Men's Hockey | 12/2/2018 11:54:00 PM

MONTREAL – On the fourth anniversary of the passing of a Hockey Hall of Fame legend, the recipients of McGill University's Jean Béliveau Athletic Awards for 2018 have been announced.  
 
Dominic Talbot-Tassi of Mascouche, Que., who plays for the men's hockey team was selected along with football's Jeremy Sauvageau from St. Augustin de Desmaures, Que., soccer's Sarah Dubois of Edmonton and swimmer Rebecca Gillis of Dollard des Ormeaux, Que.
 
These Athletic Financial Awards were established in 2016 to honour the memory of the legendary Montreal Canadiens captain and inspirational community leader who passed away on Dec. 2, 2014. They recognize outstanding McGill student-athletes for leadership in the community. Recipients receive a medallion accompanied by a $4,000 bursary.
 
The impetus for implementing this award at McGill comes from several donors (George Lengvari and Terry Tretiak of Lengvari Capital, The Rossy Family Foundation, the Joe Weider Foundation, Power Corporation and the Martlet Foundation). The endowed fund is expected to generate approximately $25,000 per year, which will be awarded to four full-time varsity student-athletes (two men and two women) who have demonstrated academic achievement and leadership in student and/or community affairs.
 
Béliveau skated for 18 seasons with the Canadiens from 1953 to 1971. He was a member of 10 Stanley Cup-winning teams as a player and seven more as an executive with the team. Off the ice, Béliveau supported charities in Quebec and throughout Canada. In 2003, the Montreal Canadiens introduced the Jean Béliveau Trophy, which is awarded to the Canadiens player who best demonstrates community involvement and spirit.  
 
Talbot-Tassi is a 24-year-old mining engineering senior. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound defenceman is a two-time OUA all-star who has scored 32 goals and 148 points in 147 games overall with the Redmen. He had a break-out campaign during his freshman season when he earned  OUA and U SPORTS all-rookie status and was named as McGill's male freshman of the year. Among his volunteer activities, he has offered assistance to the Salvation Army, served with the McGill students Right To Play annual charity spin-a-thon and participated in numerous hospital and elementary school visits.
 
Sauvageau, a 5-foot-11, 187-pound wide-receiver, is a two-time conference all-star who merited all-Canadian second-team honours in 2017. The 22-year-old junior is majoring in finance, with a minor in computer science. He started three times during his freshman season and in all games during his sophomore year, when he earned Team MVP honours. Over his three years at McGill, Sauvageau has averaged 19 yards per catch and 69 yards per game with five touchdowns in 19 career contests. In the community, he has volunteered as a flag-football coach for the 2018 Commerce Games, as well as helping organize a "Nights of Eden" event at the Montreal Youth Centre Foundation.
 
Dubois is a 23-year-old chemical engineering senior, currently in her first year of a master's program. The 5-foot-8 goalkeeper has been a starter since her sophomore year in 2015 and is a two-time conference all-star. An Academic All-Canadian, she was also a member of the Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll and qualified for the Dean's Honour List. In the community, she coordinated the team's community outreach program for a girls empowerment trip to Paraguay, was a goalkeeper coach with the Chomedey Soccer Club in Laval, Que., served as a spirit coordinator for a cellular micro-environment design lab, and was an outdoor events educator at Selwyn House School
 
Gillis, 23, is a psychology senior who has qualified for nationals in each of her first three years and most recently, was named McGill female athlete of the week on Nov. 12, 2018. The 5-foot-6 backstroke specialist serves as captain of the swim team. She won the team's Marie-Claude Saumure Award last season for combining excellence in athletics and academics. In the community, she has managed at Fairview Pool, an outdoor community facility in the West Island, where she encouraged children to engage in swimming activities. She also was a volunteer with the orientation staff during McGill Frosh Week, as well as helping coordinate a Seeds of Change fundraiser for the swim team.
 
 
McGill's Jean Béliveau Award Recipients
 
2016      Melodie Daoust, hockey
2016      Joel Houle, football
2017      Alex Kiss-Rusk, basketball
2017      Nathan Chiarlitti, hockey
2017      Marjolaine Ste-Marie, volleyball
2017      Sanchit Gupta, soccer
2018      Dominic Talbot-Tassi, hockey
2018      Jeremy Sauvageau, football
2018      Sarah Dubois, soccer
2018      Rebecca Gillis, swimming