As a longtime NHL D-man and current assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mike Van Ryn has dealt with all kinds of pressures to produce. One way he coped with those pressures was to go out and be an avid fisherman.
Oct. 1, 2006As an NHL defenseman and now an assistant coach at the NHL level with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mike Van Ryn has made a name for himself in hockey’s best league.
In this feature story from The Hockey News’ special “All Access Pass” magazine (Oct. 1. 2006), writer Brian Biggane profiled Van Ryn – and specifically, his love of fishing.
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Van Ryn spent the early part of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues, but in the summer of 2006, he was traded to the Florida Panthers. One thing that never changed for him was his love of the outdoors and fishing, in particular. That affection was part of his life from his earliest days growing up in London, Ont.
“My family has owned a fishing camp up in Ontario that’s passed through the generations,” Van Ryn told Biggane. “I used to spend my summers up there; I’ve been around it all my life. Every chance I get I go up and fish.”
Florida’s ample wildlife and ideal hunting weather made the Panthers a perfect fit for Van Ryn, who played until the 2008-09 season before retiring and moving into the coaching business. The serenity and zen of fishing was the ideal anecdote when it came to keeping the pressure of being an NHLer to a minimum.
“That’s where I like to take my friends to fish because you keep busy all day,” he said of Florida’s swampy waters. “(Y)ou can catch a lot of fish down our way that go three, four, five pounds and occasionally even a six- or seven-pounder. They’re great fish to catch and you can catch a lot. When I’m doing that, everything else kind of disappears from my mind.”
BASS-KICKING TIME FOR CATS’ VAN RYN
Oct. 1, 2006
By Brian Biggane
When he signed a four-year contract with the Florida Panthers during the summer, defenseman Mike Van Ryn said there’s nowhere else he would rather be than South Florida.
The reason? His love for bass fishing and proximity to the Everglades.
“My family has owned a fishing camp up in Ontario that’s passed through the generations,” said Van Ryn, a native of London, Ont. “I used to spend my summers up there; I’ve been around it all my life. Every chance I get I go up and fish.”
Van Ryn used the signing bonus from his first contract to buy a pickup truck and a bass boat. In the Everglades – a huge marshy swamp – a boat is a necessity, so a couple of years ago, he purchased a Triton boat with a 150 horsepower Mercury engine.
“My boat up north is 20 feet, but this one had to be 18 and a half or I wouldn’t have been able to fit it in my garage,” Van Ryn said. “Even as it is, it only fits diagonally.”
Rules in Van Ryn’s development forbid parking boats in front driveways, though he is allowed to leave his trusty truck there.
“It’s the first Triton I’ve ever had,” he said, “and I really enjoy it. I use it every chance I get.”
Van Ryn will occasionally join his teammates for a round of golf on an off-day during the balmy Florida winter, but he said for quiet and relaxation, there’s nothing like a few hours out in the middle of nowhere.
“Friends come down and you take them out there,” he said. “You’ve got the birds, the flats, sawgrass, gators…”
No, he hasn’t seen a Florida panther yet, though the endangered species is native to the area. He hasn’t seen a python yet either and hopes that good luck continues.
“My biggest worry is if something getting into the boat,” he said, “because it’s not like there’s anywhere else I can go.”
Living in the western Broward community of Davie, he’s got three boat ramps within half an hour of his house, including one on U.S. 27 – only 15 minutes away.
“That’s where I like to take my friends to fish because you keep busy all day,” he said. “Guys who don’t fish that much like that. You can get 100-plus a day if everything’s perfect, catching them on artificial lures.
“It’s tough to catch the real big ones there, though. If I want a trophy, I’ll head up to (Lake) Okeechobee or Stick Marsh.”
Lake Okeechobee – home to many popular bass-fishing tournaments – is just north of the Everglades, while Stick Marsh is a 6,500-acre reservoir west of Vero Beach.
“Even so, you can catch a lot of fish down our way that go three, four, five pounds and occasionally even a six- or seven-pounder. They’re great fish to catch and you can catch a lot.
“When I’m doing that, everything else kind of disappears from my mind.”
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