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May 19, 2022 | Hockey (W) - Football

These talented Stingers shine when it comes to combining sports and community service.These talented Stingers shine when it comes to combining sports and community service.

Laganière, Sylvain honored for leadership, community service

The Concordia Department of Recreation and Athletics is pleased to announce Brigitte Laganière of the women's hockey team and Malick Sylvain of the football team are the recipients of awards recognizing their exceptional leadership, community service and athletic contributions.

Laganière is the recipient of the Denise Beaudet Award. It is presented annually to the female athlete who has shown the same traits that were valued by Denise Beaudet, a player with the women's hockey team who died tragically in a car accident in 1985. Some of the characteristics that go with this award are: leadership, community service and strong academics.

A graduating senior from Anjou, Que., Laganière played defence for the national champion women’s hockey team. In 2022, she received her third straight all-star honour and her second consecutive all-Canadian award

The assistant captain played all 15 games for the Stingers and finished fifth in league scoring with three goals and 14 assists for 17 points.

Laganière was a 2020-21 academic all-Canadian and is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration.

The hockey community is fortunate to count Laganière amongst its biggest supporters and volunteers. She serves as a co-ordinator at Concordia’s hockey school, she is one of the leads on the Stingers’ Pink in the Rink events that help raise funds for organizations that support breast cancer initiatives, she is an ambassador for Hockey Montreal, she coaches youth hockey on Saturday mornings and is co-founder of Women’s Hockey Nation, a platform that promotes the game and provides resources to young hockey players.

Her efforts were recognized with a RSEQ Leadership and Community Engagement Award this past March.

Sylvain is the recipient of the Ron Lapointe Award presented annually to the male athlete who best demonstrates loyalty to both his team and the Department of Recreation and Athletics. Leadership, community service and commitment to academic excellence are also criteria for this award. It is named for the late Ron Lapointe, a former Sir George Williams hockey player who went on to an exceptional coaching career in junior hockey and the NHL.

A tremendous athlete, Sylvain has been with the Stingers football team since 2018. He started out as a receiver and has also suited up at defensive back and defensive end where he has played in 2021. He’s dressed for all the games and provided leadership on the young unit. His athleticism and his willingness to sacrifice for the good of the team earn him a lot of respect.

The La Prairie, Que. resident studies Religion and Cultures and maintained a GPA over 3.35 last year.

For more than two years, Sylvain has been volunteering at the Jamaica Association of Montreal with members of his football team. The organization is dedicated to assisting in improving and enhancing the quality of life for the Jamaican community. The Stingers help with the association’s food bank, unloading trucks and stocking shelves.

He also supports the Shoebox Project for Women, an organization that collects and distributes gift-filled shoeboxes to local women impacted by homelessness. Each Shoebox is filled with items valued at approximately $50 that can enhance confidence and reduce feelings of isolation.

Inspired to give more, Sylvain works with a friend to design and sell T-shirts and hoodies “in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement” and donates proceeds from the project to the Jamaica Association of Montreal and the Shoebox Project.

He also earned a RSEQ Leadership and Community Engagement Award which he accepted at a press conference last November.