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the athletics director at the College of St. Scholastica, remembers his dad shoveling the ice at a number of parks to prepare for practices and games. "Our parents taught us what it was like to be a part of small-town community through hockey," said Dan Stauber. "They were the ones taking us out to the outdoor rink and they were the ones helping build the boards, warming houses and shoveling off the ice while we got warm. "Those were some of the best times growing up, flooding the rink with your parents and teammates late at night. It taught you to work a bit for your fun." Smalley said he is fortunate enough to still see parents giving back. He credits the parents that volunteer in the association for helping the Denfeld program's continued success. "Just like we realized back then, I really couldn't accomplish all of this without the booster clubs and parents," said Smalley. "They play such a phenomenal role in helping our associations and it's not just in Denfeld but parents everywhere. I can't thank them enough for giving their time to help their child and other children succeed in hockey and afterward. I couldn't do all of this without them." ALWAYS A HUNTER Smalley said growing up in Denfeld wasn't about NHL or college hockey dreams. It was about becoming a Denfeld High School Hunter. "We were building for high school at that young age," said Smalley. "We weren't looking beyond that. We grew up wearing the colors, even with the eight or so different feeder programs. You just couldn't wait to be a Hunter." That same passion for being a Hunter grabbed Smalley as it did so many others, bringing him back into the program after Division I hockey and stints in the East Coast Hockey League. "That passion I had for hockey and Denfeld growing up, I wanted to be able to give back to the program that was good to me once," said Smalley, who coached youth hockey before taking the reins at his alma mater. "I knew when that head coaching job opened up, I needed to step up to the plate and give back." Before Smalley, Dan Stauber was leading the Denfeld team for a few years and Jamie Stauber also found himself back in the area before UWS, taking over first as youth coach in Piedmont Heights before becoming an assistant coach down the road at Proctor. "You want to go back and leave it even better every time," Dan Stauber said of returning home. "When you have such a great experience growing up, you want to share and spread that to the kids living there now. You want to remind them how great it is to be a Denfeld Hunter." GIVING BACK TO THE GAME Rink 1 at Burnsville Ice Center is now named after Harker, who managed the facility for 24 years before retiring. Prior to that, he coached at UWS and other youth programs around the state. His contributions and success led him into the Denfeld Hall of Fame in 2011. "I THINK (DULUTH) DENFELD BUILT THAT TRADITION THAT WE WERE TAUGHT BY OUR PARENTS OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THINGS THAT TAUGHT YOU SO MUCH. JUST LIKE TEAM BONDING, IT'S SOMETHING I DON'T THINK EVER GOES AWAY." – KEVIN SMALLEY, DULUTH DENFELD BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY COACH AND FORMER DULUTH DENFELD YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION PLAYER The Stauber family, made up of brothers John, Jim, Jamie, Dan, Pete, Robb and Bill grew up playing hockey in Denfeld together. Many of them never strayed too far from home, or the game. Jamie and Dan Stauber are coaches at UWS, with Dan leading the men's team and Jamie the women's. Each stay actively involved in the youth associations their children now play in. Olson has his plate full as the athletics director at the College of St. Scholastica and was formerly the head coach at St. Mary's. MacMillan was a high school coach for 30 years in Wisconsin and Minnesota while becoming the Executive Director of the Minnesota High School Coaches Association. On top of his current Coach-in Chief title with USA Hockey, MacMillan is currently the head coach of the USA Hockey National Sled Development Team and is the director of the Reebok Minnesota Hockey High Performance programs. As Denfeld High School's head coach, Smalley has been recognized as Coach of the Year twice and has brought the Hunters to the famed state high school hockey tournament on a number of occasions. These local legends are just a few of the notable natives who left Denfeld with so much more than a great hockey experience. They left with a willingness to give back and appreciation for all that hockey taught them on and off the ice. "Even now just talking about growing up and playing in Denfeld reinforces how great it was," said Olson. "All the people that touched our lives as young people through hockey in a way that was extremely positive. I know it impacted me and had a definite influence in the direction I took in life. "And that's what hockey should be preparing us all for anyway – life." DECEMBER.2013 // MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM 11