Builders: Hockey
Year Inducted: 2025
Born in: Leitrim, Ontario
Fred G. Barrett
Date of Birth: October 2, 1914
Doris Kemp
Date of Birth: July 2, 1922
Joan L. Johnston (née Barrett)
Date of Birth: April 11, 1949
Fred W. Barrett
Date of Birth: January 26, 1950
George T. Barrett
Date of Birth: May 20, 1956
John D. Barrett
Date of Birth: July 1, 1958

Grown from the family farm of Fred G. Barrett and Doris Kemp – and the outdoor rink next to Leitrim Public School – the legendary multi-generation Barrett family has provided leadership and excellence in local hockey for over 65 years.

While the family’s on-ice accomplishments alone are of Hall of Fame stature, the Barretts will be inducted collectively as builders. Barrett family members fueled the construction of numerous arenas (including Barrett Arena in Leitrim), plus many more ball diamonds, soccer/football fields and tennis courts.

A Gloucester Township councillor of three decades and the City of Gloucester’s first mayor, Fred Sr. was instrumental in securing sponsorship for the regional Ottawa Cradle League, which played out of the Old Ottawa Auditorium and started in the 1950s with registration fees of $1 per player.

His eldest son Fred Jr. played in the Cradle League before winning a Memorial Cup and reaching the Stanley Cup finals with the Minnesota North Stars during his 14-year career as an NHL defenceman. Middle son George was a champion junior and university hockey goalie who followed in his father’s footsteps and became a municipal councillor. His youngest son John was a Turner Cup champion in the International Hockey League for the Kalamazoo Wings before starting his nine-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings.

His eldest child Joan held her own against any challenger on the outdoor rink, but didn’t have a chance to show her talents any further in an era where girls weren’t allowed to play organized hockey. While operating the Knippel Garden Centre on the Barrett family farm, Joan supported her sons Kennedy and Marty into junior and university hockey (Marty is now an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets).

The family has an immense collective history of coaching, organizing and volunteering in minor hockey, particularly with the Gloucester Hockey Association, and they’ve also made a giant impact as community leaders and fundraisers with the Gloucester Lions Club and Ottawa Senators Alumni Association. They are the backbone behind countless sports and recreation opportunities that Ottawa residents continue to enjoy today.