Player Biography

Dan is another newcomer to the Buccaneers. Last year he played for the Anoka High School Tornadoes in Minnesota, where he earned all-conference honors. Dan eats Subway and a bag of Nibs before every game, and he says if he weren't playing hockey, he would probably be playing college soccer.

Player Interview

3/18/98

Steve: Dan, where were you born and where do you call home?

Dan: I was born in Anoka, Minnesota. Actually, I live in Ramsey now. It is right next to Anoka, basically part of Anoka. That is where I call home right now.

Steve: What was it like growing up in Anoka?

Dan: Well, it was all right, I guess.

Steve: Is it cold? What do you do in the winter?

Dan: Skate at the outdoor rinks mostly. I would spend the whole day up there.

Steve: Do you really?

Dan: My buddies go up there and skate and sit, and skate and sit. That is about all.

Steve: Tell me about your family.

Dan: I have got a brother named Jake; he is 21 years old. I have got a sister Sarah; she is 18. And my mom Trisha and my dad Michael.

Steve: Does anybody else in your family play hockey, or did they play hockey?

Dan: My dad used to play hockey for Anoka, so I am kind of following in his footsteps.

Steve: Your brother doesn't play?

Dan: No. Well, he did but he quit. He wasn't very good at it.

Steve: Has any of your family been able to see you play as a Buc yet this year?

Dan: Yeah, my parents have and my brother. My parents have been down a couple times. They came down for the game against Omaha. So other than that, nobody.

Steve: How did you start playing hockey?

Dan: Well, I started playing hockey because my friend had quit the little mites team because he didn't get passed to. So my dad made me play in his place. I didn't really want to; he just kind of made me. So that is how I got started.

Steve: You mean he was playing on a team and people wouldn't pass to him?

Dan: He never got the puck so he got mad and quit. He was my best friend. I wasn't even playing hockey at that point, and my dad just sent me out there. My brother was on the team, so I had to play with my brother.

Steve: How old were you?

Dan: I have no idea.

Steve: Like five?

Dan: Probably something like that.

Steve: When did you know or decide that you wanted to pursue hockey full time?

Dan: When I got my only goal in my first season, and I have just liked it ever since.

Steve: Have you always played your current position?

Dan: Yep, right wing all the way up.

Steve: What other teams have you played for?

Dan: I played for Anoka High School; Anoka all the way up through the rankings. That is about all.

Steve: How did you come to play for the Bucs then?

Dan: Our high school is protected by the Buccaneers. They protected four of us to come down here from Anoka. We just came down and tried out and they kept us.

Steve: Had you ever seen the Bucs play before you came down?

Dan: Never.

Steve: But you knew about the team because you were protected and a lot of the players had come here from Anoka?

Dan: Yeah.

Steve: What are some of the things that you like about playing for the Bucs?

Dan: I don't know. It is a great team; I like everybody on the team. It is fun! We have a great family that we live with. It is harder in the beginning, but now that you're getting used to everything, it is just fun.

Steve: What are the differences between playing a road game and a home game?

Dan: It is just so much easier to just be up for a home game, and our energy level is so much higher because you have got the fans and the support. You get off the bus at the away games and you have got your legs and you are a little groggy. Everything is just solely different.

Steve: Are there certain teams you would rather play or not play in the league?

Dan: No, I could care less. It doesn't matter to me. I like playing the top teams, you know, you get more pumped up for that. You want to beat those guys.

Steve: Are there any barns you would rather play at or not play at?

Dan: No, not really. I guess there's a couple places I don't really like. Just the ice in Green Bay and places like that. I don't like Lincoln even though it is a really nice rink. I just like playing here mostly.

Steve: Do you have a favorite college or pro team?

Dan: No, not really.

Steve: Do you have any future hockey plans?

Dan: Not as of yet. To come back to the Buccaneers next year.

Steve: What is your favorite food and dessert?

Dan: Favorite food is probably just any kind of pasta, like lasagna, something like that. My dessert would be ice cream, anything with a lot of chocolate chunks. I like cookie dough.

Steve: Do people consider you shy or out going?

Dan: I don't know. At times out going; at times kind of shy, I guess. Actually, not really. I guess out going.

Steve: Do you have a nickname here on the team?

Dan: Scratchy. Basile calls me Scratchy.

Steve: When you are not playing hockey in the summer, what do you do? Do you go back home?

Dan: Yeah, I will go back home. I play soccer during the summer. I played soccer in high school, so I get together with the team that we played usually every summer.

Steve: Do you have any other hobbies or interests that you pursue or that you like to do?

Dan: Mostly sports, that is about all. Other than that, there is nothing really I do.

Steve: Thanks, Dan. Thank you for the interview.

Dan: Thanks.