Success beyond the game
He got to live the hockey dream at the local level before playing in the university and minor pro ranks and — ultimately — on the international stage. And now, good guy John Glavota is firmly established in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie as a top producing real estate agent.
As a defenseman of moderate skill, it was his work ethic and honest, hard driven approach to the game that led Glavota to a professional hockey career that included a decade on the international ponds.
It is those same traits of being an overachieving hockey player that have helped to make the 45-year old Glavota a successful real estate agent in Sault Ste. Marie.
A 12-year veteran of the Sault real estate market as an award-winning agent with Royal LePage, Glavota said his approach to becoming a top producer has worked well for him and his many clients.
“Honesty in dealing with clients and telling them what they need to know in an upfront manner … being on top of the game and being personable and easy to deal with … I work hard at what I do,” Glavota relayed on a recent edition of the Hockey North Show, which is broadcast live on radio station Eagle 95.1 every Tuesday at 5 p.m., on location from Forty-Five Social on Spring Street in the Sault’s downtown.
A career in real estate in his hometown of the Sault is what Glavota set his sights on after retiring from a pro hockey career that spanned a decade after graduating from four years of school and play at Laurentian University in Sudbury.
“I started in real estate here in the Sault 12 years ago and I am still with the same local firm that I began with,” Glavota relayed. “It can be a hectic job of days, nights and weekends … but I love it.”
Married and with three children, Glavota has still found time over the years to coach his kids’ hockey teams.
His own hockey career was a fulfilling one.
It went from playing on a national under 18 powerhouse Soo Legion team that featured future National Hockey League all-star goalie Marty Turco (Dallas Stars) and Ontario Hockey League standout defenseman Jeremy Rebek (Owen Sound Platers) to nine seasons at the minor pro level in various outposts — and playing for the Croatian National Team.
Glavota’s parents are Croatian immigrants who arrived in Canada about 50 years ago with all of their belongings contained in a couple of suitcases. And Glavota said that being able to play for the Croatian National Team in annual end-of-the-season tournaments will always remain a highlight of his playing days.
“To wear the Croatian National Team jersey and to represent the country where my parents are from is an honour that I will always cherish and keep with me,” he said. “I look back on my hockey career and I am grateful for all that I got to experience. I got to make a living from hockey and I got to play in the homeland of my parents. I feel truly blessed for that.”
PHOTO: Soo boys John Glavota (left) of the Croatian National Team and John Parco (right) of the Italian National Team compete against each other in international hockey play from more than a dozen years ago.