The next best thing to playing in the NHL for Adam Foote and Stu Barnes is coaching the next generation of stars.
At the John Reid Memorial Tournament, Foote is the bench boss of the Colorado Thunderbirds and Barnes is the assistant coach of the Dallas Jr. Stars Elite.
“It’s fun to see the kids develop. It’s so gratifying,” said Foote, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche. “It’s nice to give back. I don’t know what I would be doing with myself if I wasn’t involved in hockey. It’s all I know.”
Barnes is happy to instruct bantam-age players.
“It’s interesting. They are kids so there are a lot of emotions. They’re up and down but a good bunch of kids that have a lot of fun out there and they work very hard,” said the 1986/87 AJHL rookie of the year with the St. Albert Saints.
“For me it’s all about working hard, respecting the game, learning from the game and learning good life lessons like teamwork and perseverance,” Barnes added. “The other part of it is to have fun and enjoy it. Your minor hockey years go by very quickly and you just want the boys and the parents for that matter to enjoy it along the way and have a great experience.”
Foote is in his fourth year as a minor hockey coach and second with his current team. One of his assistant coaches is Hockey Hall of Fame great Joe Sakic, the executive vice-president, general manager and alternate governor for the Avalanche. Sakic’s appearance at the 37th annual St. Albert bantam AAA tournament caused quite a stir among fans and autograph seekers.
“We’re into it as coaches. We’re competitive guys. To play hockey at a high level you become competitive and to keep your job for a long time you have to be competitive. Sometimes it’s hard when you’re on the bench and you’re dealing with kids to bring it back a couple of notches and just understand they are just kids,” said Foote, a defensive development consultant for the Avalanche. “I’ve learned a lot at this level and I really appreciate school teachers now. I say sorry to all mine growing up, how they had to repeat themselves over and over.”
Foote’s son, Nolan, is shaping up to be as big in stature as his dad was on defence, but as a forward. Sakic’s son, Chase, is a shifty skater with a wrister that Burnaby Joe used to torment goalies with. Ironically both boys are wearing their dad’s jersey numbers – number 52 for Foote and number 19 for Sakic.
Thunderbirds captain Bryan Locker said the players soak up the pro tips from their highly-touted coaches.
“It’s really cool because they have great experience in the NHL so they like to pass it on to us and it just makes us better players so it really helps us out with our game,” said the 14-year-old forward. “Joe is kind of laid back in a little way but Adam as the head coach he kind of gets our team going. Every once in a while he’ll fire us up if we’re not doing things right.”
Barnes is impressed by the quality of today’s bantam players compared to when he was lighting it up with Spruce Grove. His son, Jack, is a forward with offensive flair.
“The players now are better players in general. They’re bigger and faster,” said the former assistant coach of the Dallas Stars. “As far as hockey in Dallas there are a lot of good players down there. We do travel a lot and what we’re doing here is to get some really good competition playing against these great organizations.”
The Thunderbirds also log a ton of travel miles going to high-level tournaments like St. Albert.
“It teaches them to play the right way. Up here it doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, they just play the right way. They manage the game and they manage the walls. They’re mean and they make it very difficult. It helps the guys get prepared and ready for nationals,” Foote said.
Exposure to junior scouts is also a priority.
“Seeing all the black jackets up there (in the stands) with clipboards and coming out and playing one of the toughest teams in the tournament it was a very intimidating day for our kids but we got through it and hopefully we can build on it,” Foote said of the 2-1 win over the defending champion Okanagan Hockey Academy of Penticton in Thursday’s opening game. “They get in your face, they play a really gritty style of game and kind of try to scare you out of the game, kind of like the old Philadelphia Flyers did back in the day and our guys had to face it. We showed a lot of courage to stay in it. That was a big hockey team and that’s why we came up here to play that mean type of hockey to get ready for nationals.”
Foote was a physical stay-at-home defenceman who played 1,154 NHL games (66 goals, 308 points and 1,534 PIM) with the Quebec Nordiques, Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets, plus 170 playoff matches. The 2002 Olympic gold medallist and 2004 World Cup champion had his jersey retired by the Avalanche in 2013.
“It’s always hard to win the cup, but just being able to play for your country is just amazing. I didn’t realize at the Olympics when we won how much the fans appreciate it and don’t forget. They have a great memory and always thank you so it really makes its even more special,” said the former captain of the Blue Jackets and Avalanche who played his minor hockey for Brooklin-Whitby.
Barnes played 16 seasons at centre for the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalos Sabres and Dallas while compiling 261 goals, 597 points and 438 PIM in 1,136 games, plus 30 goals and 62 points in 116 playoff contests.
“I’m proud that I lasted for as long as I did. I got to play a thousand games in that league and for me that means being associated with great teams and players and coaches and a lot of great teammates, so to be able to hang around that long and be part of that league for as long as I did is a big thrill,” said the co-owner of the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League who has a rink named after him in Spruce Grove.
