Hockey legends of yesteryear, upstart high school stars, and even fans will make up the roster for the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society’s 16th annual reunion, which is on tap for Sunday, Aug. 7, at Goddard Park Memorial State Park in Warwick.
Some two-dozen former professionals will be among the many hockey aficionados who’ll attend the reunion, during which three high school boys’ hockey players and as many girls will receive the society’s prestigious Unsung Hero awards that are named for Reds Hall of Famers.
Don McKenney, former center for the Boston Bruins, heads the one-time pro group and will receive the society’s most covered honor – the 2017 Tops Award named in memory of the late Zellio Toppazzini, who is known as the Reds “Player of the Century.”
Jack Ferreira, who served for 34 years as an NHL executive, will be honored with the Reds’ R.I. Native-Born Hockey Achievement Award.
It’s also expected that Bruce Cline, a fan favorite since being named the AHL Rookie of the Year in 1955-56 – when the Reds won the Calder Cup – will return as a recent inductee into the AHL Hall of Fame’s class of 2017.
Other pros expected to join in the fun and share memories of the former AHL franchise are Howie Menard, Yves Local, Hartland Monahan, Stan Baluik, Bob Leduc, Pete Demers, Ross Brooks, Serge Boudreault, Buzz Deschamps, Tom and Don Mellor, Mike Bloom, Marty Gateman, Bill Bennett, Ray Clearwater, Eno Kraft, and John Hutton.
Commemorative plaques will be presented to the “Unsung Heroes” winners, who were selected by a panel of coaches, officials, and members of the Reds Heritage Society.
The recipients are:
Gil Mayer Goalie Award: Colin Clegg of Barrington and Victoria Hartley of La Salle Academy
Ferny Flagman Defenseman Award: David Gaugin of Smithfield and Brynn Costa of East Providence
Chuck Scherzo Forward Award: Zachery Lubrizzi of St. Raphael Academy and Brittney Bidwell of Cranston East/East Greenwich Co-op.
Larry D’Alfonso, who lives in Lincoln, will receive the Society’s Fan of the Year Award during the reunion. D’Alfonso was a longtime Reds’ ticket holder and a fixture behind the visitor’s bench at the famed Rhode Island Auditorium at 1111 North Main St. in Providence, where he sat and heckled players and became well known to opposing teams throughout the AHL.
Tickets are priced at $35 and can be purchased by calling Mal Goldenberg at 401-782-6623. No tickets will be sold at the door.
The Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization whose primary mission is to restore and preserve the famed 51-year history of the Rhode Island Reds hokey franchise that dated from 1926-27 to 1976-77. The group has 650 members and a roster that includes fans, former players, and legends of a bygone era. 1
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