CANTON – Paul Flanagan of Canton has been named a “Legend of Appleton” in recognition of his contribution to the sport of hockey at St. Lawrence University.

Born and raised in Canton, Flanagan, a 1980 graduate of SLU, attended every Skating Saints game he could and dreamt of one day donning the Scarlet and Brown.

He not only played for the Saints, but was a captain during his senior season in 1979-80.

After graduation, Flanagan worked as a teacher and coach at Canton Central School for six years before Joe Marsh offered him a job as an assistant coach with the Saints, who were then fresh off a run to the NCAA Championship game.

He spent 11 seasons as an assistant for the men's program before taking over as the head coach of the women's hockey program for the 1999-2000 season.

In his first year, the women Saints went 18-15-1, before exploding the next year for 24 wins, advancing to the inaugural women's Frozen Four, and finishing runner-up in the National Championship game. That 2000-2001 women's hockey team was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.

Flanagan guided the Saints to five straight NCAA tournaments from 2004-2008, including four straight Frozen Fours from 2004-2007, finishing with a 230-83-24 record at St. Lawrence.

He left after the 2007-08 season to start the Division I women's program at Syracuse University, where he still coaches today.

The “Legends of Appleton” induction took place at the women's and men's hockey games against Clarkson at Appleton Arena on Dec. 7.

The Legends of Appleton program was launched by SLU last year to celebrate inductees for their play, commitment and impact on the St. Lawrence hockey programs and on the hockey world.