Michael Beveridge

More than 200 people gathered last weekend to honor and celebrate the life of Michael Beveridge. An assistant men’s ice hockey coach at the University of Southern Maine, Beveridge died of prostate cancer on Oct. 27. He was 56.

“It was very touching,” his sister Debbie Glidden said of the memorial at USM on Sunday. “I was very moved. It was nice to see so many people come out to pay their respects. People came from all over. It touched my heart to no end.”

Beveridge, a Gorham resident affectionately known as “Bev,” was remembered as a true friend of USM hockey and for having a positive impact on hundreds of hockey players in southern Maine.

Beveridge joined the USM men’s ice hockey program in 1988 as a part-time statistician. He spent nine seasons as assistant coach, a position he held at the time of his passing.

Ed Harding, head coach of the men’s ice hockey program at USM said, it’s a great loss to the southern Maine hockey community. He said Beveridge dedicated his life to mentoring young hockey players in southern Maine. The players loved and respected him, Harding said.

“He was a dedicated and trusted member of the southern Maine coaching staff,” Harding said. “He was kind of my compass. I might have a tendency to go off the handle every once in while and I’d give him a call to bounce an idea off him. I’d say, ‘Where am I’m wrong?’ He would tell me. We disagreed on some things. I respected him. I respected his opinion. I respected the fact that he wasn’t afraid to have that conversation with me.”

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Jimmy Currier, a former hockey player at USM expressed disbelief on Facebook after learning of Beveridge’s death.

“Bev was the heart and soul of that program,” Currier said in a Facebook message Wednesday. “He always did everything he could to help all of the guys out. We were like the sons he never had and he treated us like family. Whenever any of us needed anything he was the first one there to help. Even after I left southern Maine and transferred to Salem State. He would call and check in all the time. … The world is a better place because of people like Bev.”

Beveridge grew up in Portland, the oldest of two children of Irene DeBarr and Burton L. Beveridge. He was a 1983 graduate of Deering High School. He attended the University of Maine.

From 1994 to 2003, Beveridge worked for the Portland Sea Dogs as a statistical analyst and official scorer.

“Numbers were his thing,” his sister said. “He loved baseball. He loved being there. It was tremendous.”

Beveridge also ran the scoreboard at the Portland Ice Arena for several years for the men’s league and for high school games. Harding said he was well-respected in the hockey community.

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“So many people in Portland knew him,” Harding said. “They all had to talk to Bev. He had to know the lineups.”

Beveridge was remembered as a funny and caring person, who always thought of others. He was known for giving players money for food. When they tried to repay him, he politely declined.

One of his longtime friends, Meghan Powers of Scarborough, said Beveridge was a kind person and a good friend to many. Powers said he had a positive impact on her kid’s lives.

“He made my kids feel special,” Powers said. “When my son decided to give hockey a try, he was here when Evan opened up the box of equipment. He taught him how to put things on and how to tie his skates right. Evan would sit next to him at the USM home hockey games. He really taught Evan about the game.”

Beveridge lost his mother in March from complications of COVID-19. Glidden, of Cape Elizabeth, said Wednesday that her brother’s passing is a tremendous loss for her as well as her husband, James, and their sons, Brody, 16, and Alex, 22.

“As brothers do, he picked on me, but he was always there to protect me,” his sister said. “He was pretty special. There’s a sadness that’s really deep.”

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