NEED A CHANGE? Destination: northern British Columbia
Olympic gold medalist Dan Hamhuis opens up about the place he holds close to his heart.
Back to nature For a country with such beautiful rural areas, it’s surprising that 80 percent of Canadians now live in major cities. It may be said that it’s a predictable result of how the business world has evolved, but we should never forget our heritage, even if we do move away.
With everything that it has to offer, northern B. C. is a fantastic choice for an action packed vacation or a relaxing weekend in the wilderness. Or, if you’re sick of the grind of citylife, it’s also a great place to live and work.
Dream childhood One guy that hasn’t forgotten his northern B. C. roots is the Smithers born, Vancouver Canucks and Team Canada defenceman, Dan Hamhuis. “It was a great experience growing up in a small town in northern B. C.,” says Hamhuis. “I participated in both hockey and baseball, and what made it so great was that the parents and community was, and still is, very supportive and dedicated to making it work.”
Northern B. C. isn’t the sort of place where you sit on the sofa and wait for your favourite show to come on the television. It’s a place where you get outside and make your own fun, something Hamhuis thrived on when he was growing up.
“I spent hours and hours of my childhood outside exploring the outdoors and enjoying four distinct seasons,” he says. “Growing up, I was very active in many sporting activities. I think spending hours every day outside doing activities and exploring the outdoors developed me physically and mentally to cope with a demanding job in the NHL.” Ideal preparation for tough industry Any aspiring NHL star has to have the skills and panache, but without strength and fitness all of the fancy tricks won’t get you very far. Hamhuis feels that his experiences in northern B. C. were the perfect training for his future career in the NHL.
“As I got older, I took advantage of the outdoors as a training tool for hockey,” he says.“Running and biking on the extensive trail systems the north has to offer, I believe, has given me an advantage over the years and has made training fun and enjoyable.”
Home sweet home Hamhuis and his family travel back to northern B. C. every summer and sometimes during the hockey season too, if his schedule allows.“The communities are very supportive of me and the Canucks. It is a great feeling playing for the home team,” he says. “They are respectful of my time and space, realizing it is my off season too, which makes it a great summer retreat out of the big cities I experience during the year.”
When he is back in Smithers, Hamhuis doesn’t do much relaxing; he’s too busy taking advantage of everything that northern B. C. has to offer. “My days are filled with the many activities available to people of northern B. C., whether it’s hiking, mountain biking, fishing, ATVing, trail running, camping, lake activities, and the list goes on,” he says. “There is a vibrant community of people that are very enthusiastic about experiencing the outdoors.”
Hamhuis’ hockey career dictates that he live in Vancouver, but when retirement comes, could he see himself moving back to the place that is obviously so close to his heart? “Moving back to northern B. C. is something that we would love to do,” he hints. “We are a few years away from making that decision, but we love our time there when we do go back.”