RANKIN INLET - Nunavut's most well-known hockey dad is hanging up the laces - the laces to his workboots, that is.

Barney Tootoo of Rankin Inlet had his name pencilled onto the retirement lineup on Monday, June 30, ending 18 years as a full-time employee with Public Works and another 18 as a casual worker with the department.

Barney Tootoo records temperature readings in a boiler room at Maani Ulujuk high school in Rankin Inlet this past week before retiring at the age of 60. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

He holds three labour tickets, including plumbing and stationary engineer fifth class.

Tootoo, 60, said he'd been thinking about retirement for a while and after talking things over with his family, decided the time was right to enjoy the good life.

"I see too many guys wait until they're too old before retiring," said Tootoo.

"They leave work, but they can hardly move or their health is in such decline they can't really enjoy it.

"I want to go while I still have my health, so I can have a few years of going out hunting and living off the land, if that's what I decide to do.

"I want to do some of the things I do best while I'm still young enough to enjoy it."

Tootoo said a month or two every year might be spent in Nashville, Tenn., to watch his son Jordin play with the NHL's Predators.

He said he plans on staying in Rankin for the immediate future, but might heed the call of a warmer climate in Churchill, Man., before all is said and done.

Tootoo said learning new things was always his favourite part of the job.

He said a lot of things have changed since he started with the department more than three decades ago.

"Everything from the material, the boilers, the handlers ... changed over the years.

"The learning never stopped because something new always came along.

"Everything was manual when I started, but it's all just a push of a button now.

"Most of the new technology works great, but you still need someone around who knows what to do when nothing happens after you push that button."