Reunion #18

AUGUST 5, 2018 – GODDARD STATE PARK

Reunion weekend kicked off with the annual Meet and Greet on Friday, August 3^rd. The Hampton Inn was, again, Reunion Headquarters. Seventy folks were in attendance, including AHL all-time leading scorer, Willie Marshall, and Bruce Cline, the oldest living member of the Reds 55-56 Calder Cup team. Fan favorite Ron Garwasiuk travelled the furthest – from Alberta. Ron remarked that he hadn’t had so much fun in a long time. The mic was passed around to the players. And Steve Guillemette, Boston comedian, had the crowd in stitches for an hour, talking about sports, especially golf.

Saturday night’s dinner/dance was held at the Chelo’s banquet hall in Warwick. It was great fun and the food was delicious. The keynote speaker was the ever-popular Boston Bruins play-by-play announcer, Jack Edwards. Jack spoke of his background (including a stint with NBC TV10 in Providence), his love of the game and his dream job with the Bruins.

The Frank McCaffrey Fan of the Year Award was presented to the “Grande Dames” of the Reds family: Shirley Toppazzini (Zellio), Marielle Mayer (Gil), and Helen Duffy (George Patrick). They were recognized for service to their husbands, families and the organization.

On Sunday at noon, Tom McDonough sang the national anthem and then introduced Reds players and officials on the stage. Among the players here for our 18th get-together weekend were former NHL and Springfield Indians player, Mike Corrigan, and Andre Peloffy along with his legendary linemate, Rick Middleton, who had found out in the previous week that his number would be hung from the rafters at Boston Garden. Once again, Pranzi Caterers served a delicious buffet featuring grilled steak and chicken and grilled pizza hors d’oeuvres

The Tops Awards were presented to the families of long time Reds trainer, George Army, and Reds player and coach, Dave Creighton. Willie Marshall was the keynote speaker and also the first recipient of the Ray Ross Memorial Award, which commemorates perseverance in hockey and life. Ray was a fan favorite with the Reds and a longtime supporter of the Society. Willie had a 20-year career in pro hockey and owns all of the AHL scoring records, but got just a few cups of coffee in the NHL. The Native-Born Rhode Islander Award was presented to George Army’s protégé with the Reds who went on to become the LA Kings’ HOF trainer, Pete Demers.