Feature Story
Another NHL star joins the
Minnesota high school coaching ranks
It was back in 1980 when an 18-year-old
from
The netminder
was Don Beaupre, a 5-8, 150-pound rookie, who had a
lightning quick glove hand and an acrobatic do-anything-to-stop-the-puck-style
that made him an instant fan favorite at the old
“It was really a unique time, it’s neat
to remember and reminisce,” Beaupre said recently. “I
had a lot of fun playing.”
Beaupre played eight seasons in
“I got the opportunity, played well
enough to earn spots on teams,” he recalled. “There was a lot of luck involved
and a lot of hard work. I think I put my work in. A lot of people do and don’t
get breaks, but I was lucky enough to get my break. That’s why I feel so
fortunate to have hung around so long.”
When he finally hung up his pads in 1997
after playing more than 700
“My wife is from here and I have always
enjoyed it here, it’s a great hockey area,” he said. “I kind of grew up here, I
came here when I was 18 years old – going to the Stanley Cup finals –
everything was so positive my first year. And it’s kind of fun that hockey is
so much of a focus in this community.”
And now the 46-year-old Beaupre, who lives in
He’s in his second year as the goalie
coach for the Hornets, whose head coach is former North Star teammate Curt
Giles.
“Never thought about coaching at the high
school level,” Beaupre said until Giles asked him to
consider joining his staff. “It’s real competitive, that’s maybe the underlying
attraction to the whole thing that keeps you going. You want to win. I want to
see the kids play well. I want to see the kids play their best, but also get a
lot of enjoyment out of it.”
Beaupre is also having fun being back on his skates,
coaching with his good friend, and helping the
“They are just such a good group of kids,
who have a great work ethic and are so dedicated,” he said.
When he is on the ice with the high
school goalies, Beaupre focuses on refining their
skills.
“I work with them on fundamentals, ways
to view the game, and reading plays,” he said. “I don’t try to change styles, just try to add to what they’re doing, because they
have some talent.”
He
also shows them some of the tricks of the goalie trade he mastered during his
professional career.
“It’s the small things, but important
ones,” he said. “Like get out there and challenge, if you’re going to get beat,
get beat challenging rather than sitting back in the goal. If there is one
thing, I would guess that would be it.”
And his advice seems to be working
because the Hornets are one of the top boys’ high school hockey teams in
“These are the best years these guys are
going to have in hockey. For a lot of them, it’s over after this,” he said. “If
Curt and I can be a little part of making it a great experience, then we did
what I think we were asked to do.”
Besides his high school coaching duties, Beaupre owns an aerial rental equipment business in
“The construction workers are big sports
fans and big hockey fans,” Beaupre said. “Yeah it’s
great. There is hockey talk everyday in our office and even when we are out
meeting with customers.”
What could be better than mixing business
with pleasure?
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