By Melissa Moore-Randall
Friday night hockey players young and old came together at the Cronin Rink to honor the late Joe DeSantis. Joe, a fixture with the local hockey and skating programs for more than 25 years and the former President of the East Coast Junior Patriots (ECJP) Hockey League (formerly Everett Revere Youth Hockey League), passed away last year after a brave battle with cancer.
Hugs, high fives and smiles filled the rink all night among hockey players and their families as the city came to honor DeSantis at the Joe DeSantis Youth Hockey Memorial Alumni Games. Two memorial games were played followed by a presentation of a plaque in his honor. The plaque was unveiled and now sits on the wall inside the rink.
Mayor Patrick Keefe unveiled the plaque in his honor to his family. “Joe’s service running the youth hockey program will leave a mark on this city forever. A plaque in his honor is the least the city could do for his years of dedication.”
DeSantis became part of the program when his older son, Joey, started playing hockey. Joey, 37, along with his younger son, Jackie, 35, and daughter, Jenae, 32, all were part of the Revere Youth Hockey Program. Joey and Jackie went on to play hockey at Revere High School, while Jenae played at Marblehead High School for their girls program.
His son, Jackie, was humbled by the event and the outpouring of love for his dad. “Hockey was everything to my dad. It was never about the game of hockey but about the friendships. When I got married this year, everyone one of my groomsmen were hockey players I met through the program. He gave his life to the program. Every person I invited to the event came. It is incredible.”
“Joe gave his heart and soul to the youth hockey program. It was a great tribute to honor the person that kept this program alive for so many years and gave local kids the opportunity to learn the game of hockey. Anyone that knew Joe knows that his love for youth hockey in our community touched so many players. His commitment to keeping this program alive was a testament to who he was.” said event organizer Gerry Visconti.
Jamie Branzell, a longtime hockey dad and assistant with the program, added, “Tonight was a fantastic night for a fantastic guy. He was the heart and soul of local youth hockey. I miss him terribly.”
I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe in 2022 marking his 25th year with the program. It was evident how much the program meant to him and how he hoped it would continue. He shared many wonderful memories with me, one being the Canadian Exchange. The Canadian Exchange was a biannual event with players from Chambly, a tradition that had gone on for 46 years prior to Covid.
Joe beamed with pride as he shared his memories of watching so many hockey players grow from Learn to Skate to high school hockey stars to successful young professionals. Many of those players are now giving back to the City of Revere serving on the Revere Fire and Police Departments including Michael Conley Jr., Gerard Festa, Sean Griffin, Ryan Rizzo, Brenden Bonito, Michael Forte, Jamie Nadworny, Michael Dercolo, Jack Dean, Anthony Delloiacono, Matt Leslie, and Derek Vecchia.
DeSantis looked forward to continuing the program and keep it thriving for years and generations to come.
