ANATOMY OF SERENDIPITY
“ I also think it was important for her to make sure that I was on the right path . Going into my junior year , we had a meeting . She ’ d seen I was sort of struggling and unhappy and she asked me what I wanted to get out of my last two years . How were we going to find a way to get over the hump and get through the adversity ? She said ‘ You ’ re the social leader on the team , your teammates respect you , so how can we use that to catapult you into a situation where you ’ re finding more success ?’ She said , ‘ You ’ re really supportive and loud , even in the weight room . Just focus on that and let it trickle into what happens on the ice . Just always bring that with you .’ And that ’ s exactly what happened . I didn ’ t hate being at the rink anymore , I was hyping people up , celebrating , letting them know when they were doing things well . I used to think I ’ d have to score a goal for anyone to notice me or I ’ d have to go out there and make some amazing miraculous play in order to get a consistent role on a line . And that went away .”
Danielle began to realize that her “ weaknesses ” were actually her strengths , and that has translated into her becoming a great coach . She keeps in touch with friends who also went into coaching , and some of them who were gifted players have a very difficult time explaining certain skills and breaking it all down . But because it didn ’ t always come naturally to Danielle and she had to learn each step in that skill in order to achieve it and to do it well , she knows how to translate that knowledge to young players . many meetings she needed to have with fourth line players who don ’ t play that much . “ I remember thinking I was that kid , Danielle says . “ I know exactly what those kids are feeling . I think my experience lends itself to relating to a bigger group of players … to more of the team . And you think about what Cass did for me . You know , on one level , it was super selfless , she wanted the best for me . On the other , it was a selfish motivation because she wanted the team to do well . Like I can ’ t lose Danielle and have her drag the team down with her . So I need to get her on board . And that taught me that the bottom kids matter a lot .”
Cass proved to be a shrewd and compassionate leader , and that combination is hard to beat . In her first season as head coach with Danielle in her corner , the Bobcats had an historic 30-win season that culminated in an ECAC championship . Later , Cass was quick to deflect credit . “ Danielle might have been the most important person on our team ,” she said .
And Cass was instrumental in Danielle ’ s career trajectory . It was Cass who first noticed an ad for a Diversity and Inclusion internship with the Bruins , she suggested Danielle apply , and the rest is history . Literally .
But though she is the first female on-ice coach , don ’ t dare call her a “ trailblazer ,” because Danielle is sensitive to the fact that there are many other women doing “ incredible work ” in NHL hockey .
She recently received a call from a friend and former college teammate who got a job coaching college hockey . The friend was frustrated by how
Danielle remembers the shock of actually being hired and the nerves she felt in her first few weeks on the job .
56 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine . com