On and Off the Ice, Hinote Seeks to Make an Impact
Nov 13, 2024
By Hailey Finch
Colorado Eagles associate head coach Dan Hinote has come back to the Avalanche organization and is ready to not only push the players to win, but build strong foundations, community and character for everyone that supports Eagles Country.
Hinote has been in the hockey industry for years and from all sides of the sport, being both a player and coach, and when asked what unique perspective he’s ready to provide for the team this year he shared, “I have been a little bit of everywhere. I’ve played college, I played junior, I played high school, I played in Sweden in the elite league, I’ve been all over the place. And each league is different, and each league and every match calls for a different type of game and preparation.”
Each matchup is special in its own way, and Hinote continued to share how adapting to different variations and intricacies of the game all takes time, and helping the players work through different struggles by preparing them for different types of outcomes and challenges will make them adapt into better athletes and teammates.
“That’s what's so fun about this sport is you have all these guys from different leagues, different countries, different language barriers and other variables all coming together to play the sport. And with me specifically, I have experienced all of those challenges, so I can relate to these guys because I have been there and done that. It’s about developing for different types of games, so to me that’s what I can help bring to the guys.”
Overcoming obstacles in order to play the game is a fundamental part of winning, and Hinote is eager to help each player build the skills needed to be better adaptable to anything that comes their way.
Hockey is more than the stats and shifts, even though they are crucial to the success of the team. Hinote shared that while winning is important, there is a different part of hockey that is even more special.
“I think the most important part of hockey is the community. And I don’t just mean in the locker room, even though that’s really important. I think what’s special about hockey is that the fan base is so involved, the trainers, the skate sharpeners, the people that help throughout the arena, they are all invested. That’s what I find about hockey to be so special, everyone is pulling on the rope, and everyone is so invested. And so, when you win, they take it home too. Everyone involved takes it home with them. It’s a group effort and I think that is what is so special about hockey.”
As Hinote says, the community for hockey is more than just what happens in the locker room, but there is no doubt that the brotherhood created between players and coaches within those doors has a deep impact. What happens in the locker room is fundamental and crucial to what happens on the ice. During a game, the dynamics between the coaches, players, and staff can make or break a night and impact the success of the overall season. So why is it so important to create and keep a sense of community within the locker room specifically?
“The locker room allows you to be vulnerable, you’re surrounded with 24 like-minded guys that have your back at all times. So, it’s a safe place. That is why it becomes so hard when you leave the sport, because it is like losing 24 brothers. And then when you play long enough you could feel like you’re losing 600 brothers. There is an unspoken bond and vulnerability to it that. You know your teammates are like minded and at the end of the day if someone pushes you in the back, you know your teammate will stick up for you, and you would do the same for him.”
Building these relationships is challenging, and oftentimes rare in terms of creating bonds so authentic and strong.
“Those bonds are hard to find in the real world, especially nowadays where there is very little trust out there. But this locker room has never been more important, and I don’t just mean this locker room in particular but all locker rooms. It’s a place where you, as a player and a person can feel safe, vulnerable and protected,” continued Hinote.
Hockey provides the players with a sense of brotherhood that can be challenging to find in other places. Being an athlete becomes a part of their identity and experiencing the creation of that as a group and individually is what creates a “dream team” on the ice.
However, life doesn’t just happen in the locker room, and Hinote also hopes to help the players develop life skills that will help them off the ice and in the real world. “I want to help them with life experience as well. I have made all the mistakes a middle-aged man can make,” he chuckled. “But in truth, all the mistakes I have made I can hopefully teach them not to make. Or if they do make them, I can teach them how to get out of it. Because I have been there and done that.”
Making it to the playoffs and winning every game are obvious goals the team strives for, but Hinote has his own goal, as well. That each player walks away with “the foundations”.
“I want them to find who they are, as a human being. The player part is just a piece of it, but so is the off-ice. Figuring out good sleep habits, eating habits, financial habits. All of these things are going to have to be developed because if you only develop ‘the hockey’, that is just a small piece of the pie. And when/if they get to the show and they don’t quite have those other pieces of the pie, those pieces are going to rear their ugly heads because those foundations weren’t built. But if you do, and they get there, they will be a little more prepared for when things happen, because life is going to happen to every single one of them. And when it does, they have to have those foundations to fall back on, and that’s what I want to help them with.”
Building players that are great athletes and people are what make a team so great. Everyone that is so invested in the team are the ones that continue to build the strength within Eagles Country, and a huge part of that family are the fans.
Eagles fans are ready for a great season, and when asked to share a message to all those who support the team, Hinote stated, “I think the fans should be really excited with the character we have on this team. Talent, sure, on paper we have ‘x’ amount of points that the guys should get, but what they should really be most excited about is the character we have in this group.
We have a group of veterans that rival any, on any team, and they are just fully loaded with character to teach these young kids what they’ll need on and off the ice. So, to me what they (fans) are going to love about this team is the resiliency, the character, and the brotherhood in this community.”
Eagles Country has an exciting season ahead of them, and with Hinote assisting the team and helping to build those foundations of community, there is sure to be success on and off the ice.
