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Greater Saint John Sports Hall of Fame welcomes six inductees

On behalf of the Greater Saint John Sports Hall of Fame Committee

Membership in the Greater Saint John Sports Hall of Fame will grow by six this year.

Rick Gosselin, Cynthia Johnston, the late Bruce Melanson, Malcolm (Seward) Neilsen, Charlie Sullivan Jr., and Kevin Watson will be inducted into the shrine in November.

“Our region is fortunate to have had such high-calibre people representing us on the national and international sporting stages,” said Aaron Kennedy, chair of the Greater Saint John Sports Hall of Fame Committee. “We look forward to seeing the names of these six individuals on the walls at TD Station.”

Rick Gosselin was New Brunswick’s first fencing champion in 1970, and he twice represented the province at the Canada Winter Games. He found his calling as a coach, guiding the provincial fencing team at four Canada Winter Games.

Cynthia Johnston competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as a member of the Canadian Women’s Basketball team. She was recognized by U SPORTS as one of the country’s top 100 women basketball players of the century.

Bruce Melanson, who died in 1985 at the age of 18, remains the highest-drafted Saint Johner in NHL history, after being selected 41st overall by the four-time Stanley Cup-champion New York Islanders in 1984.

Malcolm (Seward) Neilsen was an on-court basketball official for 52 years. Behind the scenes, he nearly single-handedly reorganized the structure and function of the New Brunswick Association of Approved Basketball Officials.

Charlie Sullivan Jr. was a member of the 1988 World Junior Curling Champions. He was part of Team New Brunswick that finished second at the 1990 Brier, the province’s best-ever finish in the national men’s championship.

Kevin Watson’s true calling was as a boxing coach and administrator, even though he also excelled in the ring as a competitor. He was an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Championships in 1995.

This year’s induction ceremony will be held November 6. Information on tickets will be released soon.

The Greater Saint John Sports Hall of Fame is located in the lobby of TD Station.