Jim Larin
Sport: Multisports
Year Inducted: 1996
Jim Larin was born and raised in Cornwall, and attended St. Lawrence H.S., where he played varsity football and hockey for the Saints.
After high school, he was offered a hockey scholarship to prestigious Brown University.
Jim played in the old City Junior Hockey League and with the Cornwall Intermediate and Senior “B” teams before becoming coach of the Cornwall Royals at the age of 25 in 1964.
In his first four years as coach, Larin coached three CJHL Championship teams. During that time, his teams went on to the Eastern Canada Memorial Cup Semi-Finals twice, and once to the quarter-finals.
Jim left the Royals in 1968, and became coach of the St. Lawrence College Roadrunners. He went back to the Royals when they became charter members of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and midway through 1970-71, he was promoted to General Manager, where he proved himself in two famous deals. In 1972, he acquired goaltender Richard Brodeur from the Verdun Maple Leafs (Brodeur was named the 1972 Memorial MVP), and traded Pierre Duguay to the Quebec Remparts for Defenceman Yvon Blais and $5000 (a huge amount of money at the time).
Jim also loved boat racing, and won a Canadian Championship in the Sportsman Class. He was also responsible for bringing a regatta of high-powered race boats to Cornwall.
In 1970, he won the coveted Jacques Richard Memorial Trophy as Cornwall’s Outstanding Sports Personality.
He loved to fish and hunt, and was a founding member and chairman of the Cornwall Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and formed the Ile Simard Duck Club. He was a member of both the Glendale and Lancaster Fish and Game Clubs.
Jim was the ultimate optimist and had the ability to give people hope and enthusiasm.
Jim died in 1994 while playing hockey with his employees, and will be remembered for always looking on the bright side.