AUBURN – With two young sons at home, a third child on the way and a budding law practice, Jamie Belleau doesn’t think he can give his third job the time and attention it deserves, so the only man to ever lead Edward Little to a state championship is stepping down as coach.
Belleau sent a letter to Edward Little Principal Jim Miller and athletic director Dan Deshaies earlier this week announcing his resignation after three years as the Red Eddies’ head coach.
“The biggest reason was my family,” said Belleau, who turns 34 next week. “I have two boys right now, one almost four and one almost two, and we’re expecting a third in August. It was a tough decision, but my wife (Rebecca) and I decided it was the best thing to do. My family and my profession come first.”
“When you coach at this level, you need to be committed emotionally. You need to be committed from a time perspective. It’s all-consuming,” added Belleau, who is an attorney with the Auburn law firm of Skelton, Taintor and Abbott. “I didn’t want to be in a position where I couldn’t commit to the program to the level that it deserved.”
A player at Lewiston High School and Bowdoin College, Belleau replaced Dave Boucher as head coach in 2002 after serving as a volunteer assistant under him for two years. He had a dream first season at the helm, leading the Eddies to a 17-5-2 record and their first Class A state hockey title with a win over North Yarmouth Academy.
EL’s encore was even more impressive, as it defended its title with a 23-1 season capped by a win over St. Dom’s in the championship game.
Belleau lost 12 seniors and a wealth of talent from that team for the 2004-05 season, including Travis Roy award winner Kyle Smith and linemate Colby Gilbert. The Eddies finished 9-12 and lost their first and only playoff game under Belleau in the Eastern A quarterfinals to rival Lewiston.
Belleau finished with a 49-18-2 record and two state championships, but he said he’s just as proud of the sportsmanship award the team earned two years ago.
“So many things happened the last three years, but the highlight was having the opportunity and the privilege to coach these kids, and it was sort of an added bonus to have had the success we’ve had. I feel really fortunate in that respect,” he said. “It’s easy to coach the x’s and o’s. What I’m proud of is I think our program is well-respected around the state and is known as a class outfit. A lot of the people I’ve talked to have commented on the sportsmanship our program had…and I think that’s been one of our best accomplishments.”
Belleau said he isn’t leaving hockey completely. He plans on doing some youth coaching this year and won’t rule out a return to high school hockey in the future.
“This is the right thing for me to do at this point in time, personally and professionally,” he said. “Does that mean I’ll never coach again? Absolutely not. I’d love to coach at this level again, but at this point in time, I have no intention of coaching at this level.”
“I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity,” he added. “It’s something I always wanted to do and I feel appreciative that (former AD) Jeff Benson, Dan Deshaies and Jim Miller gave me that opportunity.”
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