With heavy hearts and our deepest sympathy to his family To all MYH Families,
It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of long time friend, board member and contributor to MYH, Phil Zona. Phil was a long time Board Member, Treasurer and Registrar for our Program. He ran the snack bar at Ulin for many years as well. He held executive roles at both the South Shore Conference and with MA Hockey. These examples barely scratch the surface of the enormity of the time and contributions to not only MYH but all programs in the SSC and across the State over the decades that Phil has made. In 2016, Phil received the very prestigious William Thayer Tutt Award from USA Hockey. The information below captures a summary of additional contributions that Phil made to the sport we all love.
For more than 40 years, Phil Zona has been
a fixture on the Massachusetts youth hockey scene and at Ulin Rink, volunteering in nearly every capacity
and earning a reputation for dependability no matter the need. But above all, Zona is known for keeping his focus on the kids and relentlessly encouraging others to do the same. His story began not on the ice, but on summer’s baseball fields, where Zona coached kids in the mid-1970s. Lured by a friend who coached hockey at Quincy High School, Zona soon found himself volunteering during the winters, too, as a coach at Quincy. He was then blessed with a new generation of Zona skaters, Peter and Elizabeth, who made Milton’s Max Ulin Rink their second home. Zona didn’t coach his own children, but he happily set them on a path toward their own joyful pursuits, with Peter playing hockey and Elizabeth skating figures. Meanwhile, Zona flung himself into volunteering with Milton Youth Hockey. In the decades to follow, he served Milton, and also Massachusetts Hockey, in countless roles, culminating with his appointment as vice president in 2011, a title he still holds, in addition to serving as registrar, district director and treasurer. He also chairs the scholarship committee, helping ensure that hockey is truly a sport for all. Zona is a catalyst for girls hockey growth, too, serving as director of the South Shore Conference girls program since 2000. And while all those titles are meaningful, a job without an official title was Zona’s favorite. For two decades, he helped run the snack stand at Ulin Rink, connecting with countless children he encountered. Those interactions brought a brighter glow to Ulin, leaving young skaters with lessons and memories every bit as meaningful as those made on the ice.
The Wm. Thayer Tutt Award is presented to a volunteer who, during many years of service, has displayed selfless dedication to the enhancement of ice hockey at the grassroots level in the United States.
https://www.mahockey.org/news_article/show/653082
