Jack Kirrane

John Joseph Kirrane Jr. (; August 20, 1928 – September 25, 2016) was an American ice hockey player. Kirrane was a member of the United States 1948 Winter Olympics and 1960 Winter Olympics teams, winning the gold medal in 1960. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. Kirrane went on to serve 38 years with the Brookline, Massachusetts Fire Department and also spent 15 years as the rink manager of the Bright Hockey Center at Harvard University.

Playing career Kirrane began playing hockey as a child on a neighbor's pond with his brothers. In high school, he participated in baseball, track and field, football and ice hockey. In 1948, at 19 years of age Kirrane became the youngest member of the United States Olympic ice hockey team. Eventually a compromise was made. Kirrane's team was allowed to play, but were disqualified from medal contention. In the end the disqualification was unnecessary as the United States finished the tournament in fourth place. Following the Olympics Kirrane continued to play amateur hockey for the Boston Olympics in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL), a farm team of the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins. He lost out on a chance at an NHL career when he was drafted into the United States Army to serve in the Korean War.

Leading up to the 1960 Winter Olympics Kirrane had an opportunity to play for Team USA once more. In order to play for the team he had to take an unpaid leave from the fire department. However, the United States upset Canada 2–1. In 1987 Kirrane was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Non-hockey activities Kirrane worked 38 years as a firefighter for the Brookline fire department, finishing his career as a Lieutenant on Ladder Co. 2. In December 2010, a skating rink in Brookline was named in his honor at Larz Anderson Park. Coincidentally, the rink was constructed on land donated by his former neighbors who owned the pond where he learned to play.