Mike Weaver building upon his experience to give back to the game

Darryl Dionne, PHPA Director of Communications & Business Development | July 20th, 2020

 

Even after earning a hockey scholarship to Michigan State, Mike Weaver never thought he would go on to enjoy a 15-year professional hockey career which included a Turner Cup Championship, Calder Cup Championship, over 10 seasons in the NHL, and then stay involved in the game as a successful entrepreneur.  But that is exactly what transpired for Weaver when preparation intersected with opportunity.  He has learned plenty of life lessons through his involvement in the game and is happy to impart that knowledge on both players and coaches.

 

Growing up in Brampton, Ontario, Canada just outside of Toronto, Weaver was playing junior hockey for the Thornhill Islanders during the 1994-95 season when his tenacious play for a 5’8 defenseman immediately caught the eye of Michigan State’s Head Coach, Ron Mason, who had scouts at Weaver’s games although for a different player. 

 

“Scouts from various colleges and Universities had been coming to our games to see Mike York,” said Weaver.  “Then after one game where I had played particularly well, Michigan State’s Assistant Coach, Tom Newton, came to see me after the game.” 

 

“Mike’s team was playing a good team with lots of older, stronger kids. In that game, he dominated the loose puck game and shut down rush after rush,” said Newton.  “There were two things that put me over the top with Mike. One, his physical compete level was totally off the charts and he won every battle. The second was his simple, effect and accurate pick movement.”

 

Although Weaver had been drafted by the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League in the seventh round, based on the odds of turning pro as well as being smaller than the sought after 6+ foot defenceman, college was an obvious choice. 

 

“Attending Michigan State allowed me the opportunity to earn a degree which made sense to me.  I realized that at some point whether I played zero games or 1,000 games as a professional hockey player, I would have to fall back on my degree post-career.”    

 

Weaver thoroughly enjoyed the experience playing for Michigan State over four seasons where he continued to develop into a stronger and smarter player.

 

“A lot of fond memories really stick out.  We were pretty successful all four years. We were 2-time CCHA Champions and went to the Frozen Four but lost in the Semi-Finals. My first ever college exhibition game was our annual Green vs White game which is an intrasquad game, and within seconds of the drop of the puck I made a huge hit which got the crowd going.  Right then and there I knew I was going to enjoy my four years.  I was also a two-time Second Team All-American and CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman despite only acquiring under 8 points both years.  A very memorable moment was on Senior Night which was our last game of the regular season in our last year. The previous month I tore my MCL and couldn’t move my leg.  My Trainer, Dave Carrier taped up my leg so tight that it gave me the opportunity to at least take my last lap around the Munn Ice Arena and acknowledge the crowd. It was an emotional night.”

 

Off the ice, Weaver put his time to good use.  After taking a career test which revealed an interest in computers, he modified his Telecommunications degree and took courses in software development and website design.  He also took an Internship at school which specialized in developing virtual reality.  “On road trips, while guys were at the card table on the bus or plane, I was designing websites and trying to stay relevant in the world of technology.  At the time, I wasn’t sure how long I would be playing hockey, so I used my time wisely.”

 

Mike had attended the NHL Entry Draft twice in person, in 1996 and 1997, and didn’t hear his name called.  “I was with my Dad and while we were walking out of the rink I wanted to wait until the last player was selected and it wasn’t me. I looked at my Dad and he said ‘find another way’.  Those words added to my drive to prove the world of hockey wrong. I looked at the word 'Can’t' as 'Work Harder'.”

 

Although he went undrafted to the NHL, after his Senior year in 2000, Weaver signed with the Atlanta Thrashers. 

 

“Don Waddel, who was Atlanta’s General Manager, was ahead of his time and very interested in college players.  He had seen me play and took a shot on me.  It was my only real offer to continue my hockey career.  During training camp, Don brought the rookies together and told us we would all be going to the team’s (International Hockey League) IHL affiliate in Orlando for the entire year where we would learn how to be professionals.  I learned so much that year, especially from the Veteran players.”

 

That season, which would be the IHL’s final season before its remaining teams were absorbed by the American Hockey League, the Orlando Solar Bears finished second overall in points and went on to capture the Turner Cup.

 

“We had a great team that year.  I didn’t even play for the first ten games.  Our Assistant Coach Jim Hughes finally got me into the line-up and told me I played so well they couldn’t find a reason to take me out.  That was my career, proving people wrong by not accepting no for an answer. I was never given anything and that’s how I liked it. In my first pro training camp, I was given the number 43 and I kept it my entire career because I wanted to remind myself how I got here.”  

 

The following season, the Chicago Wolves, playing their first season as an American Hockey League franchise, became the Thrashers’ primary affiliate.  Weaver would make his NHL debut and play 16 games with the Thrashers that season, but spent the majority of the year in Chicago where the Wolves would go on to win the Calder Cup.  “The nucleus of our team in Orlando transitioned to the Chicago Wolves, and combined with their existing nucleus, we just killed it all year.  It was great to win back-to-back championships in two different leagues.  Chicago is an absolute fantastic hockey market.  I can’t say enough good things about the Chicago Wolves organization and the three years I spent with them.  That was a real special time in my life.”

 

Weaver would spend the majority of the following three seasons in the AHL before sticking in the NHL for the next ten years, playing for the Kings, Canucks, Blues, Panthers, and Canadiens.  Although he thoroughly enjoyed being a professional hockey player, he never took the opportunity for granted.  He soon volunteered to become an NHLPA Player Representative, knowing the experience would be beneficial for an eventual career transition. 

 

“In my opinion, every day you should be evolving yourself in some way.  I’m not a big guy, but I worked hard and became a solution based player.  I knew my career wouldn’t last forever.  I wanted to be an NHLPA Player Rep to get a sense of the business side of the sport.  I wanted to learn from professionals with great business minds, be in boardrooms, see how people interact with each other in these types of settings.  In sports, when Preparation Meets Opportunity is the ongoing focus but it’s funny how most athletes don’t use this prepping for post-career.”

 

Throughout his pro career, Weaver developed and operated a hockey school during the off-season.  At first, despite putting in a significant amount of time and resources, registration was light.  So to carve out a niche, he looked at what he could give back to hockey and teach the aspects he does well in games that help set himself apart.

 

“I think the game better than most. So I created a hockey school which teaches the thinking part of the game, and thus the Defence First Hockey School was born in 2004.  This hockey school allowed me to develop techniques and solutions to problems I was having in my game during the season which helped me to have an extended career.”

 

Although Defence First Hockey School grew in popularity and became successful, Weaver encountered some challenges.

 

“I found I had to draw out the drills by hand on paper, put them on USB drives, copy and paste drills into a document, create a back-up, put them in sheet covers so they didn’t get destroyed on the bench during practice.  The process just took so long.”

 

When Weaver joined the Florida Panthers in 2010 and began discussing his dilemma with Goalie Coach Rob Tallas, he soon realized that even NHL coaches experienced these same issues. 

 

“To address these issues, I developed a web-based platform and found a solution.  I spent about two years developing the technology.  It was a lot of hard work. It wasn't uncommon for me to be up at 4 am, working with our developers until we came up with a product that we could bring to market.”

 

The platform is called CoachThem, a digital platform designed for coaches to help save time and run a more efficient program.  The web app allows coaches to easily draw, store and share drills.  “We now have over 8,000 coaches using CoachThem and recently developed a partnership with the NHL Coaches’ Association.  The coaches we work with love it. The product speaks for itself.”

 

Since his final season of professional hockey in 2014-15, Weaver has enjoyed being on the business side of the sport, especially since he had been preparing for his eventual post hockey career for some time.

 

“I love being on the business side and am grateful that I put in the time and effort learning this aspect before my playing career had come to an end.  It’s amazing to see coaches writing to us to tell us how amazing our product is.  I love that feeling and even find myself getting emotional at times to see how the hard work is paying off and helping make things easier for others.”

 

Reflecting back on his hockey journey Weaver hopes current players leverage the opportunities at their disposal.  “As a player, you have access to doors that would otherwise be closed.  Players can really help build their brand through social media if it’s used in the right way.  I should have done more and started earlier.  I hear of guys not wanting to look ahead to a post hockey career because they don’t want to jinx themselves.  You don’t want to be the guy that wasn’t prepared. In hockey terms, you don’t want to be the guy that was given an opportunity to excel on the ice and wasted it because you weren’t ready or didn’t train hard enough.”

 

These days, between running successful business ventures, Weaver enjoys imparting his knowledge about hockey, whether authoring articles, staying active on social media, appearing on podcasts, or speaking with any current or former player about the various mental and physical elements of transitioning to a post hockey career.

 

“Looking back at my career, I was able to play the best game in the world for the fans. Now in my post-career with Defence First, I’m helping youth players, and with CoachThem I’m helping coaches evolve the game.  It’s my way of giving back to the great game of hockey which gave so much to me.”