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MARCH 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 29 S A ROOKIE LINE - M A N W I T H T H E MIAMI DOLPHINS, one could think that Michael Deiter is like a fish out of frozen water. After spending the past four years in the frosty college town of Madison, Wis., where he was an integral part of the vaunted University of Wisconsin run- ning attack, Deiter has settled in quite nicely in the sunshine of South Beach. The change of scenery has actually been welcome for a young man who spent a large part of his childhood on the ice. The 23-year-old rookie guard only started playing the sport that would become his career in eighth grade. Before that, it was hockey that set him up on the path toward success. Deiter laced up the skates for the first time when he was only 3 and quickly showed his prowess as a left wing, winning a couple of state championships with the Toledo IceDiggers. "Michael was always a good athlete with a good attitude and a good heart," recalls Randy Hamilton, who coached Deiter along with his own son Ben for several years. "He was always one of the biggest kids on the ice but he never used his size to crush kids. That wasn't the way he played or the type of person he is. He was a gentle giant who was always respectful of the other players." Deiter never saw himself as the best player on the ice. Nonetheless, even at a young age, he knew the value in participating in a variety of sports— especially hockey. "I was always way bigger than everyone," says Deiter, who towers over the opposition at 6-foot-6 and tips the scales at 310 pounds. "I wasn't very fast but I did score goals. I don't know if I had the best stick-handling, edges, anything like that. "But I was always smart and had g ood hockey IQ. Knowing that I wasn't the fastest kid, I made sure I was in the right place at the right time. That's something I always took pride in." He played hockey, and pretty much only hockey, until the eighth grade. That was when he started taking football more seri- ously. By the time he went to Genoa Area High School he dedicated himself full time to the gridiron, but he never forgot how his hockey training helped him along the way. For him, every sport has something you c a n l e a r n a n d t h e r e 's a l ot o f c r o s s ov e r between sports. He credits his hockey train- ing with developing most of his lower body strength, which comes in handy going up against the strongest players in the NFL. "Off the ice, off the football field, there's a ton that goes into it," he says. "Both are fast and physical. Things happen in split seconds — it's a lot of changing directions, thinking on the fly. "Take in hockey, for example, if you get checked. You might get the wind knocked out of you but you still have to play. The same goes for football, but that's every play for me." Hockey may have helped condition Deiter for a career in football, but it also played a role in his colleg e decision. Wisconsin football has a reputation for being a pipe- line to the NFL for interior linemen, and Wisconsin hockey has always been one of college hockey's preeminent programs. He says he had hopes of skating with the team, even just for a practice, but being part of Wisconsin's cult culture as a fan was good enough for him. While Deiter easily maps the physical benefits of playing hockey and its influence on choosing a school, he actually thinks the biggest benefit of playing was the type of teammate it made him. "Playing any sport is going to make you a better competitor. But hockey is a team game, you need everyone to be on, making smart decisions. I learned pretty young how to make decisions for the team and not for myself," he says. "You're creating an ability to be part of a team and you're also creating friendships. Things like learning about winning and los- ing help you become the best athlete you can possibly be, regardless of the sport." It's now the offseason for the Dolphins, which means there is time to lace up the skates again. Deiter says, on average, he gets back on the ice at least three to four times a year — all in the months between the final whistle of the NFL season and the start of next year's training camp. The ice time is limited though because skating in circles doesn't quite cut it for Deiter. "I miss playing hockey in g eneral, so I go and see my buddies who still play hock- ey and we'll go to drop-ins just to get out there and skate around and have fun," he says. "People will ask if I want to go to open skate but I can't just go. I need pucks and a goalie." P You're creating an ability to be part of a team and you're also creating friendships. Things like learning about winning and losing help you become the best athlete you can possibly be, regardless of the sport. A MICHAEL DEITER'S LOVE OF HOCKEY ALSO HELPED HIM EXCEL ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.