Barry Mothes Retirement

The longtime Greely boys' hockey coach has stepped down after 32 seasons, 417 wins and five state titles. Listen to Mothes describe his reasoning and reflect on his time leading one of the state's finest programs.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Report credit in how to sponsor Hopper's High School Sport, demonstrating our commitment and supporting young athletes both in the classroom and on the field. We invite you to celebrate our dedication and achievements by tuning into Hoffer's High School Sports Podcast and visiting its website for the most comprehensive coverage of local high school sports. For all of our podcasts, as well as a lot of articles, features, polls, and more, feel free to visit our website at Hoffert's High SchoolSports.com. Welcome in to another edition of the Hoffer's High School Sports Podcast. Michael Hoffer joined as always by my good friend M Eisenhart. Hi, how are we doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Doing all right? Doing okay. The uh the the the news just keeps trickling in. Um the uh baseball season is uh uh less than uh five days away, right? And you're gonna go ahead and talk about winter.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Yeah, we're gonna talk about that's just the way this job works. You know, you think you're out of one season and you never really are, and there's always off-season news uh regardless of of what the season is. But yeah, uh yeah, this is a big one. Uh Barry Modus, the longtime Greeley Boys hockey coach, 32 years, 417 victories, I believe seven regional titles and five state championships, uh, announced that he is stepping down. And uh he got a chance to sit down with him and have kind of a long-ranging, uh free-flowing uh interview in regards to that. If the name sounds familiar to you podcast listeners, I just had Barry on back in January uh to talk about his career and everything. And at the time I remember asking him if this had a shelf life, and you know, he didn't really commit to coming back at the time. I mean, he said it's basically a year-to-year thing. I mean, he didn't give me reason to think he wouldn't keep coaching. Right, yeah. But I mean, you know this Tim from coaching sometimes, it's a tough decision. It's always a hard decision, right? I mean, you want you want to be the one making the decision and not having it made for you, but you know, there's a lot of things to consider, and um especially when you've coached as long as he has.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Yeah, I mean you you always want to see the problem with leaving a coaching job, especially some a legend like like him, yeah, it's always a a group of kids that you want to see through. Right. And the problem is is that you get another you fall in love with the next group that comes through and you want to see them through. And that's really what if you really love coaching, yeah. That decision I can tell you right now, and he's been around it so long, that probably was one of the hardest walks from his car to the AD's office that he's ever had to make, and then then to break it to the kids. It's emotional because you're just you're saying goodbye to the kids that you've invested so much time. Not just the kids, the community. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

No, it's so true. And uh, you know, especially at that much time, and you know, I know it's something that he's you know wrestled with back and forth, and you know, he's his reasoning is certainly uh understandable, as we'll get into in the interview, and it's kind of sobering for me. I've I've done this 25 years now, and uh and I'm down to eight coaches who predate me out in the position that they were in then and still are now. So it just goes to show that you stick around long enough you uh you outlast almost everybody, and uh this is another reminder of that.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

So he was he was a young man, I was so was I, but yeah. He was uh seven years into his tenure when you started writing, right? And uh you probably didn't even it wasn't even a blip at that at that point to to try to cover hockey at that point. You weren't covering it, were you? Oh, sure.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

I was I was and you know and at the time Greeley was kind of like a level underdog team. They weren't able they you know Felmouth and Yarmouth and teams like that where the powerhouses cave. Um, you know, they are kind of an afterthought in Class B South, and it it took a little while for them to get to the point where they started to win regional titles, and then once they started it, it's like they didn't stop for the better part of 15 years. Um just a remarkable run where where all of a sudden they were the team that everyone was measuring uh themselves by, and just uh you know, a remarkable resume he has, and you know, so many great memories, so many great games, uh, you know, certainly a lot to be proud of. And uh, you know, we we we touched on all of that. And you know, it's hard to, you know, you you do this job, you get attached to people and you get to know people, and you know that you know the seasons by who you're gonna be seeing at ranks and at arenas and at ballparks and that kind of thing. And you know, it's uh it's just a reminder that that no one lasts forever, and uh it's gonna be a new era of Greeley hockey, but uh but what a great era that previous one was, and uh, and I'm sure you know I Barry deserves to have a lot of pride and uh a lot of credit for what he accomplished there. So uh yeah, it was a great interview and uh here it is. Sure, let's see, 32 years, 417 wins, something like that, seven regional finals, five state championships. Why now?

SPEAKER_01 4:33

What's uh um I I just think uh it's it's the right time for me. Um a lot of it is just sort of my personal life and my family life. Um and my my mom who's gonna be 92 in May, and and she's so and just more availability for my wife, Ann, and and just you know, I've been doing this a long time and I feel really lucky to have been able to do it as long as I have. And you know, the last couple years, especially this year, have been maybe a little more stressful for me personally just because of sort of things going on with my family and stuff that as you know, or anybody who plays or coaches, certainly coaches, you know, when we when we start in November to early March, uh you're you're deeply, deeply locked into a lot. And um, and I've I've loved I've loved all of that. And but just feeling in the last couple of years, maybe a little bit, or but but increasingly this year, um, you know, just just feeling like I need at this point in my life, uh I just feel like I want and need the flexibility to be more available in certain parts of my personal life that are important to me. And and the grilly hockey team has been incredibly important to me too. And but um that's that's those are those are really the the biggest reasons. It's got nothing to do with uh you know anything to do with sort of the the team or our our it's it's about I've I've really enjoyed obviously we'll probably get into this with other questions, but I mean we've we've obviously had some challenges the last couple of years uh in terms of trying to find ways to win games, but but I mean I've I've enjoyed so much about those seasons um and I've learned so much as a person and a coach and teacher, and like I I've had I've had some very meaningful experiences right up until um our final game at Levitt and uh our our team banquet and our team trip to the Hockeys uh semifinals and just great and having conversations with the guys uh even just yesterday and today. Um I I told the players yesterday. So um so I I have a lot of really, really great, meaningful memories from 32 years ago right up to yesterday and this morning.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Was it a tough decision to come to, or were you kind of leaning this way? It was okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

It was. Um it was, I think. Um but but but I I feel since I think maybe the hardest one of the harder parts was getting myself down the hallway to talk to David Shapiro first and then contemplate talking to the players and my assistant coaches. And but I I think the process that all that all happened earlier this week, and I I really am thankful I I had I had some great conversations with people that I I care about a lot, and um, you know, with David and uh and and then obviously with Brad and and uh and then just meeting with the players. I I I'm really I feel lucky that I was able to to do it in the way um that it happened and because I wanted to make sure I I checked in with a lot of people who who matter a lot and and including being sitting here with you now, you know, today just seems to be the right time to be having this conversation.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Yeah. How did the team receive it? Was that a hard conversation?

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Was it I mean I'm sure they I don't know if they were shocked or upset or I mean well I I've I've retired from teaching as well, and I that that happened a couple weeks ago. Um and so I think some people well many people were immediately like, oh, you're retiring from coaching too, and and I I was probably leaning in that direction, but um I still felt like I needed to work through some stuff and I needed to kind of keep those processes separate. And um, but I think some players uh probably heard things or maybe assumed things because of, but um I think yesterday it was pretty serious. I I was I got rather emotional, which I I I I wasn't really surprised about. Um I'm glad I was I was able to finish my sentences, uh, but I I could I could feel things you know pretty deeply. Um and I think they listened very respectfully. And but I would say it was a fairly serious moment where I was trying to explain myself uh as honestly as I could to them and and they they listened and and we I tried to also explain that you know I I've been working on setting up the summer hockey stuff for the team so that'll be in place for you know so and I I wanted them to hear that because I'm sure they're that matters a lot to them and it would matter a lot to me as a player. So it was I I thought it was a good they they didn't do so I I did most of the talking, uh and but we uh had some nice nice quick conversations with everybody on the way out, and I've already had some conversations today with some players, and I know that'll continue.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

So if I would have told you back in 1995 you'd have the resume that I just talked about without beyond your wildest dreams. I mean, did this last longer or did it go better than you would have ever dreamed?

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Um I don't I don't know, honestly. Like I I I've probably said it before. I'm I'm a pretty kind of year-to-year person, I guess, as a coach and teacher. Um, I didn't I didn't I I'm not sure I would have said I'm gonna be doing this for 32 years. So no, no. Um but I also didn't feel at the time like I'm just gonna do this for a couple years. So I don't know. So the the the truth somewhere in the middle there, I don't know. I mean there and to be honest, like over the 32 years, there have probably only been a couple times where it might have been like, well, maybe, maybe this will be maybe this, you know, COVID obviously um I think caused a lot of people to ask questions about what they were doing, and uh and I can say more about that later, but COVID and then just you know, just maybe the last couple years of just being more aware of my my age and my mother's advancing age and just you know life in general, and uh feeling like I wanted a little more flexibility um in my life. So uh no, and and you know, the the the the successes, the explicit successes of the wins and and the titles, no. I you know, obviously it took us a while to to win a state championship. And you know, when we started um there were a lot of teams in Class B and there were a lot of really strong teams, and we were making our trying to make an impact. And you know, it's like a 14-team league when I started with Scarborough and Chevros as its own team, Yarmouth has its own team, uh strong Brunswick, Monera teams as single school teams, um Falmouth as a single school.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

I mean, you know, it was it was crazy to think how deep class you are.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

And the north was strong too. Or the old east and west. So Kennebunk was extremely strong. So uh the the possibility of of winning like that many or but it was certainly it that's that was a uh incredibly meaningful, rewarding stretch that started you know a couple years prior where we were sort of getting closer, and you know oh seven, um you know, losing it overtime to Brewer and but being close and and so you know that that stretch from I don't know four, five, six up to basically twenty twenty. Yeah, and then I guess it then it gets a little screwy because of COVID and a seven-game season, and then I can say more about that later, but you know, we were very strong in 2022 as well. But so but no, I I I I didn't spend a lot of time. I I didn't spend a lot of time. I I think it's kind of you're in the middle of it, you're in the thick of it, but you know you have some strong players. I mean initially, initially those first few times are so meaningful, you're getting cl or they're all meaningful, but you're getting closer, you're getting closer. Players are very inspired, and so what those what those teams were able to do in that like 04 to 09 window, and then kind of that 09 to 2013-14-ish window was really, really incredible.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

You spent a lot of time in Lewiston in those days.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Yeah. Yeah. For good reason. Yeah, all the way up to 2019. And used to get a lot of comments from uh the MPA guys and uh the rink personnel be like, oh, you guys again, and you know, it was a lot of it was obviously a lot of fun. And yeah, we loved we loved playing up there. It was fun to have the semifinals, you know, we'd have the regional final there as well, and uh yeah, fantastic. Uh fantastic stuff.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Yeah. Yeah. How much pride do you take in, you know, you took over a program that was competitive and good, but you turned it into an elite program for a long, long time. And I, you know, people don't realize how much hard work goes into that. It's not just uh, you know, like you say, a November to March job. It's a year-round job. And it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. And I mean, is that something you take a lot of pride in?

SPEAKER_01 14:48

I I I do. I mean, I think the players, the players really deserve a great deal of the credit. I mean, the players and and and actually in some way, and the families as well. Um I mean, I I I I think we were we were we were fortunate, or I'm I'm thankful, there was sort of a very key period in time where, you know, for one example, the Hart family was very committed to to Greeley public schools and and contributed a great deal to the middle school program when the kids were that age and coached it, and then and there were other families too. Um, but there was kind of an important little turning point, I think, when some really, really truly talented, exceptional players stayed at Greeley for their for some time, if not their entire high school careers, and their families wanted them to do that, and they excelled in soccer and baseball on the cross as well. Um and those sorts of people kind of put us over the the edge, I think, you know, in terms of of being able to finally do that. Um but we also and but it we also just had um a really great strong nucleus of players with a lot of character, kind of year after year, um at a at an important time where it kind of kept building. And and so I I'm it felt it feels very rewarding to have had those experiences. Um I am I'm very very proud of those players, and I'm very proud of the Greeley teams and what Greeley hockey kind of became. I mean, I'm not not sort of proud of myself. I'm proud of the players and I'm proud of the teams and what what we were. And and I think what we were and have been, and it's been challenging these last couple of years, but I uh I I'm very optimistic about sort of where the team is heading right now. Um it's not gonna be easy, but I think the players are very, very excited about next year, and I think they're gonna be a really promising and interesting and fun team. And that um I'm kind of switching topics a little bit, but I mean I think that's one thing that made it has it because it's been a very hard process to to make the decision there. Um but I feel I feel a sense of like I feel good and hopeful and like happy about the feeling that I think this team is in is in a good place, and I think they're going to to really make an impact next year, and I think they've learned a lot, and they've got a really great nucleus of guys, a bunch of like juniors and sophomores that have played a ton of varsity hockey already, and they've I think they've learned a great deal. We've got a great group of seniors, rising seniors, who really took huge jumps in their own careers this year to become top second, third team league all-stars. So I feel I'm really happy about that. I'm really looking forward to to seeing what they uh what they can do. But but I am, you know, I am very proud of the players and the teams, championship years, non-championship years. I feel like we we kind of um had an identity, um, had a spirit, had a spirit, had a character, um, tried to play the game a certain way, which is in some ways a reflection of how I think the game should be played, and certain people that I played for for and learned from. I mean, we weren't always able to completely play the way I would really love to play, because we just weren't, you know, but but I think a lot of our I think uh I'm I'm very very proud of the way I think consistently our teams improved over the course of the season and like where we where we went each year from you know November to late February, early March, maybe some years more than others. But I think I that's to me one of the most satisfying things about coaching and about being on the team was uh working on working on that, working towards that and and seeing it happen. It that's kind of I don't know, that's one of the more satisfying things I think if you'll if you like to compete as a player as or certainly as a coach.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Right. Yeah, you mentioned COVID a couple times. Was that the most difficult stretch in your coaching career getting through that?

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Well, I certainly strangest. Uh uh historically historically strange, yes. I mean, well, so I'm thankful, I'm thankful, yeah, as you know, I write. Um we were like five days away from not winning a state champ, probably not having a chance to win a state championship in 2020. Um so we beat we beat Old Town Orno. I was the senior All-Star coach. It was the Thursday before the senior all-star game, and the world shut down on Friday. Right. So uh so I'm thankful that the 2019-20 team were were able to see that through. Uh it it was it was disappointing that the 2021 uh team did not get to have a full season because that was a very strong group of players too, with a huge and really high character group of seniors. Um so yes, it was hard. Uh I mean that you know, obviously it was like so hard just in that 21-22 season with the, you know, we didn't know if we were gonna have a season, and then we were supposedly, you know, we were gonna have a season, but we had to be six feet apart on the bench. Like I wasn't quite sure how that was gonna work. Um, you know, we were gonna dress it, we dressed in the stands. Um we're gonna wear um, you know, breathing masks under our helmets. Um, think about these things. Um and you know, we were gonna have a seven-game season, and then we I can't remember all the details, but we started and stopped. And there was a long period where we were in hiatus, I think, in January. And then fortunately, I think somebody somebody saw the light and we were able to kind of finish or play. Have something, right? You know, um, but yeah, that was very hard and and um and and hard hard to uh hard to you know recognize the disappointment and the challenges for the players who like this is their this is their one and only time being a high school athlete and this is this is what's going on in the world, you know, and uh that was hard. Not so hard for me personally, but hard just being aware of like the impact it was having on these kids of high school their lives. Right. Their lives.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Any regrets on anything you wish you had done or done differently? If the answer is no, that's great. That's a great career. Sometimes people feel like they stayed too long. It's certainly not the case with you. It certainly seems that way. I d I don't.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

I don't. I mean, I I I um I've done a lot of, you know, for all kinds of reasons, like the last you know, five years or so, have been a kind of a different segment of the world, world history, but more locally, like grilly hockey history and grilly hockey. And you know, there have been some sort of like ups and downs and challenges uh starting with the COVID, and then we've had we've had we had some really unlucky injuries that really impacted our team are, you know, um, you know, three of the last three of the three of the last four seasons. Three of the last four seasons, we've played a varsity hockey schedule with a goaltender that just started playing the position. They they are two outstanding young men.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Right, that's a tough situation.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Um fabulous, great guys. And it's amazing that in the second year of one of those, we went, you know, 12 and 8 and uh uh went to the playoffs, and he was named the forecaster Winter Athlete of the Year. That's right. Uh or maybe that was the year where we struggled a bit more. But anyway anyway, you know, just just we've we had some really um including this year. Uh, you know, we had an extremely uh very talented freshman who would have been a high impact all-league rookie candidate guy who had a serious knee injury and never played. Um so we've had some bad luck with injuries, and we just haven't had huge numbers, so those injuries have been very, very detrimental to the team. Um but but but I I I don't for a minute uh regret like having been through these seasons. I as I said earlier, like I I've learned a lot um as as a person, um just facing challenges. Um I started I I enjoyed being a more of an underdog. I was never I enjoyed being more of an underdog kind of team. That's what we were for a long, long time, and we certainly were the last few years, and but but just the day-to-day experience with the players, their their character, their positivity, I couldn't have I I couldn't have asked for more. Um, you know, we real upbeat, hopeful, um, supported each other, um frustrated at times, yeah, yeah, yes, uh, you know, but they they hung in there, deeply hung in there, and uh I think that's gonna serve them well uh going forward in life, and like this year's returning players, um I hope they can really put a lot of that into action next season. Um so I um no, I I I don't I don't regret like coaching for a few more years. I don't. In fact, it was very very, very hard to stop. Yeah, very, very hard to stop. Um but I felt that I needed to. Right. Um yeah. I mean I as far as other I I don't I don't. I mean I don't mean to sound like presumptuous that there aren't things I perhaps should regret or something, but I I mean I I I think I had such a full rich range of experiences that um I feel like I kind of had a bit of it all, and and I certainly didn't I don't think I missed out on any sort of experience that one could have as a hockey coach, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

So what does the future bring? I know you you're gonna be very committed to family time, but it's time to play more golf, that kind of stuff. Will we ever will we ever see you on the sideline again, possibly? I mean behind the bench. Behind the bench, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

I I don't know. You know, I'm I don't want to say absolutely no way. I not for not for a bit here. And uh yeah, I mean I hope to play a bit more golf, which doesn't really conflict with the hockey season per se. But um but yeah, I hope to play some more golf. I hope uh I hope to you know be able to maybe like explore some other interests of mine with you know maybe with writing, and I I enjoy playing music and um I'm in a band with other teachers here, and um one of them is retired now, but and one is leaving this year, but a couple aren't. But we I would it's it's been a great experience being in a band with them. You know, we call ourselves the faculties, and uh so I I want to I'd like to become a better guitar player and uh I'd like to work on some writing and um you know I'd like to I'd like to have the the flexibility to to to travel a bit more. It's not like I'm gonna become a world traveler year-round, but just to have a little bit of the freedom to to go someplace in the world between November and March, you know, and uh I look forward to those kinds of possibilities. Um and and and also just having more time with people like my wife Ann and my mom that have been so supportive and made a lot of sort of accommodations to allow me to sort of be in the role that I am, and um I'm looking forward to maybe kind of having more than a very tired Sunday to uh round out the week. Right. Um I'm looking forward to being able to maybe like you know go out to dinner on a few more Saturday nights in the wintertime or get away for a weekend once in a while to go someplace fun and do some skating or uh and other things. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

And I mean, everyone wants to go out on their own terms. It doesn't always work out that way. So, you know, can I mean congratulations. It's been an incredible run. I'm sure you're hearing a lot of things from a lot of people that you've affected positively over the years, and that's gotta be gratifying. But I'm you know, I'm glad you're in a good place with all of this and a lot to be proud of, you know?

SPEAKER_01 29:11

I appreciate that. I I appreciate that, and I certainly, you know, I appreciate you and and and and all you've done to cover our teams.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

I mean you've been some great games to cover, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 29:24

You've been you've been the man, you know, the man in the stands, the man at ice level, or the man in the press box. You know the you know the scope of the story better than probably anybody but but me, maybe, or something. I don't know. You you've uh you know your coverage has meant a lot to to to me, uh, but to the players and the families, yeah, you know, you've your stories have become your coverage has been you know part of people's lives in a way that is very meaningful. And I know it's harder and harder these days in the media world, and I'm glad you've been able to stick with your new you know you know your new new project that you're doing, which is great. Yeah, no, so far so good.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

And who knows, hopefully we will cross paths there at a rank sometime soon, but I hope so. You know, I I do appreciate you taking some time to talk about all this. I know uh I'm sure a lot of thought and time and emotion went into it.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

So it did. It did. It's been uh between my between my decision about teaching and and this, um, it's been a this has been going on for some weeks. Some weeks. And and some of it, some of it here and there before, but um it was not something I had set in stone back in August. Like, where was it? You know, I that was really it's not the way I not was not the way I was feeling, but um you know, I just feel like things sort of came to me happened in certain ways in my thoughts and reflections and getting a little bit of space away from the end of the season. Um I just really after a lot of reflections. I really need to.