ANDREW BURNS: THE CLINTON COMETS CENTENNIAL PROJECT

ANDREW BURNS: THE CLINTON COMETS CENTENNIAL PROJECT

By: Matthew Blittner 

When it comes to picking the most significant hockey towns in the United States, Clinton, located in the center of New York State, annually ranks among the best.

Underlining the point is a master project being crafted by Investment Advisor Andrew Burns.

Related to Burns project is a handsome book devoted to one of Clinton’s famous teams, The Clinton Comets.

The “Clinton Comets an EHL Dynasty” written by: Jim Mancuso and Fred Zalatan is a handsome volume about one of Clinton’s famous teams.

In an interview with yours truly Burns expounded on his worthwhile endeavors in promoting Clinton as a major landmark in American hockey.

ON HIS INSPIRATION TO CREATE A CENTENNIAL PROJECT IN CLINTON: “I grew up in Clinton and played Youth Hockey. I grew up watching the Clinton Comets play. There were probably around 10,000 people in the whole town, and around 2,300 people at each game and by the end of the game you could barely see across the ice through the fog of smoke emanating from the crowd. It was great hockey. The players didn’t have helmets and the Goalies didn’t wear masks. My Father and his brothers played at Hamilton College. So you could say that I’m fairly immersed in the hockey culture of Clinton.”

HOW FAR HAS THE PROJECT PROGRESSED: “The centennial project is still in the infancy stages, but we would like to host the event on February 2-4th in 2018 as that will mark 100 years of hockey in Clinton. We’re very excited about everything, as we just had our first meeting and there were roughly 25 people in attendance. Among the people in attendance were members of the Chamber of Commerce and several village leaders.

VISION FOR CENTENNIAL PROJECT: “We would like to have Hamilton College host two games: Vs. Bowdoin College, Vs. Colby College. We’d also have several alumni games and Clinton high school men’s and women's games; preferably at least one would be outdoors. We’re hoping to have some outdoor reenactment games.  To reenact the first game outdoors. There will be outdoor hockey at Hamilton College and down in the village and we’re considering honoring three people from the past, only one of which is still alive.

"These were venerated players in this whole thing, players not in the sense of hockey players but rather as leaders. One would be Albert Prettyman, he’s the one who came to Hamilton College in 1917 as the AD and had the college have the first outdoor ice rink at Hamilton College. Hamilton has been playing ever since, roughly 100 years. In the nearby town he also got a hockey rink built indoors which is the second oldest college rink in the country, which is still standing, and it is second only to the Matthew’s Arena in Boston where the Bruins used to play.

"In 1922 the Sage Rink was opened that Albert Prettyman had built, and by then the nearby town had started to play hockey outdoors because they liked what was going on at Hamilton College, and Mr. Prettyman wanted his son to be able to play down in high school. That led to the Clinton Comets, an outdoor town team that played against the Rovers, Stan would know about them, the Metropolitans, ultimately becoming the Eastern Hockey League Clinton Comets.

"The second person is Bernie Burns, who is my dad’s cousin, and is still alive. He’s in a nursing home, he played Clinton high school hockey, then Hamilton College hockey, then Clinton Comet hockey, then he was a renowned college hockey referee and did some of the Frozen Four games. He also coached the Clinton high school team for 20 years, to one of the better winning records of all-time.

"Finally we’re considering Greg Batt, he was from the era of the ‘40s and ‘50s, and played at Colgate College. He led them as the player-coach to Colgate’s only undefeated season ever. In one season he scored half of the points of the team. He was known as the best amateur hockey player in America at the time. Since the Olympics were cancelled due to the war and he had to go to Okinawa to fight the Japanese he didn’t end up getting the attention he would have today, but he went on to play for the Clinton Comets, and he coached the Hamilton college team for about 30 years.

"One of the final things on our wish list, is during the weekend, when we have outdoor hockey games, is to have alumni dinners, and to have the historic society put on a museum exhibit, probably for a couple of months, with all sorts of historic hockey memorabilia. When everybody comes back for that weekend we want to have a documentary film person there to interview the younger and older people there about the passionate hockey in Clinton.

"The name of the movie is going to be, “Thank You Albert Prettyman,” because really it’s all thanks to him that we have all of this. Now you have the Utica Comets who are hugely successful, Utica College has a hugely successful team, the Utica Pioneers, and it all came from that one guy freezing a tennis court up in Hamilton College 100 years ago. Prettyman was the 1936 Olympic coach for the US Olympic team in the Winter Olympics, and brought back the Bronze medal. The movie, “Slap Shot,” was filmed up there in Utica. I would also like to give an honorary shout out to Gary Keenan and Robert Esche, who were both also two very respected Hockey men in Clinton.”

WHY IS CLINTON SUCH A SPECIAL HOCKEY TOWN: “It’s such an incredible mix of youth, college and professional hockey. Not just one or the other, but all three. It’s a unique combination to have so much youth, college and professional hockey in such a small town. That’s all everybody in the town did, was to watch and celebrate their hockey.”

ABOUT HIM: “I am 60 years old and I grew up in Clinton and went to Hamilton College. I am an investment advisor with my own company called, Hamilton Point Investment Advisors in Chapel Hill North Carolina. That’s where I live now. My mom is 90 years old and I stay with her when I come back to visit Clinton. I’ve decided to start this project when I started studying vintage hockey. I am a Rangers fan and Hurricanes fan, Rangers first, Stan would probably like to know that I’m a Utica Comets, Rangers and Hurricanes fan, I’d really like to make sure you get that in there for him.”

MOST FUN: “To do something that has nothing but good things to come from it. Not all that much money is involved; it’s just a matter of coordination. This is just strictly volunteer to celebrate something fun. No downside whatsoever. You just get to meet and educate a bunch of people. Sadly a lot of Utica Comets, NHL guys, Hamilton College and high school guys don’t even realize that they come from a legendary hockey town, in the future, kids who come here for college need to know that they’re playing in a legendary place.”

MOST CHALLENGING: “There’s so many constituents, Hamilton College, Clinton high school, Clinton Comets, Utica Comets, Utica Pioneers, there’s so many groups that I’ve got to get to work together. I’m trying to create a single event centered effort.”