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Gene Delvecchio (Troy, 1952-1988)
Mr. Gene Delvecchio grew
up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940's where
he attended Utrechens High School and St.
Francis High School. Mr. Delvecchio played
goalie for the Brooklyn Armor Torpedoes of
the New York Metro League, which entered
teams in the Eastern Hockey League. The
Torpedo's home games were played in Madison
Square Garden.
Gene went to St. Lawrence
University in 1948 where he played hockey as
a goalie for four years.
During those years he played in every
game and to this day holds the record for
most saves in a period (23) and most saves
in a game (65). These records were recorded in a game against Toronto in
1951. Captain his senior year, he was
elected as an All-American by the National
Sportswriter's Association and has since
been inducted into the St. Lawrence
University's Hall of Fame.
Following college, Gene
and a group of college players were asked to
travel to Japan to play Japanese teams in
Tokyo and other large Japanese cities to
determine if Japan was ready to compete in
the upcoming Olympics.
By 1952 Gene accepted a
position with the Troy City Schools as a
Physical Education Teacher and Hockey
Coach, later becoming the Athletic
Director. He remained in those positions
until 1977 and worked part time until 1988.
He started the Troy High School hockey program as well
as the Capital District High School Hockey
League where he was President and Section
Coordinator for many years. His teams won
four League Championships and saw many new teams
enter the league and he has been inducted into
the Capital District High School Hockey
League's Hall of Fame.
The Capital District High
School Hockey League's Championship Cup is
named the "Delvecchio Cup" in his honor.
Gene
was inducted into the New York State High
School Hockey Hall of Fame March of 2000 for
dedication to high school hockey, for his
love of the game and as a truly great coach
who has contributed noteworthy service to
New York State high school hockey.
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