Published: Friday, March 19, 2010
Silvertips star’s journey to success
Zack Dailey’s hockey career began humbly on an Alaskan beaver pond and eventually took him to Comcast Arena, the Western Hockey League and a role as the Everett Silvertips captain
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HERALD STAFF
Silvertips captain Zack Dailey is winding down his Everett career: “This is the last shot I have, so I want to end it on top.”
EVERETT — For Zack Dailey, hockey is more than just a sport. It’s been a journey.
A journey that began on a beaver pond in remote Alaska and detoured through Alberta before winding its way to Everett.
The current leg of the journey in nearing its conclusion as Dailey, the Everett Silvertips’ overager captain, is approaching the end of his Western Hockey League career. But he’s determined to make this stage of the journey end with a bang.
“This is the last shot I have, so I want to end it on top,” Dailey said.
The 20-year-old Dailey is in his fifth and final season with the Tips. He’s seen both ends of the spectrum during his time in Everett, being a part of a team that was ranked No. 1 in North America in 2006-07 and playing last season on the first Everett team to finish with a losing record.
This season, Dailey is finishing on another high as he’s tallied 30 points in the final 34 games, helping the Tips tie for the best record in the Western Conference.
Yet none of it would have happened if not for the unexpected twists his journey took.
Dailey grew up on a homestead outside Ferry, Alaska, which is so small it isn’t even considered a town. The nearest neighbor lived a mile away. The location is so remote the family didn’t have access to television.
But what the family did have access to was a nearby beaver pond that would freeze over during the lengthy Alaska winters.
“My dad would go out there and shovel it,” Dailey recalled. “We’d take a kitchen chair out there and I’d lean on that to learn to skate.”
Dailey started off at the lowest level of youth hockey in Alaska, having to travel 100 miles to Fairbanks for games. He was eventually invited to join a higher-level team that had opponents in Anchorage. Sometimes the family would have to drive five hours to Anchorage for a game, spend the night with Dailey’s grandparents, then leave at 5 a.m. the following morning so Dailey could get to school.
During this period, the family began attending NCAA hockey games at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Daileys noticed that many of the players had “AJHL” next to their names, which indicated they played previously in the Alberta Junior Hockey League — though the Daileys didn’t realize that at first.
“I had no idea what AJHL was,” John Dailey, Zack’s father, said. “I thought it was a place: Ajhl. I thought, ‘Well, we have to go to Ajhl for you.’”
They eventually learned the truth and began making inquiries in Alberta. Zack Dailey was invited to try out for a bantam team (ages 13 and 14) in Leduc, which is just south of Edmonton. Zack Dailey made the team and the family packed its bags.
“(Hockey) was definitely the reason for the move,” John Dailey said. “I got a job as a cattle breeder on a NAFTA work permit, even though my job is as a bush pilot. I kept my hand in with my federal job, which is being a bush pilot for the census, and went back enough to keep current.”
For Zack Dailey, it was a culture shock, moving to another country at that age.
“It was a lot different,” Zack Dailey said. “I was a shy kid, so moving to another country where I didn’t know anybody was very tough. But the people I met there were great, they were real welcoming and they made me feel right away I was part of the team.”
And the move exposed Zack Dailey to a larger and more competitive hockey world. He spent his first season of bantam in Leduc, then switched to the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park for his second season. That second bantam season, Zack Dailey led his league in scoring and he was drafted by Everett in the third round of the 2004 bantam draft.
“I think (the move) is the reason I’m where I am now,” Zack Dailey said. “Obviously in Alaska, the coaches helped me, too, but once I got to Edmonton my game really progressed.”
The Daileys remained in Sherwood Park one more year for Zack Dailey’s first year of midget hockey. The following season Dailey made the Tips as a 16-year-old and the Daileys returned to Alaska.
Zack Dailey has since become a fan favorite in Everett for his play as a defensive forward. At 5-foot-6, he’s usually the smallest player on the ice yet plays with aplomb, showing little regard for his smaller stature.
Last season, he was named Everett’s captain, but the Tips suffered through a difficult season, going 27-36-7-2 and exiting quickly from the playoffs. It was a harsh lesson in leadership.
“I’ve tried to watch what other captains did, but everyone has a different style of what kind of person they are,” Zack Dailey said. “I learned you don’t try to be someone you’re not. You don’t try to be vocal if you’re not. I’m more of a leader by example, so I just need to go on the ice and make sure I do the little things right so it’s an example for everyone else. Before I was trying to be vocal and maybe wasn’t saying the right thing. This year, I’ve really just let my game do the talking.”
That seems to have done the trick. Not only did Everett have a better season, but Zack Dailey was given the team’s Coaches Award for his ability to utilize instruction.
“He’s done everything we’ve ever asked him to,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said. “He’s a good teammate, likes to have fun with his teammates, but at the same time I think he knows when it’s time to be serious and focus in. I think that’s a good captain. I think the younger players respect him, see him as a guy who competes. For a smaller player, he pays a big price.”
Once the playoffs conclude, the next leg of Zack Dailey’s hockey journey may take him back to Alberta. He’s considering playing collegiately in Canada for either the University of Alberta, which is in Edmonton, or the University of Calgary.
Just one more possible direction change in Zack Dailey’s hockey journey.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
A journey that began on a beaver pond in remote Alaska and detoured through Alberta before winding its way to Everett.
The current leg of the journey in nearing its conclusion as Dailey, the Everett Silvertips’ overager captain, is approaching the end of his Western Hockey League career. But he’s determined to make this stage of the journey end with a bang.
“This is the last shot I have, so I want to end it on top,” Dailey said.
The 20-year-old Dailey is in his fifth and final season with the Tips. He’s seen both ends of the spectrum during his time in Everett, being a part of a team that was ranked No. 1 in North America in 2006-07 and playing last season on the first Everett team to finish with a losing record.
This season, Dailey is finishing on another high as he’s tallied 30 points in the final 34 games, helping the Tips tie for the best record in the Western Conference.
Yet none of it would have happened if not for the unexpected twists his journey took.
Dailey grew up on a homestead outside Ferry, Alaska, which is so small it isn’t even considered a town. The nearest neighbor lived a mile away. The location is so remote the family didn’t have access to television.
But what the family did have access to was a nearby beaver pond that would freeze over during the lengthy Alaska winters.
“My dad would go out there and shovel it,” Dailey recalled. “We’d take a kitchen chair out there and I’d lean on that to learn to skate.”
Dailey started off at the lowest level of youth hockey in Alaska, having to travel 100 miles to Fairbanks for games. He was eventually invited to join a higher-level team that had opponents in Anchorage. Sometimes the family would have to drive five hours to Anchorage for a game, spend the night with Dailey’s grandparents, then leave at 5 a.m. the following morning so Dailey could get to school.
During this period, the family began attending NCAA hockey games at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Daileys noticed that many of the players had “AJHL” next to their names, which indicated they played previously in the Alberta Junior Hockey League — though the Daileys didn’t realize that at first.
“I had no idea what AJHL was,” John Dailey, Zack’s father, said. “I thought it was a place: Ajhl. I thought, ‘Well, we have to go to Ajhl for you.’”
They eventually learned the truth and began making inquiries in Alberta. Zack Dailey was invited to try out for a bantam team (ages 13 and 14) in Leduc, which is just south of Edmonton. Zack Dailey made the team and the family packed its bags.
“(Hockey) was definitely the reason for the move,” John Dailey said. “I got a job as a cattle breeder on a NAFTA work permit, even though my job is as a bush pilot. I kept my hand in with my federal job, which is being a bush pilot for the census, and went back enough to keep current.”
For Zack Dailey, it was a culture shock, moving to another country at that age.
“It was a lot different,” Zack Dailey said. “I was a shy kid, so moving to another country where I didn’t know anybody was very tough. But the people I met there were great, they were real welcoming and they made me feel right away I was part of the team.”
And the move exposed Zack Dailey to a larger and more competitive hockey world. He spent his first season of bantam in Leduc, then switched to the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park for his second season. That second bantam season, Zack Dailey led his league in scoring and he was drafted by Everett in the third round of the 2004 bantam draft.
“I think (the move) is the reason I’m where I am now,” Zack Dailey said. “Obviously in Alaska, the coaches helped me, too, but once I got to Edmonton my game really progressed.”
The Daileys remained in Sherwood Park one more year for Zack Dailey’s first year of midget hockey. The following season Dailey made the Tips as a 16-year-old and the Daileys returned to Alaska.
Zack Dailey has since become a fan favorite in Everett for his play as a defensive forward. At 5-foot-6, he’s usually the smallest player on the ice yet plays with aplomb, showing little regard for his smaller stature.
Last season, he was named Everett’s captain, but the Tips suffered through a difficult season, going 27-36-7-2 and exiting quickly from the playoffs. It was a harsh lesson in leadership.
“I’ve tried to watch what other captains did, but everyone has a different style of what kind of person they are,” Zack Dailey said. “I learned you don’t try to be someone you’re not. You don’t try to be vocal if you’re not. I’m more of a leader by example, so I just need to go on the ice and make sure I do the little things right so it’s an example for everyone else. Before I was trying to be vocal and maybe wasn’t saying the right thing. This year, I’ve really just let my game do the talking.”
That seems to have done the trick. Not only did Everett have a better season, but Zack Dailey was given the team’s Coaches Award for his ability to utilize instruction.
“He’s done everything we’ve ever asked him to,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said. “He’s a good teammate, likes to have fun with his teammates, but at the same time I think he knows when it’s time to be serious and focus in. I think that’s a good captain. I think the younger players respect him, see him as a guy who competes. For a smaller player, he pays a big price.”
Once the playoffs conclude, the next leg of Zack Dailey’s hockey journey may take him back to Alberta. He’s considering playing collegiately in Canada for either the University of Alberta, which is in Edmonton, or the University of Calgary.
Just one more possible direction change in Zack Dailey’s hockey journey.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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