Memorial Hockey Game Honors Memory of Marc Parrott
Holly Parrott meets with players on the ice before the start of Friday's game.
But the only number that really mattered was the one on the backs of every player on both teams: 34.
Twenty friends of Pittsfield native Marc Parrot got together to play a memorial hockey game in his honor on Friday evening.
HIs wife, Holly, said it was a fitting tribute for the 52-year-old St. Joseph Central High School graduate who died in August.
And she said Marc would have been among the first to sign up for such an event.
"I truly appreciate all the community coming together to honor my husband," Holly Parrott said.
John Hinkell, who helped organize the event but could not play because of an injury, said a hockey game was the perfect way to remember Parrott, an athlete and fan of multiple sports who had a particular passion for this one.
"Marc was a great hockey player," Hinkell said. "And he was a mentor as well. I was a baseball player, and he talked me into coming out and trying out for hockey. One day at Deming Park, he pulled me aside and said, 'What do you do in the winter?' I said, 'Geez, I don't do much in the winter.' He said, 'Why don't you come out and play in the Boys Club hockey program?'
"I said, 'I don't know how to skate, and I don't have any equipment.' He said, 'That's not a problem. I'll get you the equipment. You just get permission from your parents and have them sign you up.'
"And, really, hockey became my sport. And it was all because of Marc. He was just one helluva guy, a really special person."
For one hour on Friday evening, Parrott's friends battled to the delight of a large crowd of family and friends.
The event opened with a presentation of memorial jerseys to Marc and Holly's daughters. Pittsfield High student Alexa performed "The Star-Spangled Banner." And Marc's brother Ray performed a ceremonial puck drop at center ice.
The game kicked off a weekend of remembrance for Parrott, known to many in the community for his time as owner of the family's A-Mart on North Street. After the final horn sounded, the scene shifted to Berkshire Hills Country Club for a reception in Parrott's honor. On Saturday, a celebration of his life was planned at Dalton's New Life Church.
"In all honesty, this thing came together in three days," Hinkell said. "We secured the ice time through Dan Kearns at the Boys and Girls Club. We had a venue locked in with Berkshire Hills in a day and a half. And the third day I got a call from Mark Reynolds from Reynolds Team Sales saying he heard through the grapevine we were putting together a memorial hockey game for Marc.
"I knew when I started getting phone calls that it wasn't myself or any of the players putting this together. It was being orchestrated by Mark. He made this happen. He had all the connections in place."
Thanksgiving weekend was a logical time for the game because it allowed several of the players to make the event part of a holiday weekend back to the Berkshires.
"We've had people coming from all over the country," Hinkell said. "We had Shaun Risley come from Colorado. We had folks coming in from Boston. We had many players from Boston. I came from Virginia. Westfield [Mass.], Springfield, Hartford, Connecticut, we had people from all over convening together to honor Marc.
"It was just a really great event."
