Barry Almeida closed his eyes, tapped the heel of his hockey stick on the ice three times and said, "There’s no place like home."
That’s all it took, and he was home again, back playing the ice game in his native state of Massachusetts. OK, he didn’t really channel his inner "Wizard of Oz." But Almeida, who competed in Europe for the Coventry Blaze (European Ice Hockey League) and HC Gardena (Alps Hockey League) last season, still champed at the chance to skate for a close-to-hometown team once he found out the ECHL’s Worcester Railers HC was going to play its inaugural season in 2017-18.
"Playing in Europe was a good experience, but I wanted to come back," said the 29-year-old forward, who was born and raised in Springfield, Mass., and now lives in Ludlow. "Luckily it worked out."
Almeida contacted Railers general manager and head coach Jamie Russell, who as an assistant coach at Providence College during the 2011-12 campaign went head-to-head with Almeida’s Boston College Eagles. Familiar with Almeida’s play from Hockey East, Russell immediately went to work recruiting him and his teammate and cousin, T.J. Syner (Springfield, Mass.).
"We had conversations when he and T.J. were both in Europe about this year," Russell revealed. "They came to Worcester when they got back, we showed them around, and things went from there."
As the 2017-18 regular season winds down, this decision can be viewed as one of the best moves Russell has made, with Almeida leading the Railers in scoring (19-33-52 in 60 games) after taking some time to re-adjust to the North American style of play and smaller ice rink.
"He got off to a little bit of a slow start, but he’s really turned the corner and is playing his best hockey right now," Russell said of Almeida, one of his alternate captains. "He’s playing fast, making plays, has confidence and is scoring. He’s on the power play and kills penalties for us. He has a lot of pro experience, a letter on his jersey, and has been really good with the younger guys off the ice."
Once upon a time, Almeida was one of the league’s younger players, but long before then he was a kid, cheering on his beloved Boston Bruins, with whom his cousin Frank Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) competed before a recent trade to the Florida Panthers.
Almeida, 5-8, 177 pounds, idolized Ray Bourque, Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov "because (Samsonov) was a small guy." He also watched the American Hockey League’s Springfield Indians and later the Falcons.
When he was older, he skated for Longmeadow High School and the New England Junior Falcons (Eastern Junior Hockey League), with aspirations to play at Boston College.
"When I was a kid, being a small forward, I used to watch smaller players such as Brian Gionta," Almeida said. "BC had a reputation for taking small guys. Plus, I grew up watching the Beanpot. I always wanted to go there."
He committed to Boston College in the spring of 2006, intent on starting his college career in the fall of 2007, after one season in the United States Hockey League.
But in the 2006 offseason, he suffered a devastating left eye injury at a friend’s graduation party after someone tossed a glass bottle into the bonfire. The bottle exploded and a shard of glass shot into his eye, tearing his retina.
His young career was in jeopardy of ending.
"People told me, ‘I don’t know if you’ll be able to play again,’" he remembered.
Undeterred, Almeida pressed on.
"I held that in the back of my head," he stated. "I was going to play again. It’s just adversity in life. My parents (Anna and Barry) were great. They didn’t let me have a reason for it to bother me. No excuses."
Being away from hockey, Almeida realized how much he loved the game and agonized about whether or not he was going to be able to attend Boston College.
One phone call from Eagles head coach Jerry York (Watertown, Mass.) alleviated his fear.
Explained Almeida: "Jerry called the day after it happened and told me, ‘You are going to have a full scholarship to Boston College whether you can play or not.’ That speaks volumes about Jerry. He’s a class act."
After multiple surgeries, Almeida was cleared to play again, and he signed with the Omaha Lancers halfway through the 2006-07 campaign.
Following the season, Almeida and his family conferred with the Eagles coaching staff and decided it was best for him to play one more season in Omaha before departing for Boston.
In an ending only fit for fairy tales, he went on to score the Clark Cup-winning goal, in overtime of Game 5 of the final.
"I actually wasn’t having a good playoff," Almeida admitted. "My coach (Mike Hastings) called me out before Game 4, which was in Waterloo, and I scored both goals there and we won 2-0. Then I scored the overtime winner."
Almeida paused.
"Of course, BC won the national championship that year, too," he said. "I thought I missed out."
He didn’t.
Almeida totaled 92 points (45-47-92) in 159 games with Boston College, and after a title-less freshman year, he helped lead the Eagles to three consecutive Hockey East championships, and NCAA titles in both his sophomore and senior seasons.
His most productive offensive season was his senior year, when he notched 40 points (22-18-40) in 44 games.
"At BC, there are All-Americans and National Hockey League first-round draft picks," he said. "You have to stay the course; it’s four years, and sometimes you might not get your chance to be an offensive player until your junior or senior year. That was my case. I learned how to be a complete player my first two years. They wanted me to round out my game and to be able to rely on me in all situations, not just offensive ones. I knew that going in."
It was all worth it, and that final contest will forever be his favorite college hockey moment.
"Winning as a sophomore was special; it’s my first one. But winning my last game as a senior with my classmates and going out on top is special," Almeida said. "No one can ever take that away from me. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life."
Soon after his second climb to the college hockey summit, Almeida signed with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, who were nearing the end of their season. To his surprise, they wanted him to play immediately, not wait until the following campaign.
Lucky for him, his professional debut was going to take place close to home in an arena he would later call home — DCU Center — against the Worcester Sharks.
"It’s a funny story," Almeida chuckled. "I wasn’t sure if I was going to play because the Frozen Four goes into April and the Bears’ season was almost over. I got a call and they told me they wanted me to play tomorrow. I was home getting my stuff together and my gear was at BC, so my parents drove me up and dropped me off at my first game."
Even better, he scored his first professional goal early in the match.
"It was such a quick turnaround, from winning the national championship, to signing pro, to playing my first game and then scoring during my first or second shift," he said. "It was unbelievable."
Almeida ended up splitting the 2012-13 season between the Bears and ECHL Reading Royals, with whom he won the Kelly Cup championship. He then continued to compete in the ECHL with both the Cincinnati Cyclones and Utah Grizzlies, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to play last season.
Now, he’s home again, and he and his family couldn’t be happier.
"My mom and dad used to come to every game at BC," Almeida concluded. "In Hockey East, my farthest games were in Maine and Vermont, and they made the trips. Playing in Utah and other places, they weren’t able to come see me, so this is great for them. They get to be in the stands every game."
He’s not in Europe anymore.
