a testament to how hard I’ve
worked and how I’ve worked
to get better.”
Prior to last season, the
former Winnipeg Thrashers
forward played for a few other
revered NHL franchises in
Montreal and with the New
York Rangers, the team that
drafted him in 2008 in the
fourth round (111th overall).
“It’s been pretty good,”
Weise admits. “I’m almost
crossing off all the original six
if you throw Chicago in there,
too. But it’s been fun.”
His NHL path also includes
three productive seasons with
the Vancouver Canucks and he
is currently in the midst of a
four-year deal that he signed
with the Flyers prior to last
season.
Looking back, the 29-year-
old says he started to believe
that a career in the NHL was a
plausible goal while playing for
the Swift Current Broncos in
his second year in the Western
Hockey League.
DALE WEISE
1 8 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017
NOLAN PATRICK
That season, despite being
passed over in his first year of
draft eligibility, he totaled 18
goals and 43 points in 2006-
07 and felt his game was really
starting to develop.
“I didn’t get drafted that
year but watched guys around
the league that were getting
drafted and having success
and I thought I was right
there. Then in my last year of
junior I kind of took off and
felt I could probably make a
living out of this.”
The next season he upped
his goal total to 29 and his
point production to 51 despite
playing 14 less games. The
Rangers called his name at the
2008 NHL Entry Draft that
summer in Ottawa.
Now with more than 100
points and 400 games on his
NHL resume, Weise easily
reflects on the challenging and
sometimes arduous road he’s
traveled to become a full-time
NHLer.
“I’m very proud of where
I’m at,” he says. “I’m always
one of the hardest working
guys in the summer. I
keep myself in good shape.
Hopefully that pays off and I
can play for a long time.”
When the season is over
and he returns home, Weise
resides both in East St. Paul
and northeast of Lac du
Bonnet. Both residences are
equipped with gym facilities
so there is no break in
workout routine during the
off-season.
He credits off-ice speed
coach Glenn Bruce at Elite
Performa nce and on-ice
skating and skills coach Dave
Cameron at the Bell MTS
IcePlex with keeping him in
top physical condition.
And now as he inches closer
to a decade in the NHL and as
a veteran on the Flyers, he’s
also become a surrogate father
to the two rookie Manitobans
on the team’s roster – Patrick
and Elkhorn’s Travis Sanheim.
In fact, he will forever be
tied with the 19-year-old
Patrick since he assisted on the
future star’s first NHL goal.
In the fourth game of the
season in Nashville, Patrick
took a pass from Weise and
snapped a shot past Pekka
Rinne, the Predators three-
time Vezina trophy finalist.
The goal at 10:35 of the
second period was part of five
straight for the Flyers who
eventually took the lead, but
would ultimately surrender
in a hard fought 6-5 road
decision.
But the goal was symbolic
of Weise’s NHL career in
that he caused a turnover
inside the Nashville zone off
a hard forecheck, eventually
outworked the Predators
defence to the loose puck
before feeding it in front to a
net-driving Patrick.
“Obviously that was
exciting,” said Patrick. “It was
a great play by (Dale) to set me
up with pretty much an open
net. I had to thank him for that
one. It was a pretty exciting
day for me and my family too.
“It’s fun playing with him.
He’s an awesome guy. I think
he’s a great player and doesn’t
get enough credit as he should.
He’s a fun guy to play with and
an awesome guy off the ice,
too.”
When speaking about the
goal himself, it’s difficult to
judge who was more excited,
Patrick for scoring it or Weise
for helping him to do it.
“Before the game I told him
I was going to set him up,” says
Weise. “I was so happy to be a
part of it. He was so excited.
“It’s pretty cool. Obviously
everybody remembers their
first goal. It’s pretty special,
especially being as highly
touted as he is and being from
Winnipeg. He’s such a good
kid. And it’s exciting to see how
many good young players are
in Manitoba.” ❍