Avon's Long-time Rink Manager John Riley Retires | Avon Old Farms News | About Us | Avon Old Farms

Since 1993, John Riley has served Avon Old Farms School as the rink manager. At the end of the winter athletic season, the Avon Old Farms community celebrated John during the final home varsity game of the season as he embarked on a well-earned retirement.

During the last 31 years, John has done all of the things that you might expect a rink manager to do… he has also done many more things that most rink managers would not do. For example, we have all heard the goal horn here at Avon Old Farms. Between 2000 and 2010 when Avon won six New England Championships, Mr. Riley managed to sneak that air horn into the rink at Salem each year, effectively making that rink ‘Our House.’  And in 2007, when Cam Atkinson broke a skate blade, Mr. Riley changed the blade and got Cam back out onto the ice so he not only made his next shift, but scored a crucial goal in a one goal overtime game.
 

But it is the manner in which John does his job which we will remember most. He was always welcoming and extremely accommodating–not just for Avon Old Farms, but to our guests from visiting schools, to the referees, the Avon-Canton-Farmington youth hockey organization, and to the Farmington Valley Generals high school players and coaches. For each of these groups, John has consistently and continually gone out of his way to make their experience the best it could possibly be.

Last month, before the singing of the National Anthem at the last varsity home game of the season, Mr. Riley was recognized with the above words, and was presented with an honorary diploma from Head of School Jim Detora P’12 as well as a framed photo of the JTG Rink, signed by the members of the varsity hockey team.

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