Volunteer award to be named in honour of Forbes Kennedy

A long-time professional hockey player from P.E.I. has been honoured by the City of Charlottetown.

The city voted Monday night to name a new volunteer award after Forbes Kennedy.

"It was great, but I just put in what people did for me," said Kennedy about the award.

Kennedy was at Monday's council meeting with friends and family.

Kennedy played in the National Hockey League back in the days when it was a six-team league, and into the era of expansion.  He then coached locally for decades  — hockey and baseball — after his retirement from the pros.

The Forbie Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented by the city's parks and recreation department as part of the city's Natal Day celebrations.

They didn't ask for anything ... they just came and helped kids out- Forbes Kennedy, on the coaches of his youth

"Forbie is an iconic figure in this city," said Coun. Mitch Tweel, chair of the parks and recreation committee.

"The thing that really struck me, when he came home, he gave so much to the community … That is an everlasting legacy."

Kennedy said his volunteer work in the city is inspired by the people who coached him when he was a youth.

"We always had somebody doing something for the kids," he said.

"It wasn't hard to get guys to coach baseball. It wasn't hard to get guys to coach hockey. They didn't ask for anything, just came and helped kids out."

Kennedy is also the subject of a recently published book, Forbie, by Island journalist Gary MacDougall.

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