My Hometown With Dan Cloutier
NHLPA.COM
You get the sense that Dan Cloutier would prefer a snow shovel to suntan lotion. The personable Tampa goaltender certainly isn’t complaining about the hot Florida climate, but he admits the one thing he truly misses about home is, believe it or not, the cold comfort of winter.
For those who might not know, Sault Ste. Marie is a great hockey town. What are some of your fondest memories of growing up there?
“I was actually born in Quebec, but moved to Sault Ste. Marie when I was eight years old. I didn’t know how to speak English, but I really loved the Soo. It is a great hockey town and a lot of my best friends still live there. It was great to play minor hockey there as well. The city was very exciting and I got drafted by my hometown and played junior. I won a Memorial Cup in my hometown, which is pretty special. All the memories of the Soo are great.”
If you had to take people out for a night on the town, where would you be heading?
“I would take them to Oasis, my buddy’s restaurant/bar. I think it brings the community closer. People go there and watch hockey games and things like that. That would be the place that I would take them.”
What type of hobbies kept you busy when you were growing up in the Soo?
“In the Soo, there’s a lot of fishing with all the lakes there. There are some beautiful beaches. Lake Superior is there. That’s mostly what I did when I was growing up. That and playing hockey.”
What’s Dan Cloutier’s big Soo fishing story?
“Actually, I caught a 19-pound salmon once. That was the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. It was at the St. Mary’s River, which runs through the town. It’s a great feeling when you’re a young guy going fishing - they hook it on for you obviously – but that’s one memory that sticks in my mind.”
What type of jobs did you have growing up?
“I didn’t really have too many jobs. I helped out my dad when he was working in the bush, cutting down trees and things like that. That was a really tough job! I think I’m better off playing hockey than doing that job.”
There are plenty of NHLPA members in and around the Soo area.
“A lot of the guys who played junior in the Soo live there because they enjoy the area so much. Ken Belanger, Aaron Gavey, Kevin Hodson and Drew Bannister are some of the guys who hang out together. We all seem to have a close relationship and play summer hockey together.”
Does it get pretty intense between the men from the Soo?
“It got intense a couple times. We’ve got a few tough guy types out there like Denis Vial, Denny Lambert, Ken Belanger and Chris Simon, but we do have a lot of fun out there and enjoy it.”
Out of all the comforts of home, which one in particular do you miss the most during the hockey season?
“The first thing, now that I’m in Tampa, is that I miss the snow. The Soo’s known for getting a fair bit of snow in the winter. I kind of miss the winters a little bit. Obviously, I also miss my friends as well. It’s truly a great city for hockey.”