FINBARR O’CONNOR, DVCHC founder and St. Joseph’s University coach for 34 years (1972-2006) passed away peacefully with his family at his side on Thursday, October 6, 2016. He was 90 years of age.
Coach O’Connor was a founding member of the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference in 1974 and served in numerous executive capacities. During his tenure at St. Joe’s Finbarr led the IceHawks to 5 DVCHC League Championships and served as a mentor to hundreds of student athletes over his 40+ years of involvement with the team. He was inducted into the SJU Hall of Fame in 2015.
The DVCHC Sportsmanship Award is named after Finbarr, The Finbarr O’Connor Sportsmanship Award. This award is presented annually to the player that best represents the DVCHC, their school, team and themselves with respect for the rules and all participants, and plays with dignity and perseverance. For those that knew or played for Coach O’Connor, this epitomizes the spirit in which he led St. Joseph’s.
Coach O’Connor had a quick Irish wit and a way to make the toughest of his players come around to his way of playing the game without raising his voice. He taught a lot of young men how to actually act as men. And to respect the sport of ice hockey. He will be sorely missed.
Finn leaves behind his wife, 3 children and his entire SJU IceHawk family.
