Tom Barnett’s love for hockey is infectious.
Barnett is so passionate about the game that he wants to inspire kids throughout upstate New York to love hockey as much as he does.
In 2001, Barnett created the Buffalo Shamrocks, a youth recreational hockey club. More than two decades later, the organization continues to thrive while focusing on its core values of sportsmanship, team play and personal responsibility.
Thanks to his tireless efforts, Barnett is being recognized with the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award, presented annually by USA Hockey to a volunteer, who, during many years of service, has displayed a selfless dedication to the enhancement of ice hockey at the grassroots level in America.
“When I get up on Saturday and Sunday morning to go to the rink and coach, I can’t get in my car fast enough,” Barnett said. “It’s the same exact feeling I had when I was 5 and I couldn’t wait to step onto that sheet of ice. This is such an organizational award and honors everyone who helped us. We have a lot of unbelievable coaches and people who believe in the program and their selflessness and commitment to our mission is incredible.”
The Wm. Thayer Tutt Award is the top volunteer honor awarded by USA Hockey each season. It is named in honor of the late Wm. Thayer Tutt, who served as president of USA Hockey from 1972 to 1986.
“With the help of wonderful people, I was able to start the Buffalo Shamrocks 25 years ago, and it has taken a lot of hard work, but in no way do you start a program to be recognized for this,” Barnett said. “It’s an amazing honor.”
Barnett created the Shamrocks due to his dissatisfaction with other programs in the area while his sons Oliver and Cloogie started playing the game. Barnett sought a more nurturing, positive hockey experience intended to keep kids involved in the game longer.
Barnett initially faced some criticism for starting his own organization, as detractors said it wouldn’t last long once Oliver and Cloogie aged out of the program. More than 15 years later, Barnett is still on the ice every week with the Shamrocks.
“I did this for the community,” Barnett said. “Now, everyone is trying to win the national championship when they’re 7 years old. That’s cool, but the Shamrocks have this unusual little world that is very much a throwback to what hockey always used to be. It took a lot of people and a lot of courage to take a leap of faith and say that they wanted to try something different.”
Tom Barnett instilled that lifelong passion of the game in his son Oliver.
“It was never about chasing anything,” Oliver Barnett said. “You just couldn’t wait to get to the rink and hang out with your buddies. We grew up with it, and to a large extent, it’s part of our identity.”
The Shamrocks started with 30 players in 2001. The program now features more than 300 players with a waiting list. There are eight different levels of play, including Learn to Skate all the way to Bantam, girls hockey, an eight-team in-house league and more.
Sportsmanship, team play, personal responsibility and positive attitudes are the only goals throughout the organization.
“When you’re not focused on winning, the winning takes care of itself,” Tom Barnett said. “We want to teach respect, making sure the locker room is clean, respecting the Zamboni driver, respecting teammates and coaches … we want the kids to come to the rink and just have a blast playing the game.”
This isn’t the first time Barnett and the Shamrocks have been recognized for their efforts. In 2009, Barnett and the entire organization earned the inaugural Mark Messier Youth Leadership Award. The award was created to reward youth hockey players or mentors for their leadership and contributions to youth sports and education.
The Shamrocks had a chance to spend the day with Messier during Game 3 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh’s old Civic Arena.
“We were very new, we were building and growing and when that happened, there was a sense that maybe something special was going on here,” Tom Barnett said. “Mark left an indelible mark on our program.”
In addition to founding the Shamrocks, Barnett is in the fashion business. He has owned a clothing store for more than 35 years and now has locations in Buffalo, Washington D.C. and Beverly Hills. Throughout the week, Barnett designs clothing, suits and more for clients, which has included Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Tage Thompson, and other top players throughout the NHL.
On the weekends, Barnett is on the ice with the Shamrocks.
“I’ve been fortunate to revolve my life around the two things that I love to do, and that’s fashion and hockey,” Barnett said. “If you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life, and it’s not work to me.”
Barnett’s dedication to hockey shines through, particularly when he’s on the rink at 6 a.m. on the weekends with the Learn to Skate Shamrocks. Barnett, who recently celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary, said his wife, Lisa, is the “glue” that holds it all together.
Barnett will ultimately receive the recognition for the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award, but he would rather spotlight the organization and what it took to reach this point.
“He’s driven and his passion is contagious,” Oliver Barnett said. “My dad is someone who leads by example and has time for everybody at the rink. He’s so detail-oriented, he takes so much pride in his work, and he takes care of everyone around him. You can feel it — you want to be around it and it’s certainly something that has led to success in anything he’s set out to accomplish.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Source: usahockey.com