NOT AN EASY TIME FOR ELLIS, BUT FAITH IS HIS ROCK
SEEKING THE CONSTANTS AMID THE UPS AND DOWNS
BY SCOTT TAYLOR
F
or goaltender Dan Ellis, life in the National Hockey League has always been a challenge. But he’s likely to admit that it’s never been as challenging as it is right now. Then again, the 35-year-old veteran from Saskatoon has a close friend in his corner. After signing a one-year, twoway contract with the Washington Capitals, Ellis now finds himself in Hershey, Pennsylvania, playing for the Caps’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Currently, he’s Hershey’s number one goalie and recently won his first start of the season. Still, for a guy who loves hockey like Ellis, at 35, he can see the end of his career out in front of him. It’s not something that worries him, but he admits that one day, he’s going to miss the game. “I’ve played this game most of my life,” he told capitals.nhl.com. “I have no desire to see my career end, but it always comes to an end for everybody. I’ll play as long as I can. God gave me
a gift and I will honour that gift for as long as I’m allowed.” Ellis is an interesting study. Many Christian athletes have grown up around God. Ellis came to the Lord much later than most. “I started to skate probably at the age of three,” said Ellis during a recent TV interview. “My dad was the head of the minor hockey association so I always had the pick of the litter for goaltending equipment. We won the championship three or four years in a row, and so we had a great squad.” The success he had in hockey filled a hole in his life, but while the rink was friendly and safe, and hockey made him happy, his home life was almost unbearable. “There was a lot of fighting with my parents,” he says. “In the midst of it, you do go through a great amount of hurt. You’re not sure why it’s happening. There was a lot of hurt back and forth, and my brother and I were in the middle of it.” When Dan was 11, his parents finally divorced. As he became a teenager, his life started to spin out of control. “When I was in high school, I kind of hung out with the wrong crowd, and I got into drugs every other weekend pretty much,” he admits. “Shortly after that…things started to slide. Obviously, the drugs and alcohol were having an effect on me in a number of areas in my life.” But as Dan’s life was falling apart, things at home were getting much better. Dan’s father had turned his life over to Jesus Christ and saw that Dan was confused and heading down the
wrong path. So his dad sent young Dan to Mel Stevens’ Christian hockey camp. It was a decision that changed Dan’s life. “You would get up, go to breakfast, then you would go to the rink,” Ellis says. “Then you would have a short little Bible study with your camp leader. I would try to find Scripture verses that would help me in hockey, and that’s what created my awareness of it and made me gravitate towards Christ and as my questions were answered, I got deeper with my personal issues, with my parents and with my daily life.” Dan eventually gave up drugs and left his old crowd behind. He committed himself to Jesus, was baptized and his life—both on and off the ice—quickly turned around. In 2000, the Dallas Stars selected Dan in the NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2004 and for a brief time was one of the top goaltenders in the NHL with the Nashville Predators. Still, throughout his hockey career, Ellis has faced his share of trials and tribulations. These days, by agreeing to be Washington’s number three goaltender and by accepting a demotion to the AHL, he’s just trying to extend his career. However, by remaining focused on the Lord he has maintained the source of his strength. “God is my anchor,” Ellis admitted. “He’s the one you can hang on to with everything. He’s the only constant. With everything in life that changes and all the ups and downs, it’s nice to be able to hang onto one rock that’s not going to move. It’s just neat to have someone who cares about you that much and who will help you in every situation. “I just go out and play as hard as I can. I know God will take care of the rest.”
/ SCOTT TAYLOR is a Winnipeg-based sportswriter and broadcaster.
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