Walsh loses battle with cancer

By Associated Press, 9/24/2001 17:48 BANGOR, Maine (AP) Shawn Walsh, the
University of Maine hockey coach who led the Black Bears to two national
championships, died Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 46. Walsh was
diagnosed with a rare cancer, renal cell carcinoma, 15 months ago and had his
left lung and left kidney removed. He also underwent two exhaustive
immunotherapy treatments and a stem-cell transplant. He was taken to the
Eastern Maine Medical Center on Sept. 10 after contracting pneumonia and
remained there to the end. Walsh, who was entering his 18th season at Maine,
ranked 11th among active coaches and 19th all-time in victories. He led his
Maine teams to two national championships and seven Frozen Four appearances.
Dr. Peter. S. Hoff, university president, said the university community
mourns the loss of a Black Bear legend. ''In the public's mind, no one was
more closely associated with the University of Maine than Shawn,'' Hoff said.
''It didn't matter whether you followed college hockey or not, people knew
Shawn and they knew him as an ambassador of and for UMaine.'' The Black Bears
were scheduled for their first on-ice practice Tuesday. Tim Whitehead, a
newly named assistant and former coach at the University of
Massachusetts-Lowell, is expected to serve as interim head coach. The cancer
began in Walsh's kidney and spread to his left lung. His cancerous kidney was
removed and he underwent two intensive treatments in California to boost his
immune system. Further tests revealed the tumors remained, and one of his
lungs and additional tumors were removed prior to the stem cell transplant in
May. It was hoped that the donated stem cells from Kevin Walsh, the coach's
younger brother, would attack and destroy cancerous tumors. As with any
transplant, there were several different medications and significant side
effects. Walsh had to take immunosuppressive drugs for five months to shut
down his immune system. That may have made him more susceptible to infection
and probably contributed to his pneumonia. Walsh coached Maine to its first
NCAA Division I championship in 1993 and its second national championship in
1999. Maine's second title followed Walsh's return from a one-year suspension
imposed in 1995 following an investigation into violations of NCAA rules. A
native of White Plains, N.Y., Walsh was a 1978 graduate of Bowling Green
State University, where he began to concentrate on coaching. He moved on to
Michigan State in 1979, where he helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA
semifinals in 1983-84. He arrived at UMaine in 1984, where he coached two
Hobey Baker Award winners Paul Kariya and Scott Pellerin. His record during
his stay at Maine was 399-214-44. Walsh, who lived in Veazie, was survived by
his wife, Lynne, and sons Tyler, 10, Travis, 8, and Sean, 2.