Ex-Brown hockey star, Olympian Bob Gaudreau leaves legacy of greatness

Vincent Cimini remembers watching a young Bob Gaudreau skate at the old Rhode Island Auditorium, and he could tell right away that he was watching greatness.

"I sat in the penalty box area and would clean the ice between periods," said Cimini, the founding chairman of the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. "I saw just about every college and high school game played there."

Cimini said that Gaudreau's family became friendly with the building supervisor at the Rhode Island Auditorium and "Bob was allowed to skate after hours."

Gaudreau, who died on Dec. 26 at the age of 81, grew up right near the Rhode Island Auditorium and would go on to star at Hope High School and Brown University. He went on to play in the 1968 Olympics on Team USA in France.

"He was by every measure to me the most composed hockey player that I've seen. When the puck was on his stick, he was so calm and collected," Cimini recalled.

Cimini's opinion isn't unique.

Jack Ferreira – a Providence native who worked for several NHL teams, including serving as general manager of the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks – played against Gaudreau in college and shared Cimini's high praise.

"In my opinion, the best hockey player to have come out of RI. I played against him in high school and college. Played together on the ‘67 USA National Team," Ferreira posted on Facebook. "Great player. R. I. P."

At Brown, Gaudreau was a two-time All-American and All-Ivy selection three times. He led Brown to the Ivy League championship in the 1964-65 season under then-coach Jim Fullerton, as well as to the NCAA Final Four that took place at the new Meehan Auditorium that year. He was named the outstanding defenseman in New England for the 1965-66 season and won the Walter Brown Trophy, given annually to the outstanding American-born hockey player in the New England region. He was inducted to the school's Hall of Fame in 1971 after closing his college years with 35 goals and 55 assists. Gaudreau was inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021.

After Brown (Class of 1966), Gaudreau earned a master's degree from Columbia Business School in 1968 and went on to a successful career as a real estate developer. He is survived by his sons Robert G. Gaudreau Jr. of Providence (who was an All-American hockey player at Providence College), and Scott Gaudreau and his wife, Lori, of Cranston, and two grandchildren.

"One of his proudest moments was when his son was inducted along with him into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame," Cimini said, noting that Robbie Gaudreau was inducted in 2022.