Determination, skill led Darwitz to Hockey Hall, former coach says

Merlin Ravndalen was a longtime hockey coach in Minnesota at the youth, high school and collegiate level, and has known Natalie Darwitz since elementary school.

Darwitz was a high school phenom before joining the United States national program and then playing with the University of Minnesota. She played in the Olympics three times, winning two silver medals and a bronze medal, and at the IIHF Women's World Championship eight times, winning three gold medals and five silver medals.

Here, in a special testimonial for NHL.com, Ravndalen shares his thoughts on Darwitz, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Players category Nov. 11.

My history and friendship with Natalie goes back to 1991 when she was 8 years old. She was a student in my physical education classes at Northview Elementary in Eagan, Minnesota.

I first met Natalie when she was in third grade and can share with you some pretty remarkable things about her as an athlete. Even at an early age you could sense that she was destined for greatness because of her athletic ability, tenacity and the willingness to improve.

As her teacher it was easy to observe that she was competitive and out in front of both girls and boys with the will to succeed and have fun at the same time. Simply put, she displayed athleticism, grit and the desire to win at a young age. These are the ingredients that any coach welcomes on the rink, field or court.

Natalie was achieving athletic accomplishments as an elementary-aged student and not just in hockey. One example that I distinctly remember was when she would help me teach my juggling unit by doing demos and routines with balls, machetes, and fire with ease. She was a member of the school juggling club as a first grader and was featured in the spotlight ring at the Shrine Circus in St. Paul. These experiences really gave her an early taste of what it was like to be in a high-pressure environment and handle it very well.

During Natalie's youth hockey years, she spent countless hours on outdoor ice rinks, playing street hockey and training on indoor ice. This demonstrated her passion and love for the game. She played boys hockey until the seventh grade and then made the jump to girls hockey. I was fortunate to coach her in eighth, ninth and 10th grade at Eagan High School. She achieved individual statistics and team accomplishments at the high school level that made an astonishing impact on Minnesota girls hockey.

I think the most accurate way to describe Natalie on the ice was that she was one of the purest and fastest skaters I've ever watched. Her first three steps won her many puck battles and she got to point A or B on the rink quickly and established separation from the opposition.

There are many trailblazers in all of women's sports. Natalie was certainly one of the pioneers here in Minnesota for girls hockey. Hockey fans of all ages were enamored with her and came to watch this speedy goal scorer with her signature blonde ponytail hanging outside of her helmet. We would have capacity crowds at the rink, especially in our high school rivalry games. The human-interest story grew at a rapid pace with Natalie because of her skill set as well as her ability to skate and shoot the puck.

As a young high school player there were college scouts, newspaper reporters, TV interviews, player of the year awards, and multiple athlete-of-the-week awards for her. Yet through all of this attention, she never let it distract her from the game. And of course, there also were the game plans from opposing coaches trying to defend against her and to slow her game. Natalie owned all those moments and never wavered from our team goals or the will to improve.

Natalie led by example in high school and was very quiet. She wasn't loud in the locker room or very verbal. In fact, I always encouraged her to say more. Her peers voted her captain when she was a sophomore because she earned it. She had a quiet determination that said, "Climb on my back and I'll take you where we want to go, but I'm not going to stand up and yell in the locker room." However, Natalie also was a player who would make a great pass and be the first to celebrate the successes of her teammates.

As a coach it's a blessing to have your best player also be the hardest worker both on and off the ice. I knew the skill set she possessed and also that she would execute on the coaching and teaching moments she received from our high school staff. Natalie's work ethic was one where she would never take a shortcut and cheat the team or herself. She dedicated herself to the team first and then her individual goals. She committed herself to the ice, dry land training, the weight room and the mental aspect of the game to become a complete player. If she had a setback through injury or defeat, she would reset, learn from the experience and come back better than before. I will say without reservation that I was a much better coach when Natalie was on the ice.

Natalie played high school hockey from 1996-2000 and split time with United States nations teams during those years. Her last full season at the prep level was in 1999-2000. After a decorated high school career, we retired her No. 20 jersey on Dec. 19, 2000, when she was on Christmas break from the U.S. national team. Usually you don't retire somebody's jersey until they do something extraordinary over a long period of time or have passed away. However, we retired her jersey the year after she finished her high school career because we knew she was on a path for greatness. The rink was packed that night and longtime Minnesota hockey writer John Gilbert was the MC for the ceremony. It was a night to remember.

During her junior year of high school Natalie joined the U.S. national team full time. She trained two years for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and also went to school online during this time. It was a natural progression for her career, especially when asked to represent your country. She was ready for it and was one of the top scorers as the youngest player in the tournament.

She was playing women's hockey at the highest level, and it was incredible as her former coach to be part of that journey. What an accomplishment to make Team USA, participate in the Olympics as a high school age player, and be one of the top players in the tournament. Natalie would go on to play at the Olympics twice more, in 2006 and 2010, and captain the at the 2010 Games. She played in many World Championships and several Four Nations Cups as well.

Natalie balanced her time with the U.S. national team with her career at the University of Minnesota from 2002-2005, winning the NCAA championship twice. Gophers hockey games were exciting to watch and inspiring to all ages, including young girls. Those in attendance were on the edge of their seats for many hockey moments. Natalie's brand of hockey was growing as fast as the girl's game was evolving and improving.

Natalie’s father, Scott, called me in June when it was announced that she would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We reminisced about her hockey journey and of her days in youth, high school, college, Team USA, and the Hall of Fame honors. In 2018, I was very fortunate to have been able to attend her U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction in Nashville and also accepted her IIHF Hall of Fame 2024 award on her behalf in Prague, Czech Republic. However, know that these highest hockey accolades never are the reasons why Natalie played the game. She never looked for the spotlight, it just happened to find her, and she played for the pure love of the game.

To know that Natalie now will be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto is sometimes hard to believe. It is difficult finding words to describe her achievements. What an incredible honor for a well-deserving woman. I also know that Natalie shares her hockey journey success with her parents, Scott and Nancy, the rest of their Darwitz family, and will truly enjoy this moment with her sons, Joseph and Zack.

Congratulations to Natalie and all those in the class of 2024, you are all extraordinary, and have accomplished above and beyond in this great game we love.

Always in your corner Natalie ... Coach R.