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This is part one of a four-part installment that will run throughout the summer. In this installment, we catch up with Lake Forest College forward and LaSalle Vipers alumnus Bobby Barrett. Visit LaSalle Travel to book your next vacation. Metion the Where are they now? feature to receive a free gift.

Junior hockey in Canada has an almost cult-like following.

Fans develop a bond with players, many of whom are hometown boys, which is different from the somewhat isolated nature of professional hockey.

The passion of junior hockey fans across the country – and in LaSalle in particular – can be overwhelming for players who have gone their entire life without experiencing the support of a hometown crowd.

“I hadn’t really been around a community that supported hockey like LaSalle did,” says Bobby Barrett, who played three seasons with the Vipers, from 2008-2011. “Getting 500 to 800 people to come out to support the local hockey team was an eye-opener for me.”

Barrett, a native of Grosse Pointe, MI, was a member of the inaugural LaSalle Vipers team in 2008-2009; a team that finished in seventh place but drew an average of 915 fans per game, second most in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

His father, Bob Barrett, was more impressed with the quality of the fans in LaSalle than the quantity.

“Sitting in the stands, getting to know some of the parents, not only are they watching the game, but they’re watching what’s happening behind the play,” Bob says.  “The hockey IQ of the crowd was most enjoyable to me. We could talk to people about how the game was going.”

Barrett just wrapped up his senior year at Lake Forest College, north of Chicago, where he helped guide the Foresters to a fourth place finish and a semi-final appearance before bowing out to St. Norbert College, the nation’s top-ranked team.

“LaSalle has a great program,” Barrett says. “They really developed me as a player and I learned a lot from the coaches and players there.”

With 18 goals and 30 points, Barrett led the Foresters in scoring, good for fourth and tenth respectively in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

“The coaching staff prepared him very well both on and off ice,” Bob says.

Choosing to send one’s child across the border to pursue their athletic dreams is never an easy decision, but Bob says any concerns they had quickly disappeared.

“The way the Vipers handled everything was first-class, all the way around,” says Bob. “We got to sit with various family members, the owners, and got to know the coaches pretty well.”

While commuting from Michigan to play for the Vipers, Barrett was able to complete high school back home. He then stayed active academically by taking a course at the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus.

“I talk it up,” Bob says of the LaSalle Vipers organization. “I’m a coach too, so I get a lot of people asking about the experience over there, and I say even if he didn’t live at home, the billets and the calibre of the people we met over there was great. I wouldn’t have a problem recommending that people investigate the billet route.”

In 2009-10, Barrett’s second season in LaSalle, the Vipers captured the Sutherland Cup, something he calls “the highlight of my whole junior career.” He recorded 48 points in 71 regular season and playoff games that year.

“We finished in fifth place and carried our momentum into the playoffs and went on a run,” Barrett says. “It was a great ride.”

Bob says he and his wife Patti attended as many games as possible, both at the Vollmer Centre and on the road, and made lasting friendships with fellow parents.

“The new rink was fabulous,” Bob says. “The city was great.”

Barrett stays in close contact with his old Vipers teammates and admits he keeps tabs on the current team to see how they’re performing.

The experience of playing junior hockey in LaSalle is one Barrett feels has prepared him for what has already been a terrific collegiate career, and he attributes much of his success to the team’s owners.

“(Vipers president) Mr. Savage is by far one of the best guys, and family guys, I have ever met,” Barrett explains. “They really put the players first and look out for the well-being of the players. I can’t say enough good things about the Savages and all the things they’ve done for the organization, helping it grow and helping the players who have played there move on. They were a tremendous help for me personally and I can’t thank them enough.”