Hello folks, I just wanted to pass this along to our friends at Maine.
Please forward it to anyone on the staff or team that you wish.  I check in
on this list from time to time on the web and as you know I occasionally
chime in.  This was something I thought folks up there would like to know
about.
 
Tonight Merrimack held its annual team awards banquet.  There was a new
award on the agenda for the first time in a long time -- the Richard Britt
Humanitarian Award.  Here is what it says about the award in the banquet
program:
 
"Merrimack hockey instituted this award following the tragic death of
University of Maine hockey manager Richard Britt in 1999.  This award
honors an individual(s) whose work behind the scenes may go unnoticed to
the general public but is always noticed by those closest to the program."
 
The award was introduced by head coach Chris Serino, a longtime friend of
Rich and his family, and Rich's parents were on hand to present the award.
 
This year the award was presented to John Savastano, and I could think of
no one better to receive it.  John did not expect it and was obviously very
moved by it.  John has been with the Merrimack program for over 25 years
and at one time or another has done literally everything.  He produced the
team highlight video shown at the banquet and oversees the team's video
work.  He and his brother helped build the corner box at the Volpe Center
and also built the original locker room back in the 1970s.  As Chris said,
the number of things John is involved with behind the scenes is too
numerous to list, but he is a person who makes things run smoothly and
whose tireless dedication and hard work could not be done without.  Chris
said, "When I got here, he told me, you just coach, we will take care of
everything else." :-)
 
I first got to know John in 1984 when I was in high school and he was doing
the PA for our games, since my alma mater began playing home games at
Merrimack that season.  In 1989 when I came on board with Merrimack, he was
the first one to say to me, "Now, you are home where you belong." :-)  Over
the years I have seen the time and effort he has put in and as I said, I
can think of no one more deserving of receiving this tremendous honor,
especially in the inaugural year of the award.
 
As Merrimack has worked to establish itself in Division I, an effort that
has often been an uphill battle, there has been a small core group of
people who have constantly worked against the odds and often without
recognition from the college community at large, believing in what they
were doing and never giving up.  The tide is slowly turning, and with the
now official rink renovation to be done over the next two years and the
things Chris has done already and plans to do, I think the future is
bright, and it is in large part due to the dedication of people like John.
 
I am proud that Chris has chosen to recognize people like John in this way
and I look forward to us being able to honor others in the future.  And
having been a former manager myself at RPI and Northeastern, as my wife
Heather was at Plattsburgh, I can think of no better way to do it than with
an award named after Rich.  It is a very fitting way to honor his memory
and everything he meant not only to Maine but to college hockey as a whole.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                [log in to unmask]               *HMM* 11/13/93
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