David Sherlock didn’t join Northeastern’s hockey team as a standout.
“I was playing JV when I first got here,” says the 1976 graduate, who came to Boston from Oakville, a small town south of Toronto. “I didn’t get to play [varsity] until around February.”
He made the call-up count. His third game was a Beanpot matchup in front of thousands of screaming fans in what was then Boston Garden, where he got loose on a breakaway and scored.
“I’d never played in front of that many people before,” he recalls. “It was a little scary, but it all worked out.”
Sherlock went on to become the fifth-leading scorer in Huskies history. He was part of the GAP line, a legendary trio (with Jim Martel and Charles Huck) who were the highest-scoring line in college hockey during the 1974-75 season. On Thursday, he was inducted into the Northeastern Athletics Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class.
“I was very excited to hear that news,” Sherlock said, noting with a chuckle that his GAP line teammates were both inducted years ago. “I waited a while, so I was quite surprised and very happy about it.”
Sherlock led a class of six athletes and two teams honored as part of the university’s Homecoming Week festivities.
David Sherlock, a forward for the men’s hockey team from 1972 to 1976, poses for a portrait. Sherlock was inducted into the Northeastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 6, 2025. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
His fellow 2025 inductees are: Derek Anderson, a shot put and discus star for Men’s Track & Field (2001-06); women’s soccer midfielder Carina Deandreis-Arvidsson (2013-2016); field hockey All-American Sarah Broderick; decorated volleyball player Larissa (Adomat) Kuhnley (2002-2005); soccer scoring powerhouse Petter Starnas (1998-2001); the 2002 men’s soccer team and the 1999 women’s basketball team — squads that earned the first NCAA tournament berths in their programs’ histories.
Each year, inducting a new HOF class “provides an immense amount of pride for Athletics and the University community,” says Northeastern athletic director Jim Madigan. “We are very excited to welcome this year’s Hall of Fame class back to Northeastern. They all had outstanding careers during their time on Huntington Avenue, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments during Homecoming Weekend.”
For Sherlock, his goal-laden stint at Northeastern was a gateway to a life he’d never imagined growing up in a small town in Canada. Raised in a family of hockey players, he was recruited to Northeastern by way of an uncle who had played in the NHL with Fernie Flaman, the Huskies coach at the time.
“Coming to a big city was something new for me,” Sherlock remembers. “It was a great opportunity, but at the same time was a little scary.”
Along with his GAP line teammates Huck and Martel, Sherlock’s trademark was scoring goals and scoring them fast. During one Christmas tournament in Rhode Island, he recalled, his line entered the final game with 9 seconds left to score the goal that would clinch the tournament. They scored it in four.
“We went back to the bench and said, ‘We’ve got time to do it again!’” he laughs.
The Northeastern Men’s Hockey Team in the 1970s. Courtesy photo
Over the course of his 89 college career games, Sherlock recorded 72 goals and 100 assists, eighth and sixth in program history, respectively.
After college, Sherlock joined a professional league in Germany, planning to stay for a year. He stayed for 14. He played for a decade in the Germany2 league, coached for a few seasons, learned German, got married and raised two daughters before returning to the United States for a career owning and managing golf courses.
Visiting the Boston campus this week, Sherlock is looking forward to seeing old friends and taking in the joyous atmosphere of campus during Homecoming. He’ll drop the ceremonial puck during Friday night’s game against Stonehill.
“There are a few guys coming I’m excited to see,” he says. “But I’m sure there’s a few surprises out there too.