capuano, Snow to be inducted to RIHHOH
The Mount St. Charles hockey dynasty was so prolific and produced so many future Division I college and National Hockey League stars that for the third straight year former Mounties headline the newest class of inductees into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame.
Former Mount, University of Maine and NHL standout goalie Garth Snow, 1984 Olympian and current Mount assistant coach Pual Guay and one of the most skilled forwards in the school’s history, David Capuano, are three of the seven members of the Class of 2020 that was unveiled Saturday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
“It’s a great honor and I’m absolutely thrilled,” Guay said last week after a Mount game at Adelard Arena. “There are a bunch of tremendous players on that list and for me to be included is a tremendous honor.”
Joining the three Mounties at the Enshrinement Celebration at Lincoln’s Twin River Events Center on Aug. 28 are former legendary La Salle coach Lou Cimini, former Providence College standout player and coach Tim Army, former La Salle and Boston University goalie Jack Ferreira and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Jim Fullerton.
Snow, who is already a member of the Mount St. Charles and Maine Halls of Fame, was a late bloomer according to former Mount St. Charles coach Dave Belisle. Snow didn’t play varsity in his first two seasons, but he produced a 50-7-1 record in his final two seasons, capturing a pair of state titles.
Belisle said the only reason Mount’s historic state title win streak was extended in 1987 was because the presence of Snow between the pipes.
“Garth is one of those kids who really had to work hard and he developed really late,” Belisle said. “He was always a big kid, but he started to become an outstanding goalie in his senior year. He always listened, but his body grew too big and too fast. Finally, in his senior year, his body and his mind came together. He won us the state championship in 1987 because Hendricken had the better team.”
The Wrentham native went on to lead the Black Bears to the 1993 National championship before playing in the Olympics the following winter. Snow went on to play 12 seasons in the NHL with five franchises. His best year was in 2002-03 when he had a 2.71 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in 43 games.
“I always knew Garth was a competitor and not a quitter,” Belisle said. “He didn’t like to lose and he wouldn’t accept defeat. You can tell that by his career because he played so long in the NHL. He accepted the role of back-up with the intent that, ‘I can still start, too.’”
Snow has also given back to the hockey program, as he funded the refurbishment of Mount’s locker room in 2011. When the RIIL team was forced to move its locker room because of the presence of the MSC Hockey Academy, Snow funded the new locker room that was built from scratch under the Adelard stands.
“He’s given back to the program and he’s always been loyal to my father,” Belisle said. “He’d give the shirt off his back – he’s very loyal.”
Guay is the most recognizable name for Blackstone Valley residents because for over a decade, he was Bill and Dave Belisle’s assistant coach. He, however, is also one of the best players in not only Mount St. Charles history, but also Providence College history.
The Woonsocket native was a part of four state championship teams and then selected with the 118th pick by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1981 NHL Draft. Before playing in the NHL, Guay set a PC record with 34 goals in his sophomore season. He then went on to play in the 1984 Olympic games.
“As a player, Paul certainly deserves it because he’s accomplished at every level what you want to accomplish,” Belisle said. “He was a dominant player in high school, he carried that over to Providence College as a freshman where he put up some big numbers that are still standing today. He played on the Olympic team and had a nine-year professional career. This is well deserved.”
He went on to play 117 NHL games over eight seasons for four teams. He scored 11 goals and 23 assists. Guay, a Pawtucket firefighter who lives in Lincoln, joined the Mount coaching staff last decade and guided the squad to six state titles.
“When he came back to us, it was like he never missed a beat,” Belisle said. “He’s always bled red, white and blue. He loves Mount St. Charles.”
There have been plenty of talented players who have played at Adelard Arena, but few had the natural talent of Capuano, a Cranston native. Capuano spent the early part of his Mount career learning how to blend his exceptional talent with Bill Belise’s system and eventually went on to earn a pair of all-state honors.
“Dave Cap was blessed with an incredible amount of talent,” Belisle said. “He’d be the first one to tell you that my father curtailed that talent and put it into a team aspect. He was probably the most talented kid we’ve had here along with [1983 No. 1 pick] Brian Lawton when it comes to pure talent. Look what he’s done. He took that discipline he learned here and he and his brother [2019 RIHHOH inductee] Jack put Maine back on the map.”
Capuano was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 25th pick in the 1986 NHL Draft. Before embarking on a five-year NHL career with four teams, Capuano became Maine’s first two-time All-American and was twice a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He scored 85 points as a sophomore and led the Black Bears to their first two Frozen Four appearances.
“I’m so proud of David because when you’re told you’re the best player, you’re coddled all the way through,” Belisle said of the current Cranston city treasurer. “When he got here, it was like ‘You’re going to play shift after shift after shift.’ It took a while for him to adjust, but David on a bad shift is better than 90 percent of players on a good shift because he’s so talented.”