Hometown recognition
UNB men’s hockey coach credits strong work ethic he learned at a young age
Community of Bedeque and Area presents certificate and plaque acknowledging achievements of UNB men’s hockey coach, Gardiner MacDougall.
It turned out to be more than just a simple mother-son dinner. UNB men’s hockey coach and Bedeque native Gardiner MacDougall was anticipating a quiet trip home to visit his mother, Evelyn MacDougall.
When MacDougall, who resides in New Maryland, N.B., and Evelyn arrived at the former Callbeck’s building in Bedeque, Evelyn told him they needed to enter through a different door than normal as he was unaware the restaurant was closed on this particular day. It was there the Bedeque and area council greeted the MacDougalls for an unexpected presentation.
“It’s always pretty special to be recognized, and probably even more so by your own community,” said MacDougall. “I have to give my mom a hat trick for that.”
Council chair Ron Rayner presented MacDougall with a plaque and certificate acknowledging his coaching accomplishments, which includes winning six national and Atlantic conference championships in 17 years at UNB. The certificate features the better every single time (BEST) motto MacDougall emphasizes.
“Being brought up in a smaller spot you get a passion for work,” said MacDougall. “Everything you had you had to earn, and there was nothing for free. That’s really a lifelong lesson that has really helped me in my career as a hockey coach.
“If you take care of the work ethic and you add enthusiasm to it, a lot of the times you can get positive results. That was instilled at an early age growing up in Bedeque. . .
“You didn’t have a choice, that’s what (work hard) you did.”
Memories
MacDougall noted he was
“really lucky” to be raised in a community like Bedeque, adding there were “lots of opportunities” to pursue sports growing up.
“One benefit of being smaller is you always had a chance to be on the team and playing key roles,” said MacDougall. “You get a passion for the game.
“What it did was it carried over not in sport, but what you did in life. My passion was coaching and I was a physical education teacher a few years before I got into coaching. You always bring that work ethic and passion to whatever you do.”
MacDougall’s leadership abilities were evident at a young age as he never hesitated to jump right into helping organize teams.
“If you were going to get together to play sports, someone had to take charge,” said MacDougall. “If you have initiative in this day and age, you can go a long ways.”
A self-described “rink rat” growing up, MacDougall spent
many hours playing, coaching and keeping league stats at the Bedeque Area Recreation Centre, which hosts an annual
hockey tournament every spring in memory of his late father, Charlie MacDougall.
“You get a passion for being
around the rink,” said MacDougall. “If you ask my wife (Lee), it’s probably never left me.
“They always say if you find something you really enjoy and have a passion for, you will never work a day in your life. I have been really fortunate to have a career in hockey.”