Every fall, the Rye Rangers Hockey Club honors one of its own with the Good Skate Award, which is given in memory of Tommy Palazzo, Teddy Maloney, and Ward Haynes, who died tragically at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. “Ward, Teddy, and Tommy were more than just good skaters,” noted longtime Club member and Good Skate chair Rocky Shepard, “they were genuinely good and fun young men who played their hearts out on the ice and inspired their teammates to be better individuals.”

The inscription on the black granite trophy states that it is to be “presented annually to the member of the Rye Rangers Hockey Club voted by his/her peers as best epitomizing the human goodness of these individuals. Its enduring legacy is to serve as a reminder that we are all better human beings for having shared our lives, both on and off the ice, with these guys.”

This year’s winner, Jeremy Lynch, “has distinguished himself as a player, coach, parent, friend, and, most importantly, good guy,” said Shepard.

Good Skate Committee members with the 2023 winner, pictured from left: Bill Steers, Rob Dorfman, Jay Altmeyer, Rocky Shepard, Jeremy Lynch, Sam Weinman, Kevin Burke, Steve Ketchabaw, Terry Morris, Eric Bommer, Rich Guthrie, Mark Finnegan, and Rob Brown.