Demanding…but never demeaning.It’s a style that has served Danny Flynn VERY well during a remarkable 40-year coaching career. And it’s a style that stems from an unbridled, lifelong passion for the game of hockey. “It’s been a love of mine for as long as I can remember,” says Flynn. “I grew up in North Dartmouth, just a couple of blocks from the old Dartmouth Rink, and I was there all the time. I was on the ice whenever I could be, and when I wasn’t, I was trying to figure out how to get back on as soon as possible!” The hours he put in paid off for Danny Flynn, and he enjoyed a superb run as a player. He excelled for both Dalhousie and St. FX in the AUS, and then starred in senior leagues in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It was while a member of the “Grand Falls Cataracts” that his post-playing career began to take shape. “My coach in Grand Falls was a guy named Joe Byrne. He was also the Technical Director for Newfoundland Amateur Hockey,” recalls Flynn. “He needed an assistant and offered me a part- time contract. I did that for three years, and learned a lot about the administrative and coaching side of the game.”

 It was around this time that Sport Nova Scotia was looking for a Hockey Development Coordinator. Flynn applied, got the job, moved home and held the position for six years. In this role, he was in charge of player, coaching, and officiating development in the province. He co-wrote the National Coaches Certification Manuals that were used for the next 20 years in the province. And on top of all of this, in his spare time, he coached… and coached… and coached. He led a Bantam AA team that featured Darren Beals and a young Cam Russell. He guided the Dartmouth High Spartans to a provincial high school title in 1983 (the school hasn’t won another since). And he coached Team Nova Scotia at the Canada Games. Just like that, he had found his calling and, just as importantly, his style.“I never liked playing for coaches that screamed and yelled,” recalls Flynn. “They never got the best out of me, so I never wanted to be that guy. I never tried to embarrass kids. I always wanted to treat them with respect and instill the importance of discipline and drive. You’re a person a lot longer than you’re a hockey player, and I’ve always kept that front of mind.

“Playing is the best, but coaching is a pretty close second. You know, I went to school to become a teacher and I’m lucky, because I still wound up working with kids. Only the classroom for me has always been a 200-by-85-foot sheet of ice.” Flynn has taught in “classrooms” in every league and in most every corner of the country. He’s had enormous success at every level: 

• Ontario Hockey League (three-time league champion and the 1993 Memorial Cup as Assistant Coach and Assistant GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
• Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (three-time league champion…Head Coach of the Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs)
• 1992 World Under-18 Championship Gold Medal (Team Canada Assistant Coach)
• 1994 World Junior Hockey Championship Gold Medal (Team Canada Assistant Coach)
• 1996 Spengler Cup Gold Medal (Team Canada Head Coach)
• National Hockey League (Assistant Coach for the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres).

Memorably, Flynn also led the St. Francis Xavier University Men’s Hockey team to three national finals in four years, capping the run with the school’s first and, to date, only national title in 2004. The captain of that team was Patrick Grandmaitre. “The amount of effort that he put into the program from day one, turning things around and building a perennial contender, was remarkable,” say Grandmaitre. “It wasn’t just a one and done kind of thing, we were there every year. It’s great validation for all of us but especially for the architect behind all of it.”

Twenty years later, Grandmaitre still marvels at his former coach’s knowledge and approach.“He was the perfect mix of all that a coach needs to be,” recalls Grandmaitre. “He was incredible on the hockey side, way ahead of his time in creating tactics and making adjustments on the fly. And on the personal side, you could talk to him, you could go to him and ask him questions. If you had any worries or concerns, Danny would do his best to help you.” Such a sentiment would be music to the ears of Danny Flynn, who still lives and breathes the game of hockey, and has always been driven by one goal. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is positively impact young players,” says Flynn. “To be honest, I enjoyed junior hockey much more than the NHL, because I was able to shape players and programs. It’s been a great life in hockey, more than I could have ever imagined. And I hope the finish line is still a good distance away!”

***Danny Flynn is currently an amateur scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He remains the only Nova Scotia-born coach to have won a World Junior Championship, Memorial Cup and CIS National Championship. To date, he has developed and coached over 150 players who have gone on to play and coach in the NHL.***