By Jordan Long
The Nashville Predators have hired an assistant coach for Head Coach John Hynes staff. Nashville was looking to add an assistant after firing Kevin McCarthy on January 6th. They decided to add former NHL player Dan Hinote.
Hinote spent 9 years in the NHL. His career lasted from 1999 to 2006. The majority of his time in the NHL was with the Colorado Avalanche, appearing in 353 games. Hinote added secondary scoring for the team and played on the second team power play. His stats don’t jump out with 27 goals and 38 assists for a total of 65 points. Of those 27 goals, 1 of them came on the power play. He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley cup in 2001.
Hinote may not have been a big name on the Avalanche, but he became a fan favorite. He would use his speed to hit skaters or poke check the puck to end scoring chances. Hinote even sacrificed his body to block shots from entering the goaltender. He always played the NHL game the right way and was a hard worker.
Hinote ended up leaving the Colorado Avalanche in the 2006 offseason and went to St. Louis. In 150 games for St. Louis, he was not the same player he was in Colorado. Hinote lit the lamp 11 times while adding 14 assists for 25 points. For both franchises, Hinote played in 72 playoff games with 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points. He retired following the 2009 season.
After he left the NHL game as a player, Hinote spent 5 years with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant coach. The last two years, Hinote was an assistant coach for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
According to MSN.com, Nashville Predators’ General Manager David Polie said, “Dan Hinote’s character, personality, as well as playing and coaching experience will be a great fit for our team and players. As a player, Dan brought energy and leadership to his teams, winning a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, and his experience as a coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program will be of great value to our organization.”
Hinote seems like a great addition to the team. When the 2020-2021 season starts, he will have the ability to tell John Hynes what he is seeing on the ice. This may help Hynes make in-game adjustments. Hinote can also tell the Nashville skaters areas where they need to tweak their game. It might help them improve on their 35-26-8 record from this past season.
Leave a Reply