Teck Coaching Series: Olympic gold medalist Dan Hamhuis shares wisdom with hometown youth

It’s a true Canadian story – a small town boy grows up to be an international hockey hero, but the true community connection happens when he shares his love of the game with the next generation. This Family Day weekend Dan Hamhuis, a seasoned NHL player with an Olympic medal to his name, did just that with the Teck Coaching series in his hometown of Smithers.

The Teck Coaching Series is a community event that sees Teck Resources Limited (Teck) and the Canadian Olympic Committee partnering to bring celebrated Olympians to select local communities. This eighth rendition of the program provided young hockey players, including many youth from the Tahltan First Nation who live in the region, with the opportunity to learn first-hand from Hamhuis.

Hamhuis played 16 seasons in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and  Dallas Stars. The defenseman won a gold medal at Sochi 2014 as part of Team Canada’s men’s hockey team.

Hamhuis’ own career started in the town of about 5,400 people and now he’s in a position to give back to the place that raised him.

“It’s a privilege to be in a position to be a role model. Growing up in smaller communities, young athletes and coaches don’t often have access to programs, clinics and training like the opportunities we are bringing through programs like the Teck Coaching Series,” Hamhuis said. “I feel really lucky to be able to spend time with these kids and talk to them about sports, sportsmanship, and life, really.”

Hamhuis had lots planned for the day, focusing on a combination of skills training and fun. The on-ice itinerary involved puck handling drills, skating drills, checking drills and scrimmaging.

“We started by bringing it back to the basics with some stationary drills, and then built in a bit of movement,” Hamhuis explained. “For skating, we were working on inside edges, outside edges, and the famous Sidney Crosby turn with open hips–we challenged them with that!

“We started by bringing it back to the basics with some stationary drills, and then built in a bit of movement,” Hamhuis explained. “For skating, we were working on inside edges, outside edges, and the famous Sidney Crosby turn with open hips–we challenged them with that!

“It’s been a lot of fun to see the joy on the kids’ faces as they play,” Hamhuis said afterwards.

The event wasn’t solely a learning opportunity for youth, though. Hamhuis also took part in a panel discussion with local coaches and parents, speaking about his Olympic and NHL experiences, coaching experiences, and his core tenets surrounding leadership and skill development.

“There are so many coaches that have made a big impact on my life from youth sports right through to professional hockey. It’s awesome to be able to share some of those things that I’ve learned through a long hockey career with the next generation,” Hamhuis said.

But if there was one takeaway from the 2024 Teck Coaching Series that Hamhuis wanted participants of all ages to take away it’s this:

“Just really focus on doing your best–don’t worry about what other people are doing. What’s important is that you can walk away with your head held high knowing that you gave your best effort, you put in all the work you could, and you were a good sport while doing it.”