The fifth annual RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner is set for Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport. The Voice of the Colonials and a 2012 inductee into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame, Chris Shovlin, will serve as emcee to induct 10 former student-athletes who make up the 27th annual class.
In a special series leading up to the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Joe Bendel takes a closer look at each of the inductees.
Moon Township, Pa. – Nathan Longpre skated onto the ice at the famed Saddledome in Calgary, proudly sporting his Vancouver Canucks jersey. Flames stars such as Olli Jokinen and Mikko Kiprusoff immediately caught his attention moments before the puck was dropped.
"I was lining up against guys who I used to watch play," Longpre said of that NHL exhibition game in the summer of 2011. "It was quite an experience."
Though Longpre never played in an NHL regular season game, he owns the distinction of being the first
Robert Morris University grad to compete at the NHL level. He has since retired after seven professional seasons in the AHL, Norway and Denmark.
Still, his NHL memories will never fade.
"I guess you could say I made my dreams come true," said Longpre, who is training to become a Toronto firefighter, while also coaching youth hockey. "I got the chance to be on the big stage."
At Robert Morris from 2007-11, Longpre staged one of the great careers in program history. The talented center graduated as the Colonials' all-time leading scorer with 137 points, and his 90 career assists was just surpassed as the school record. He's also one of just two Colonials players to score four goals in a game.
Coach
Derek Schooley, who started the program in 2004-05, said Longpre was crucial in transforming RMU into a destination for high-end recruits.
"He and Denny Urban came to us a couple years into the program, and they were highly touted kids," Schooley said. "They allowed us to make inroads in bringing in top-level players. Nathan was probably the first one who was really getting heavily looked at by NHL teams. He was very important to our growth."
He is also on his way to the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame.
A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Longpre will be inducted on Feb. 2, along with nine other former student-athletes, at a ceremony at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport. News of his selection was exhilarating and humbling.
"I was kind of surprised, but really honored when I found out," he said. "When I came to Robert Morris, the program was pretty new and there weren't many expectations for the team. But in my four years of hockey there, we made our mark. We gave ourselves a name in college hockey, and I can't thank my teammates and coaches enough for letting me be a part of it with them. I don't think I'd be talking about any of this right now if I didn't have great teammates who helped me at the college level and propelled me to the professional game."
In Longpre's four seasons at RMU, he was part of benchmark victories against eighth-ranked Boston University as a freshman and top-ranked Miami of Ohio as a junior. The talented center was selected to the College Hockey America Rookie Team in 2008 and was a two-time first-team all-conference pick.
Known for his explosive playing style and uber-competitive nature, Longpre led the 2008-09 team to the College Hockey America Tournament final, losing in overtime to Bemidji State. In subsequent years, big wins and high-stakes games became commonplace for an RMU program that is now among the best in the nation.
Longpre helped to lay the foundation.
"He was a big part of our future success, no question," Schooley said. "He was a dynamic skater who could make high-level plays at high speeds."
In an interesting twist, Longpre initially had no designs on playing college hockey. His goal, like most Canadian hockey players, was to play in the Ontario Hockey League and, eventually, get drafted into the NHL.
But upon realizing that this would not be his path, he explored the possibility of playing in the NCAA. And after three years of junior hockey, he caught the attention of RMU.
And vice versa.
"They offered a full ride, and I couldn't pass it up," he said. "Plus, they were willing to wait for me to decide. It couldn't have worked out better."
His success with the Colonials earned Longpre an invitation to the Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect camp prior to his junior season. While there, he stood out during training drills, earning some of the highest scores ever. He would ride that momentum into the college season, finishing third in the CHA with 14 goals.
A year later, after registering a career-best 42-point senior year (14 goals, 28 assists), Longpre embarked on a pro career that saw him earn an invitation to the Vancouver Canucks' training camp, something of a coup for an older, undrafted player. He would go on to produce 24 goals and 37 assists in five AHL seasons.
Given his accomplishments, Longpre has a lengthy list of hockey memories. But one that stands out is his four-goal performance against Quinnipiac while at RMU.
"I remember that game exactly," he said. "It was Halloween weekend, and my dad was in to watch us play. We got smoked in a Friday night game, but Saturday we all showed up ready to play. I don't know what it was, but I was shooting the puck and they were going in for me. But the best part about was that we won the game. Winning, for me, was always the most important thing."
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