By Nick Barnowski –
As a fan, he was late to the game.
Now, as General Manager of Novi Ice Arena, Kris Barnes is doing more than enough to make up for it.
After only becoming a hockey fan in high school, Barnes now helps to ensure that those who come to the rink fall in love with the game just like he did.
“I like coming to work at a place where people come to have fun,” the Livonia resident said, and it’s not hard to see why.
Novi Ice Arena is one of the most popular rinks in the state, offering a variety of hockey programs for all ages. An estimated 600 players participate in the Novi Youth Hockey Association while they also host tournaments, adult leagues, learn to skate programs, and the Novi and Northville hockey teams.
“I oversee the operations and programming of the arena from top to bottom,” Barnes said. “Whether the people coming in are watching or playing, we make sure the rink is in good shape, that the ice is in good shape, and that it’s a fun and safe environment.”
Although Barnes does not get to wave an octopus above his head during games like another rink manager in the area, Al Sobotka, he is the driving force behind making sure everything at the facility runs smoothly.
“Some of it is the staffing,” said Barnes, who grew up in Westphalia. “I make sure we’re staffed appropriately for the events we host. Right now, we have summer programming, but we’re also planning for our August through March schedule.”
Planning nearly a year in advance is one of the job’s biggest challenges, but Barnes said it’s worth it because every day is different.
“That’s good and bad,” he said with a laugh. “You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s exciting.”
For example, a couple will get married on the Novi ice in July, giving Barnes two weddings under his belt in five years. There’s no better example of not knowing what you’re going to get coming into work.
He also manages the rink where the children of Detroit hockey legends Nick Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom learned to skate. While he wasn’t directly involved, Barnes was present when Novi officially changed the street name of the rink to “Nick Lidstrom Drive.”
“It was fun and a nice event for Nick,” Barnes said of the event, which took place in March of 2011. “It was pretty obvious he’d be heading to the Hall of Fame and it was partly to honor a longtime resident of Novi and a customer of the ice arena. It made sense to name the drive after him as one way to say thanks.”
The Red Wings were the team that captured Barnes’ interest in the sport in the early 1990s. He remembers seeing them bow out to New Jersey in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final and Colorado the year after, only to finally breakthrough with Cups in 1997 and 1998.
In addition, both Detroit championships coincided with the University of Michigan’s two national titles in 1996 and 1998, creating a near perfect scenario for the new hockey fan.
“That was my entry point, you could say, to the sport,” he said. “I’ve been a Red Wings fan since then and I’ve been a Michigan fan since I could remember watching sports on TV thanks to my dad.”
His passion for the Wolverines continued into his college years. He attended Michigan and received his Bachelor’s in sports management and communication in 2001. Two years later he earned his Master’s in sports management from the same school.
Ann Arbor is also the place where he got his start in the industry. As a student he worked the grounds at the University of Michigan Golf Course in addition to other summer jobs. Landing an internship at Yost Ice Arena set the stage for his rink management career. There, he learned how to do just about everything in a hockey rink. He worked game operations, helped with events, and ran concessions, the pro shop, and the scoreboard. He even learned how to drive a Zamboni, a skill he had to relearn at Novi, but said was “like riding a more complicated bike.”
Following his time at Yost he interned in facilities at Michigan, working a myriad of events including football games at The Big House. Before being hired at Novi, he worked as grounds manager at Stonebridge Golf Course in Ann Arbor.
“My boss at Michigan bought the golf course,” he said. “After I graduated with my Master’s I didn’t have anything on the near horizon so I went and applied with him and he asked me to oversee and manage the grounds crew.”
The sports business route intrigued him because it paired two of his biggest interests together. He said he loves getting to meet the different people who come into the rink, and he and his staff try to enhance the atmosphere of the building in any way they can.
Its location (near I-96 and I-275) and proximity to cities such as Northville, Livonia, and Farmington Hills will always be a factor in the positive health of the rink, but the popularity of the sport and the nature of those who play it reign supreme.
“You always hear that hockey players are different in a good way,” he said. “One of my favorite things in sports is the center ice handshake during the playoffs, or even here, whether it’s before or after youth games. That’s instilled in them when they’re 6 years old.”
He just likes when people have fun, and it’s all part of the job.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” he said, “and people come here to have a good time.”