Tom Collins and Jinx Clark perform during a Holiday on Ice show. 100 “Tom Collins isn’t just the most successful skating entrepreneur and promoter ‘LIVING A DREAM’ in history. He’s also skating’s TOM COLLINS CREATED A PHENOMENON nicest guy. Tom not only WITH CHAMPIONS ON ICE paid the salaries of countless skaters for decades, he also by AMY ROSEWATER made sure that they and Growing up in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Ice, but also — and more importantly — he their families had food, known also as “the town that made the NHL fa- became the preeminent skating tour owner/ clothing and supplies — mous,” for being the birthplace of so many NHL producer of Champions on Ice. Over the years especially those from other stars, Tom Collins naturally thought his career (from 1969-2006), Collins signed everyone from countries who came to would end up on the ice. Dorothy Hamill to Brian Boitano to Michelle America with nothing. Tom And it did. Just not on hockey skates. Kwan, to skate in his tour, and in its heyday, it Collins’ generosity, insight “I was just a little kid from Canada,” Collins was stopping in 20,000-seat arenas in 90-plus said. “I was born in Toronto but grew up in the cities a year. and enthusiasm forever gold-mining town of Kirkland Lake, about 500 He became the largest individual donor changed the sport of figure miles north of Toronto. There were only about of U.S. Figure Skating, and the organization’s skating for the better.” 17,000 people who lived there and all I ever want- headquarters and U.S. Figure Skating Hall — Christine Brennan ed to do was play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, are USA Today national “One day, I was playing hockey and this big, housed in the Tom Collins Building. sports columnist; black piece of rubber came right to me. I was so Inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of ABC News, CNN and PBS commentator; excited that I had the puck and I started skating Fame, the Canadian Hall of Fame and the World Author of three books down the ice and I scored. The only problem was Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Collins will receive about figure skating: that it was our own goal. One of the players said, one of the most meaningful honors of his career the best-selling Inside ‘Maybe you should try figure skating.’” as the U.S. Figure Skating Athletes Advisory Edge, Edge of Glory and Champions on Ice That proved to be the best advice Collins Committee celebrates him in Saint Paul, Minne- ever received. Not only did he fall in love with sota, at the 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating figure skating, but also he was quite good at it. Championships. The fact that a who’s who of “Every skater was his child His older sister, Marty, was a skater, and began America’s greatest skaters will toast him is a re- and he wanted to care for performing in ice shows. She would mail young markable twist for a man who spent the bulk of them. And it wasn’t just on Tommy postcards from all the tour stops. He his career marketing the top skaters in the world the tour, but throughout the would marvel at all the postcard locales and and working behind the scenes. hoped one day he would just meet some fa- “The skaters have made me,” Collins once competitive season he would mous skaters and be a part in their world. said. “That’s why I take care of them. They’re like stay in touch with everyone. “I was a 16-year-old kid and I would lie in my children.” I was 13 when I started on the snow and just dream about figure skating Collins, known simply as “Tommy,” is no the tour. I was the baby, the on tour,” Collins said. “All I ever wanted to do was longer involved in the touring business (he sold rookie. He and the whole skate. I never graduated from eighth grade. I’d Champions on Ice in 2006) but he still has close Collins family took me under be in my classroom just dreaming about skating connections in figure skating. So it’s appropri- their wing. They made sure and touring with an ice show like my sister.” ate that a man of his magnitude is honored and Not only did Collins become an accom- that he is celebrated in a place where he has I had friends to hang out plished figure skater, touring with Holiday on called home since 1970. with and they took care of MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES MATTHEW As much as Collins has achieved over the my mom, who was traveling years, he continues to be amazed that he was with me. Tommy loves figure able to do it. skating and he treated the When he was younger, Collins would work tour as a passion, but he with his dad in the gold mines to help pay for made sure we had fun, too. It his skating expenses. The mines were danger- ous, and Collins said people would die in the was a labor of love for mines. But he took chances so he could skate. him.” — Michelle Kwan Nine-time U.S. champion Five-time World champion Two-time Olympic medalist “Why do we love Tommy? One of the many reasons is that Tommy is a skater first Collins with longtime friend and Olympic and foremost and he never champion Kristi forgot what it was like to be Yamaguchi one.” — Brian Boitano 1988 Olympic champion Two-time World champion Four-time U.S. champion 101 “Tom Collins has been He was so passionate about skating that he would wanted to be seen by Tommy, and he became many things in his life. go to Union Station in downtown Toronto just for known for elaborate parties he would host for skat- glimpses of the skaters when they came to town. ers every year at the U.S. Championships. Skater, entertainer, He sent letters to all the big tours and finally Even Collins, who thought he had seen it all in comedian, Holiday received a reply from Holiday on Ice, which at the skating, could not have imagined the sport’s explo- on Ice tour manager, time was a rag-tag touring troupe. On Aug. 28, sion in popularity. brother, husband, father, 1949, he was asked to report to Toledo as a chorus He continued as owner-producer of Cham- grandfather and a skater. pions on Ice until 2006, when he sold it to AEG. “For a kid from Kirkland Lake, Toledo was like a Although he admitted that he hasn’t kept up with visionary entrepreneur. metropolis,” Collins said. the nitty-gritty of the sport the way he once he did, My favorite description He traveled all over the United States, not only he has traveled to a few skating competitions over of Tom Collins is friend. I skating, but helping set up the ice and even selling the years, including the 2014 U.S. Championships love Tommy and always cotton candy and snow cones on tour. He would in Boston. And he continues to keep up with many will. And I know I’m not perform in small towns in Tennessee and South of his skating (and rock ‘n’ roll) friends. He last saw Dakota, and he loved every minute of showbiz. Diamond in April. the only one who feels After about a decade of skating in the tour, “Every time he’d come to town I’d have a party that way. Simply, every Collins went into tour management, first as an audi- at my house, and he would come to my house,” person that has crossed tor and later as a manager and vice president. Then Collins said. “He would take a bus and he would talk paths with Tom has he met music producer Bill Graham and decided to to my neighbors. He’d be the first one to arrive and try his hand at promoting rock ‘n’ roll shows. the last one to leave. Once it snowed and we didn’t been blessed by it. He’s “I didn’t do well at it at first,” Collins said. “I lost have power, and he still came.” probably best known as everything I made in skating. Within three years, I He does miss the old days with all the skaters the founder, owner and was broke.” and novelty acts he had throughout the almost 40 producer of The Tour of But he proved himself when he got an offer to years of Champions on Ice, but he said he would World and Olympic Figure promote the Minneapolis tour stop for Crosby, Stills, only make one major change. Nash and Young. Soon, he was handling Neil Dia- “If I could do it again, I would’ve put in my dear Skating Champions that mond’s merchandising. Collins ended up flying in friend Richard Dwyer, Mr. Debonair, on the tour,” evolved into Champions private jets and working with Diamond, Bob Dylan, Collins said. “That is one thing I’d do differently.” on Ice. He built it the the Moody Blues, The Cars, Alice Cooper and John Collins has kept himself busy promoting shows old-fashioned way. He Denver. He continued to work in figure skating, for the likes of Andrea Bocelli and comedians Steve borrowed a lot of money handling a tour any time Worlds were held on North Martin and Martin Short, and even worked Diana: American soil, which was every three years.