Ice Dawg Hoyer Laces Up Skates Again

"Hockey fans aren't like other fans." That was the tagline for a series of commercials from several years back. What the commercials did not say, and did not have to, was that hockey fans are different because hockey players are different. Notorious for their toughness and passion, hockey players are known for playing through, despite injuries. From getting stitches on the bench without anesthesia to hockey blades slicing carotid arteries and jugular veins, hockey players return to the ice to play the game they love, time and time again.

Michael Hoyer knows that toughness and passion. The 15-year-old Glasgow Ice Dawg, who plays on the high school team, suffered an accident in late December that threatened to cut his young hockey career short. Though his accident was not hockey-related, it was his love of the game that helped bring him back to the ice in a remarkably short period of time and it is driving his recovery.

Hoyer and long-time friend and fellow Ice Dawg Tatum Hansen headed out over the winter school break, on Dec. 28, for some coyote hunting. Hoyer opened his door, had a brief moment where he thought "it was unsafe," before his rifle caught on his jeans and went off. "I got out and didn't know where it went at first," he said. The shot had hit his right foot.

Luckily, 14-year-old Hansen applied a tourniquet to Hoyer's leg, using his belt, before driving Hoyer to a location where the ambulance would be able to pick him up to get him to the hospital. Hoyer was flown to Billings where his foot ended up being amputated. He was released from the hospital there on Jan. 8.

Less than a month later, Hoyer was back on the ice and participating in the game he loves. "There's just something different about hockey, from the other sports," he told the Courier, his eyes expressing what his words could not capture, but what players and fans alike know. "Other sports are important, but hockey is the most important."

Hoyer's first public appearance on the ice was Feb. 7, when his team hit the ice alongside the Mites players, in a mentoring role where players eight and under skated alongside the high schoolers. He told the Courier, "It felt good to get back out there. That's all I really wanted to do."

Since then, not much has slowed him down. His fitting for a prosthesis was a couple of weeks ago, but it is not done yet. To get back on the ice, Hoyer "wore an ankle brace and laced up good." Finding a solution that works for him, he played in the Ice Dawgs' games in Helena Feb. 15 and 16, "but only, like, one shift." Sunday night the Dawgs played against the Ice Hawks where Hoyer "played a few shifts in Havre."

His return to the ice has not been easy though and Hoyer has made a few changes as he adjusts. "I was a defenseman before this, but since then I've been playing wing," he said. "It's not as physical, not so much skating backwards. Skating backwards is still difficult." The new winger also played the last two games of the season at the Valley Event Center and says of the state tournament this weekend, "I will be there."

Prior to the accident, Hoyer also participated in track and field, and football. "I'll do track, try to do a lot more field events, but I don't think I'll do it this year, but next year," he said about his plans for other sports. "And football. There's lots of time to get ready."

"Hockey is the most important one though," he reiterated. "I like it so much more than the other sports." Hoyer expressed gratitude for his teammates and coaches who have all been "really good and super nice" about working with him on his return to the ice.

Looking forward to next season, Hoyer is excited about Hansen playing on the high school team where he "will be my teammate next year and the remaining three years I'm on the team." The two were really good friends before hockey and have seen their friendship grow because of the game, both playing a role in last year's Bantam Championship win. Hoyer, who has been playing hockey for about 10 years now, also said he is looking forward to, "Getting back to the level I was at before this happened. That's what I want to do."

He also sees his experience as a lesson for others and a motivation to younger hockey players. He warns other hunters, "Always be sure, don't assume" to prevent an accident like his.

For younger players, Hoyer demonstrates his love for hockey. In fact, it was after the first day of the Mites Jamboree on Feb. 29 at the Valley Event Center where he was helping with refereeing the 8U and 6U games, that he sat down with the Courier to talk about his experiences. Though he walks with a marked limp yet, on the ice he looks at home, whether in his hockey sweater or in zebra stripes.

To those future Ice Dawgs, and to all kids, Hoyer imparts what he has learned, "No matter what happens, if you really love something, you'll find a way to keep doing it." Hoyer has found his way, embodying why hockey is the coolest game on earth.