A standing room only crowd filled the newly renovated Murphy Skating Rink last Saturday for the official rededication of the beautiful, newly renovated ice skating and hockey facility. The building was once again dedicated to the memory of the late Francis L. Murphy, as his family members, friends, neighbors and a large representation of elected leaders and city and state officials, firefighters, police and local residents looked on. The rink, a long standing and heavily used recreational magnet for many years, is brighter, and boasts a lot of great new features.
South Boston Youth Hockey officers, coaches and players were also on hand, among them long time coaches such as Teddy Cunniff and Tom McGrath, to help celebrate the improved rink.
The ceremony was emceed by State Representative Nick Collins who was joined by Congressman Stephen Lynch, Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Marty Walsh, Senator Linda Forry and City Councilors Mike Flaherty and Bill Linehan, along with DCR officials. The cooperation between city and state made the renovations possible with funding as well as hard work from local activists determined to make sure that South Boston had a state of the art facility on par with some of the best rinks around.
Speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of the rink to the South Boston Community and some shared memories of the countless hours they had spent as youths enjoying one of the neighborhood’s most popular gathering places. They also praised the memory of the great man whose name will forever be part of the rink – Francis L. Murphy. Frank Murphy was a United States Marine, a Boston Firefighter, an excellent family man and a proud South Bostonian. He epitomized what true heroes are made of and will always be remembered for his service and his sacrifice by a grateful community and the nation he served so well.
