1949: The outdoor rink, situated where the Hunt Track is today. / 2017: Alumni Hockey Invitational
“I can’t say that it was anyone in particular who came up with the name, nor can I point to any particular time-frame when it became popular,” he says. “It seems to me it may have been around the mid-80s when I first recall the rink being called ‘the Barn.’ “As to why, well, just look around,” adds Antone. “There are plenty of barns in the Valley, and with the wooden siding on the outside and the wooden trusses inside, it looks just like one.” Now, as student-athletes, coaches, and alumni prepare to bid the Barn adieu, memories abound—built over six decades on the ice sheet as generations battled to discover the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and the unfulfilling feeling of those sporadic ties. Banners that hang on the wall behind the team benches inform all that this was the home of three New England championship teams: the 1984 and 2003 boys Class A champs as well as the 2001 girls Class A titleholder.
Interestingly, Dave Hagerman ’64 and Jim Lindsay ’70, who coached the boys’ championship teams—enjoyed the rare opportunity of participating in Deerfield hockey on three different levels over the years: as student-athletes at the Academy, as coaches, and as directors of athletics. “I came to Deerfield for a PG year after attending Holderness School for four years,” said Hagerman. “They had an outdoor rink up there, so you can just imagine how I felt when I got here and I was able to walk out of our locker room . . . up the ramp . . . and onto the rink without having to go outside. I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.” Another highlight of Hagerman’s postgraduate year “was the opportunity to play for a pair of legendary coaches—Bob Merriam (hockey) and Jim Smith (football). I can’t begin to tell you how much those two men influenced my life.” As both a coach and athletic director, Hagerman found himself remembering people—rather than events—as the ice house’s defining factor. “Jim Antone was a huge presence at that rink,” says Hagerman. “You knew Jim was invested in the facility; he loved the rink; he loved the kids. He took care of everyone and made sure everything was running perfectly and if it wasn’t, he’d fix it. “I feel blessed to have worked with such outstanding student-athletes as those who have attended Deerfield Academy throughout the years,” adds Hagerman. “To me, it was a privilege to have had the opportunity to coach such fine young men such as Tim Hanley ’84 (whose overtime goal in the finals beat Kent School), Doug Weiss ’84, Brian Fusonie ’84, and Sonny Neumann ’84, who were part of that championship team.” By the time Jim Lindsay entered Deerfield, he had become accustomed to playing on indoor rinks, “but I still remember we had wire mesh surrounding the rink rather than glass,” he says. He also recalls the intimacy of the rink. “It seemed as though the crowd was on top of the game . . . on top of you, for that matter. They were so close, in fact, that I can still see their fingers sticking through mesh.”
top: Bob Merriam ’43 explains the game plan. / bottom: 1984: l to r: Assistant Coach Wyffels, Assistant Captain Tim Hanley, Captain Doug Weiss, Assistant Captain Finnerty, and Coach Hagerman ’64
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