Austin Violette (GHS ’16) was a local hockey player who had aspirations of playing at the highest level until a career-ending head injury crushed his dreams. Fortunately for Violette, that’s not the end of his hockey story.
Before I get into that, I want to share a personal story about Violette. He played baseball on my son Seth’s Babe Ruth team. As the kids showed up for the games and before the coaches arrived, Violette would gather the team to begin stretching. Seth was, let’s say, a “spirited” child; while he loved playing baseball, he could sometimes be silly. Prior to one game, as Violette was gathering the team, Seth was not paying attention. Violette calmly walked over to him and said, “Come on Seth” and patiently guided him to the group. It was what he didn’t do that impressed me. He didn’t just ignore him, nor did he yell at or humiliate him.
It was one of those moments that knew I had to share with his parents and the coach. As parents, we see a lot. Sadly, we tend to hear the negative more than the positive, and I felt the maturity and leadership Austin displayed that day at his young age was important. I’m sharing this because just a few years later, Violette had some important decisions to make. Decisions that took a maturity many kids his age could not handle.
I have lived in Gorham for over 18 years and I drive by the Violette home daily. A sure sign of winter approaching is the flooding of their lawn to form the Olympic-sized ice rink. A rink where Austin, his brother Spencer, and many friends, would skate from dawn to dusk.
“The late nights under the lights with my buddies will always be the good times I think of right away. Those nights that are so cold you can’t feel your toes but your jackets are off because you are sweating,” he said. He also spent many late nights out there by himself.
Violette has been skating for as long as he can remember. As the baby of the family, he remembers being “dragged” to his brother’s games. It was inevitable, he jumped on board and he said hockey became the center of his life.
Violette played for the Gorham Rams Varsity Hockey team during his first two years of high school. He shared, “I think the best thing about playing for my town, and something that some may take advantage of, was playing in front of family and friends who have seen me grow up my whole life.”
One of his favorite memories was when the Rams unseated the Greeley Rangers (two time Class B Champions) to win the Western Maine Championship in front of a packed Colisee.
After his sophomore year, at the age of 15, Austin made the difficult decision to move away from the comfort of his hometown and its fans. For two seasons he played for the Northern Cyclones (Hudson, NH) 16U and 18U Tier I AAA program. He then played juniors closer to home in Exeter, NH with Seacoast Spartans Prep.
He said Gorham High School was very supportive of his decision by helping him choose online courses, and eventually assisting him when he transferred back to graduate with his class. “Most people don’t understand that hockey world and how the sport is so much different than others. I knew from a young age, growing up in a small town in Maine, that I would have to move away from home to be able to play hockey at the highest level possible for myself,” said Violette.
Going into those unknown waters was scary. He lived with a host family who would be a part of his family forever. He met teammates who would become like brothers to him. He formed many relationships, with one in particular that would help him get to where he is today.
One day Violette was playing hockey and living his dream, and the next it was over. “Everything came to an end really fast. I understood my situation going into my last season and I was willing to have to deal with the consequences that would come from continuing my playing career.”
A month or so into his season, Violette said he received a minor hit. Unfortunately, his head was so fragile that it resulted in a very serious head injury.
“The next year was very difficult for myself and my family. From doctor appointments, to the mental changes, and even health-related problems, my whole world was flipped upside down in a matter of moments,” he shared.
He was feeling lost, when months before the Maine Mariners (Portland’s professional hockey team) season was set to begin, he got a call from the head coach, Riley Armstrong. Armstrong was one of those connections Violette made when he left Gorham. He had skated with him and played for him on the U18 team.
Armstrong knew what hockey meant to Violette and simply asked him if he wanted to be involved again. Violette couldn’t say “yes” fast enough.
“Not knowing what I was getting myself into I just knew I would do whatever it was and work my tail off to get hockey back in my life and to keep it there for as long as I can,” he said.
Photo credit Maine MarinersAustin Violette, seated middle, continues honing his skills with the Maine Mariners.
Violette is currently the Video Coach for the Mariners. He started out part-time on home game days to help the coaches by live clipping the games. He then began to come in on days before games to pre-scout the Mariner’s next opponent to help create the pregame meeting video with Armstrong. “I started to go to road games and road trips and before I knew it, I was going into the rink every day and going everywhere with the team,” said Violette.
He continued to take on more responsibility as time went on and now sits with the team on the bench during games. He shared, “Riley had me get up to the board and draw out and explain some drills to the guys. Bohnsey (assistant coach Anthony Bohn) and I would run morning skates with the defensemen and skate our scratches.”
He feels lucky to be around the coaches; as a young guy trying to get into coaching on the professional level, he takes in everything they say and learns something new everyday.
Hockey has given Violette so many great memories and friendships. “A life without hockey is not the life for me,” he shared. He would like to further his career in hockey as much as he can. “Growing up, it’s every kid’s dream to work/play in the NHL. My dream never died, it just took a little curve, but it is still alive and well.”
When asked what advice he would give to young children just starting on their hockey journey, Violette shared, “Enjoy every time you get to suit up and play the game you love. I know it sounds like a cliché, but you never know when it will be your last time being able to play. Life can change in a blink of an eye, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason.”