Anthony Allegrini Jr.’s mom, Jennifer, left, and his cousin, Mary Adam, at IceWorks Skating Complex on Saturday where the Pucks for Purpose Charity Cup was ongoing to raise money for the Anthony Allegrini Foundation. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY – DAILY TIMES)
On what would have been Anthony Allegrini Jr.’s 20th birthday, friends and family members faced off for a cause in his honor during the 2024 Inaugural Pucks For Purpose Charity Cup at the IceWorks Skating Complex.
Starting Friday and culminating Saturday with a championship game, four teams played the tournament to raise funds for the Anthony Allegrini Jr. Foundation to honor the legacy of a young man who loved hockey, life and sportsmanship.
“We’re trying to do positive in Ant’s name,” his mom, Jennifer Allegrini of Glen Mills, said Saturday. “And he loved hockey so we figured that would be a great way. And it’s his birthday. Yesterday was his birthday. He would’ve been 20.”
Allegrini was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania state trooper on I-95 in the Penn’s Landing section of Philadelphia on June 4, 2023.
Both of his parents have maintained he was doing nothing wrong and filed a wrongful death action in federal court.
State police have said troopers were responding to racing, burnouts and drifting in the area and groups of cars and pedestrians watching. State police have said when they tried to make contact with the driver of a 2019 Audi, it struck them. One of the troopers then discharged his service pistol.
According to the wrongful death action, the troopers at the scene did not render aid to Allegrini as he bled out on the highway and prevented medical personnel from reaching the area. When the incident occurred, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office said it was investigating but nothing has come from that more than a year later.
Over the weekend, family and friends wanted to bolster efforts of the foundation created to remember Allegrini.
“We started a foundation in honor of Anthony and we did this first inaugural hockey tournament all in less than a year,” said Anthony’s cousin Mary Adam. “It embodies who Anthony was because he was such a hard-working kid.”
The cousin explained the mission of the foundation.
“We’ve already started handing out scholarships to local high school seniors,” Adam said. “While he was a very talented hockey player, he was known for his sportsmanship. The only complaint that his hockey coaches ever had about him was that he was too nice to the other team. He was just a gentle person. So, that’s what we’re looking for in our scholarship is someone that embodies that, someone who is displaying exceptional sportsmanship in their senior year.”
She added that another component of the foundation is to defray the costs of sports for those who can’t afford them.
“(Anthony’s parents) Jennifer and Anthony are going to help out kids in need that want to play the sport,” Adam said. “It’s an extremely expensive sport. Club costs and equipment are very high. So, they’re going to help out kids in need who really want to play the sport but don’t have the means to do so.”
At the Pucks For Purpose tournament, four teams — Lil A’s, which included Allegrini’s dad, Anthony Allegrini Sr. and local celebrity Ed Eason of Netflix’s The Circle and MTV’s The Challenge; 4th Liners; Cherry Pickers; and S4’s — scheduled to play Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a championship game.
“They played last night,” Adam said. “They play today (Saturday) and then, tomorrow (Sunday) is playoffs. Then, we’ll have a championship at 2 o’clock. The action has been amazing. It’s been amazing. It’s been so much fun. The games are at a really high speed. It’s just really awesome.”
Jennifer Allegrini expressed thanks for those who helped to get the foundation started, IceWorks for hosting the event, the referees for donating their time all weekend and all the sponsors, volunteers and donors who helped to make the weekend happen.
She said her focus for the event was “positivity.”
“We want people to come out, have fun,” Allegrini said. “Family is so important to us. Without our family, we wouldn’t have this. They’ve been there pulling us from darkness, just trying to be positive.”
She noted a moment she tried to emulate her son.
“I was running around. I was stressed out and my husband was like, ‘You know what Ant would say? ‘It’s fine. It’s fine,’ ” Allegrini said. “Nothing was ever a big deal.”
When asked what Anthony would say about the tournament that organizers hope to be an annual event, Adam smiled and said, “He would love it.”
For a moment during the festivities, Allegrini’s cousin paused.
“We all need to be more like Anthony,” Adam said. “We’ll never be as good, but we can try.”
The Anthony Allegrini Jr. Foundation can be found on Facebook and at www.anthonyallegrinijr.com.
