St. Lawrence University Athletics

Ron Waske '69 was a backup goaltender and third-line forward for the men's hockey team in the late 1960s. He is believed to be the only player in ECAC Hockey history to play both in the goal and as a skater and a goaltender in the same playoff game, a feat he accomplished when he had to replace an injured goaltender in the semifinals against Boston University in 1967.
 
While Waske's versatility served him well on the ice, it is his legendary career as an athletic trainer that earned him a spot in the St. Lawrence University Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
Waske spent 10 years as the athletic trainer for the New York Islanders, and he was a part of four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83. He returned to his hometown and alma mater in 1984 to serve as the head athletic trainer at St. Lawrence. He coached the women's hockey team for two seasons from 1997-99 as the program moved up to NCAA Division I status before returning to his role as head athletic trainer.
 
In 2006, Waske was recognized by the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society for induction into the PHATS/SPHEM Wall of Hall of Honour, which includes a plaque that sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Over the course of 26 years at St. Lawrence, Waske helped thousands of student-athletes get stronger and recover from injuries. He worked with hundreds of student athletic trainers, many of whom have gone into long careers in athletic training themselves. He was the recipient of the 2010 John P. "Jack" Taylor Distinguished Career Service Award, and was the inaugural recipient of the Doc Littlejohn/Ron Waske Athletic Service Award, given to a member of the athletic department who has made significant contributions to the department's success.
 
Ron and his wife Peggy raised two daughters, Amy and Laura, in Canton, and moved to Delmar, New York, in 2016.