Finding the Connection between the Armed Forces and Hockey

When you’ve spent the majority of your early years as a military brat, it’s difficult to keep some of the important things in your life. Constantly moving and changing schools can be quite stressful. But for Dan Whelan, there’s an easy way to escape the stress, forget about life’s worries for a few hours and keep doing something he loves.

Hockey has helped Whelan ease his mind when he needs a break from reality. For a hockey player, stepping onto the ice is a liberating experience, whether to participate in an actual competition or skate around the arena making smooth turns. But what happens when the ice turns choppy and the surface is no longer a clean sheet? For those whose fulltime job isn’t hockey, its back to teaching, serving food, laboring or, in Whelan’s case, serving his country.

Whelan was born in Fairfax, Va. and is currently part of the 137th Space Warning Squadron (SWS) based in Greeley, Colorado. Growing up, he attended many Air Force hockey games with his father and the more he watched the more he became interested in the sport. Whelan first learned to skate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and has been playing since he was five years old. Now 19, Whelan appreciates hockey more than when he was younger.

“Back then, I didn’t have many things to worry about so hockey was just a fun thing to do. Now hockey is a way of getting out, helping ease my mind off things that I don’t want to worry about,” Whelan said. “It’s also a good work out so it keeps me fit; something I would have never thought about when I was younger.”

For Whelan, the Air Force provides a secure financial source that allows him to play as much as he has time for. In Fort Collins, where Whelan moved in 2005, he skates about five hours per week, playing in drop in games and other men’s leagues part of the Fort Collins Adult Hockey Association (FCAHA). While playing in these games, Whelan has noticed a connection between the Air Force and hockey.

“They both [Air Force and hockey] require a lot of dedication and commitment. When you put in the dedication and see the results, it’s very rewarding both on the ice and off,” Whelan said.

One of the bigger rewards to Whelan has been the chance of playing all over the country. By traveling and playing hockey, the doors to other sports, such as lacrosse, have opened through friends on his hockey team before he lived in Colorado.

“I’ll always appreciate what the Air Force has done for me, especially in terms of hockey. It [hockey] is something I love and I’ll keep playing as long as my job permits.”