By Martin Cleary
When you think of Carleton University sporting icons, certain names quickly come to mind across the board.
There are athletes like Pat Stoqua (football-basketball) and Waneek Horn-Miller (water polo), coach Dave Smart (basketball) and builder Keith Harris.
There are many other significant Ravens who have represented the university at high levels over the past seven decades. But one must not forget the “little guys,” who also have made major contributions.
Meet Richard Bue, who left a positive impact on varsity sports programs for men’s and women’s hockey and football as well as a variety of other areas surrounding the Ravens’ athletics scene.
On Friday night, the Carleton men’s hockey team and the university’s Department of Recreation and Athletics were scheduled to honour Bue with a special presentation before the Ravens’ OUA game against the York University Lions.
For three decades, Bue, 43, held many roles at Carleton, whether he was a student earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree, an assistant coach, a video coach, an equipment manager or a variety of roles with the Tuck Shop or Carleton Camps.
Bue first connected with Carleton when he was a 15-year-old student at St. Pius X High School. He served as the Ravens’ assistant equipment manager for the football squad.
That experience opened the door for Bue. Working with Wayne Baird, he held jobs in the university’s athletic Tuck Shop, was part of the Carleton Camps program and worked in a number of other areas as well.
But at age 20, Bue was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. He endured nine months of chemotherapy treatment.
“Every week was hell, it really was,” Bue told Global News in an interview on Nov. 23, 2016. “But when I came to the rink, the outside world was forgotten.”
Cancer free, Bue encourages men to act quickly if they suspect they have a health issue.
Bue and Baird joined forces to become the coaches of the inaugural Carleton women’s hockey program for the 2001-02 season. As an assistant coach, Bue was with the team for three years, when his assignment ended after the 2003-04 season.
His work helped to build the base of the women’s hockey program, which allowed it to secure an intercollegiate regular-season schedule in the OUA.
After serving as an assistant coach with the Ottawa West Golden Knights boys’ U18 B team from 2005-08, he returned to Carleton as the equipment manager for the next two seasons (2008-10).
From 2010-13, he landed another community coaching job as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators boys’ U18 and U16 teams.
But during the 2012-13 OUA East Conference campaign, Bue also became the video coach for the Carleton men’s hockey team, which finished second in the regular season at 19-7-2.
For the next three seasons (2013-16), he had the dual role of video coach and assistant coach for one of the top teams in the OUA East. In that span, the Ravens posted a combined regular-season record of 81 wins, 24 losses and five ties.
Bue’s skills as a video coach were then recognized at the professional level and he signed with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League in 2016 for the first of six consecutive seasons. A year later, Bue was linked with former Carleton men’s head coach Marty Johnston, who became an assistant coach with the Moose.
Bue has returned to Ottawa and regularly supports the Ravens’ varsity sports programs.
“Richard has been a true community builder, his impact has expanded far beyond the Ice House (Ravens’ hockey venue), creating friendships and making a positive impact on all members of the community,” said a Carleton Ravens press release this week.
“Richard’s positive attitude, despite the challenges of life with cancer, is a shining example of perseverance to members of the Carleton community. His strength through his journey and others-first approach to life has continued to make him a role model for staff, student-athletes and all members of the Carleton community, who have been fortunate enough to meet him.”
Here’s a look at what’s happening with some of the Carleton University Ravens and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees’ men’s and women’s varsity teams this weekend:
CARLETON UNIVERSITY RAVENS
Men’s hockey – Not ranked by U Sports, scheduled to play York at home on Friday, seventh place in OUA East Conference at 9-8-3-1.
Women’s hockey – Not ranked, scheduled to play at Montreal on Friday, playing Ottawa at home at the Ice House on Saturday at 7 p.m., tied for fourth in RSEQ at 5-10-1.
Men’s basketball – Not ranked, playing at Algoma on Saturday, fourth place in OUA East Conference at 8-6.
Women’s basketball – Ranked No. 2, playing at Algoma on Saturday, first place in OUA East Conference at 13-1.
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA GEE-GEES
Men’s hockey – Ranked No. 6, scheduled to play at McGill on Friday, playing York on Saturday at 3 p.m. at uOttawa Minto Sports Complex, third place in OUA East Conference at 15-5-1-0.
Women’s hockey – Not ranked, scheduled to play against Concordia at uOttawa Minto Sports Complex, playing at Carleton on Saturday at Ice House at 7 p.m., tied for fourth in RSEQ at 4-9-3.
Men’s basketball – Ranked No. 1, scheduled to play at Algoma on Friday, first place in OUA East at 13-1.
Women’s basketball – Ranked No. 10, scheduled to play at Algoma on Friday, second place in OUA East at 12-2.
Women’s volleyball – Not ranked, scheduled to play UQAC at Montpetit Hall on Friday, playing at UQTR on Sunday, fifth place in RSEQ at 8-6.
Martin Cleary has written about amateur sports for over 52 years. A past Canadian sportswriter of the year and Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement in Sport Media honouree, Martin retired from full-time work at the Ottawa Citizen in 2012, but continued to write a bi-weekly “High Achievers” column for the Citizen/Sun.
When the pandemic struck, Martin created the High Achievers “Stay-Safe Edition” to provide some positive news during tough times, via his Twitter account at first and now here at OttawaSportsPages.ca.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.