Joé Juneau
School: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Major: Aeronautical engineering
Sport: Men’s ice hockey
When Joé Juneau arrived at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he spoke only French. He learned English while on campus, and also earned his aeronautical engineering degree in just three years. Juneau contributed immediately on the ice for Rensselaer, leading the team in assists and points in his first season. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins but elected to continue to play in college and went on to become just the second player in school history to exceed 50 assists in a single season. Juneau became the second player in school history with 50 or more assists in a single season, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey’s highest honor), garnered multiple All-America honors, and graduated as the only player in school history to lead the team in scoring all four years. Juneau also represented Canada in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in France, where he led all Olympians in scoring with 15 points and led Canada to a silver medal. He went on to a successful National Hockey League career, where he played for 15 seasons with six organizations. His 70 assists tied the NHL record by a rookie, and is still the NHL record for most assists by a left wing. He also finished with 102 points during his rookie season, the most ever by a first-year player and the fifth most of all time. Juneau propelled the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance with an overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. He finished his career with 156 goals and 416 assists in 828 NHL games, including 112 playoff games and two Stanley Cup Finals. Following his NHL career, Juneau founded the Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program in response to serious problems in the Nunavik community in Quebec with crime, poverty and substance abuse. Nearly 10 years later, the program – which encourages academic progress and provides Inuit children with avenues to learn the sport of hockey – has more than 500 participants.
