Barron is returning to the bench of the Yarmouth Junior A Mariners as head coach and general manager.
He’s no stranger to the Mariners organization, having already spent 11 years on the bench as an assistant coach or head coach. He was let go at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season when the team’s ownership felt a change was needed after the team failed to go deep in the playoffs two years in a row.
This past season, however, the team didn’t make it to the playoffs at all.
After discussing it with his family, Barron says it was an easy decision to come back.
“It’s an easy transition and I’m excited,” he says.
About having been let go from the team not that long ago, Barron says that’s all part of the hockey business.
“The last time I think it was time to get out and try something else anyway, but all of a sudden I realized I missed the atmosphere in the rink and I liked the part about going to the local coffee shop and everybody wants to talk hockey,” he says. “I guess I thought that was the same way everywhere and it’s not.”
Barron says there is a lot of work to do to prepare for the season.
“We need to add some free agents, we need to add at the draft and we need to make it a real competition come training camp,” he says.
With Barron’s son Matthew playing with the Mariners last year, Barron took in a lot of the games and got familiar with the team, which was a young team last year. Asked what he would say to fans about the team that will be iced this coming season, Barron says, “Unfortunately it’s not a ‘try’ league, it’s a ‘do’ league. We led the league in attendance and they deserve a good product and that’s what we’re going to try and give them. We’ve got some young talent, surround it with some veteran leadership . . . I’ve done the rebuild before and really enjoyed it and I’m excited to give it another try.”
Barron had coached with the South Shore Lumberjacks this past season but was let go from that position before the team went into playoffs. There have been two head coaches with the Mariners since Barron was last on the bench here: Jim Bottomley and T.J. Smith. (Smith has been dealing with a medical issue that kept him off of the bench and out of the Mariners office for many months.)
Barron himself has come and gone over the years. This, he says, may be the fourth time he “comes back” to the team.
“Billy Martin was with the Yankees five times, so I’m still good,” he says, laughing.
“I’m just excited to roll up our sleeves and get at it. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m thinking it’s going to be easy because I think the league is better than the last time we rebuilt,” Barron says. “But I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t think that we, as a group and as an organization, couldn’t get back at being one of the top dogs.”
Barron is returning to the bench of the Yarmouth Junior A Mariners as head coach and general manager.
He’s no stranger to the Mariners organization, having already spent 11 years on the bench as an assistant coach or head coach. He was let go at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season when the team’s ownership felt a change was needed after the team failed to go deep in the playoffs two years in a row.
This past season, however, the team didn’t make it to the playoffs at all.
After discussing it with his family, Barron says it was an easy decision to come back.
“It’s an easy transition and I’m excited,” he says.
About having been let go from the team not that long ago, Barron says that’s all part of the hockey business.
“The last time I think it was time to get out and try something else anyway, but all of a sudden I realized I missed the atmosphere in the rink and I liked the part about going to the local coffee shop and everybody wants to talk hockey,” he says. “I guess I thought that was the same way everywhere and it’s not.”
Barron says there is a lot of work to do to prepare for the season.
“We need to add some free agents, we need to add at the draft and we need to make it a real competition come training camp,” he says.
With Barron’s son Matthew playing with the Mariners last year, Barron took in a lot of the games and got familiar with the team, which was a young team last year. Asked what he would say to fans about the team that will be iced this coming season, Barron says, “Unfortunately it’s not a ‘try’ league, it’s a ‘do’ league. We led the league in attendance and they deserve a good product and that’s what we’re going to try and give them. We’ve got some young talent, surround it with some veteran leadership . . . I’ve done the rebuild before and really enjoyed it and I’m excited to give it another try.”
Barron had coached with the South Shore Lumberjacks this past season but was let go from that position before the team went into playoffs. There have been two head coaches with the Mariners since Barron was last on the bench here: Jim Bottomley and T.J. Smith. (Smith has been dealing with a medical issue that kept him off of the bench and out of the Mariners office for many months.)
Barron himself has come and gone over the years. This, he says, may be the fourth time he “comes back” to the team.
“Billy Martin was with the Yankees five times, so I’m still good,” he says, laughing.
“I’m just excited to roll up our sleeves and get at it. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m thinking it’s going to be easy because I think the league is better than the last time we rebuilt,” Barron says. “But I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t think that we, as a group and as an organization, couldn’t get back at being one of the top dogs.”
