Canton, NY – We are currently in the midst of our third annual Athletics Giving Week from April 3rd to 7th. We continue our popular alumni spotlight series today as we feature Paul Flanagan ’78, who played hockey for the Canton Northmen for two seasons before graduating and continuing his career at St. Lawrence University. 

While with the Northmen he captained the team to the NJCAA National Championship in the 1977-78 season and was a member of the runner-up team in the 1976-77 season. Flanagan also served as team captain as a senior with the Saints. 

Flanagan took his first head coaching position at Canton High School in 1982, where he directed the program for six years. He then served as an assistant coach for the Saints men’s team for 11 years, helping guide the program to two ECAC championships and NCAA appearances in 1989, 1992 and 1999.

Flanagan took the reins of the SLU women’s program in 1999 accruing a 230-83-24 record as he took the Saints to the ECAC Hockey Tournament in each of his nine years with the program. At SLU, Flanagan mentored 10 All-Americans, three ECAC Goaltenders of the Year, one ECAC Player of the Year, two Sarah Devins Award Winners and more than three dozen ECAC All-Stars. He coached two Olympians and several members of the Canadian National team. He led the Saints to the women’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship five times in his nine-year tenure, which tied him for the most appearances in the country. Flanagan’s four-year run (2003-07) of Frozen Four appearances also tied for best in college hockey.

Following his nine years cross town at St. Lawrence, Flanagan was the only coach in Syracuse women’s hockey history spending 14 years at the helm of the program until he announced his retirement on March 23, 2022. One of the winningest coaches in the history of collegiate women’s hockey, Flanagan guided Syracuse to two NCAA Tournaments, two CHA Tournament Championships and one CHA Regular Season Championship. Flanagan, who won the 2001 AHCA Coach of the Year Award as the St. Lawrence head coach, earned his 400th career win on January 18, 2020, becoming the seventh collegiate coach to achieve that milestone. Flanagan developed 20 Syracuse skaters who have played professional hockey and two who competed in the Olympics after their Orange careers. To view his full bio on Syracuse’s website, click HERE.

In January Flanagan served as the general manager of Team USA at the 2023 FISU World University Games. Check out the below Q & A with Flanagan as he reflects on his Canton memories. 

Q: Please briefly describe your career path 

A: After my college graduation I found myself taking a variety of jobs in different areas until I finally landed in the coaching business full time. I spent 34 years as a college hockey coach and retired last May.

Q: How would you summarize your Canton experience? 

A: I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Canton. The classes I took were very challenging, taught by excellent professors and were exactly what I needed to prepare me for the next step in my education. Our team played in two national championship games and the memories from those seasons are with me forever!

Q: What was your favorite part about being a member of your team while at Canton? 

A: The lifelong friendships, the camaraderie of being part of a team both on and off the ice (we had plenty of fun times). I felt all my professors were so down to earth, really cared about us as people first, really wanted us to succeed.

Q: What is your favorite sports related memory from your time at Canton? 

A: Without question a memory I’ll never forget was carrying the national championship trophy around Appleton Arena after we won the championship game on home ice! Just an awesome feeling to be part of that team! Coach Terry Martin was the person who assembled our team and taught us the life lessons all of us have carried with us in our lives. We are all forever grateful to him!

Q: What was your favorite non-sports related memory from your time on campus? 

A: I enjoyed all my professors but taking American Literature from Marie Reagan was a highlight for me. I enjoyed the class immensely (I still have the book) and she was the best! We also (our team) made sure we socialized on and off campus and have many great memories from those times!

Q: Why do you provide philanthropic support to Canton Athletics?  

A: Our athletic department and our coach (Terry Martin) made sure we had everything we needed to be successful both on and off the ice. I’m trying to do my part as best I can in giving back to SUNY Canton so that current and future students will have what they need to be successful.

Q: What advice would you give to current student-athletes? 

A: Work hard, be responsible citizens both on and off campus and get the most out of everything Canton has to offer by getting involved. Engage your professors to be your best and get to know them. Make as many friends as possible… you’d be surprised how many college friends you connect with along the way as you age. Lastly, have fun, recognize how quickly your college years will come and go, so building those relationships that will last a lifetime is important.

The SUNY Canton Athletics department is hosting its third annual Athletics Giving Week from April 3rd to 7th, 2023. The support for Athletics Giving Week has been overwhelming and we appreciate all the generosity shown by family, friends, alumni and the greater campus community! Due to your unwavering support, we have set a new goal of 850 donations. Please help us reach our new goal so we can continue to offer our student-athletes the best experience possible!

Every gift large or small makes a BIG difference in supporting our student-athletes and department as we move forward.

Any gift given now up until April 7th at midnight will be included in our goal. Please consider making a gift today!

To view more Alumni Spotlights click HERE. If you are interested in being featured in a future Alumni Spotlight please fill out our Alumni Spotlight form. 

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About SUNY Canton
As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.
 

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