The Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame has announced that husband and wife duo of Jack and Joanne Kennedy, formerly of East Providence and Barrington, have been selected as the recipients of the 2024 Malcolm Greene Chace Memorial Trophy recognizing “Achievement & Outstanding Service by Rhode Islanders to the Game of Hockey”.

The award is named after the Central Falls native and Hall of Fame tennis player, financier and textile industrialist who in the winter of 1894-95 brought ice hockey south from Canada and is widely considered the “father” of the game in the United States.

The award, generously donated by the Chace family, will be presented during the Hall of Fame’s annual Enshrinement Celebration and Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston.

The Kennedys join the 2024 Hall of Fame class – Joe Augustine, Bill Bennett, Vicki Movsessian-Lamoriello, Tim Regan & Chuck Scherza - that will be formally inducted that evening. Tickets for the event are available now at RIHHOF.com.

The late John W. Kennedy Jr., Jack to his friends, and wife, Joanne, were major contributors to the development of youth hockey in RI for more than half a century.

Kennedy was a standout at East Providence High School before a Hall of Fame hockey career at Norwich University where he was three-time Division III All-East selection and served as team captain as a senior. In tribute to his outstanding play and later philanthropy, a bronze statue of Kennedy now proudly greets fans at the university’s arena.

After college, Kennedy served two years as a military officer, after which he continued to play on top amateur teams such as the Eastern Olympics. Back in East Providence, he and Joanne began a legacy of volunteerism and generosity. John donated his time as a youth hockey coach stressing fundamentals and having fun. East Providence High annually presents the John W. Kennedy Jr. Award to its Outstanding Senior Player.

Kennedy served as President of the East Providence Hockey Association, the Greater Providence Youth Hockey Association and the Rhode Island Amateur Hockey Association, each benefiting from his fundraising skills and personal financial support.

Shortly after his passing in 1988, Joanne, who sadly passed last year, continued Kennedy's vision and philanthropy by continuing the tradition of the Fram International Hockey Tournament her husband championed when she organized the John W. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Hockey Tournament to honor her husband’s legacy.

Through 2018, the annual Kennedy Tournament, which also honored their late son, John III, was the longest running such tournament on the east coast. It hosted hundreds of teams and thousands of players from all over North America with games played in rinks throughout the region, including the RI Sports Center in North Smithfield, whose rink bears Jack’s name.

Proceeds from the tournament benefitted the growth of the game in Rhode Island with the Kennedy Foundation granting scholarships to individual players and donations to numerous high school, non-profit, and special needs programs and local rinks each year.