After 17 years as the trainer for the Seattle Thunderbirds junior hockey team, Phil Varney is moving on to pursue a new hockey opportunity.
The Kent-based T-Birds announced the change in an Aug. 8 press release.
“We are sad to see Phil go but are very excited for him and his family for his new opportunity,” Seattle coach Matt O’Dette said. “Phil was an integral part of the Thunderbirds family for 17 years. Phil took great pride in taking care of our players. We’ll miss him and wish him the best in his next endeavor.”
The T-Birds didn’t reveal what Varney will do next. Neither did Varney in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Thank you to the players and staff, they made every day special,” Varney posted on Aug. 8. “To the parents who entrusted their kids into our care I hope we delivered on our commitment to their growth and health. To the fans you made ShoWare Center the place to be on game night. Thanks to the medical team who makes things happen behind the scenes, we can’t do it without you. Leaving is bittersweet but I’m excited for the chapter. See you at the rink!”
Varney started with the T-Birds in 2007 when they still played in Seattle. The T-Birds moved in 2009 to the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent. He worked more than 1,000 games with the team as a trainer, according to the press release.
Varney said he became interested in sports medicine after doing a book report on the profession in eighth grade, according to a previous Kent Reporter article. He expanded his knowledge of the field through internships and working with sports teams while attending college in Michigan.
“Someone took time to teach me in high school what to do, how to tape, the basics of the profession, what it means and then somebody took the time as an intern to teach me about hockey and the ins and outs of this sport,” Varney said.
Prior to coming to the T-Birds, Varney worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer from 2005 to 2007 with Western Michigan University, according to linkedin.com. He worked as an intern athletic trainer with the Plymouth (Michigan) Whalers junior hockey team in 2004. He earned a master of arts degree in 2007 from Western Michigan University and a bachelor of science degree in 2004 from Eastern Michigan University.
A T-Birds spokesperson said in an Aug. 9 email that the team is in the process of hiring a candidate to replace Varney.
Training camp starts the end of August for the T-Birds, who open the Western Hockey League regular season Sept. 20 at the Vancouver (B.C.) Giants. Their home opener is 6:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 against the Wenatchee Wild.
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