SUNRISE, Fla. -- Growing up as a child in Florida, Dallas Eakins never planned on making Sunshine State history.
In a state that produces countless Floridians for professional football and baseball, it is the Dade City native who ranks highly among the small monopoly when it comes to hockey.
"That's where I was born. It's a part of me," said Eakins, who is in his first year coaching the Edmonton Oilers. "I always look at it like I've kind of lived two lives. I was going one way when we lived (in Florida) and ended up with a totally different life."
The Eakins family moved from central Florida to Peterborough, Ontario, in October 1974. Prior to that, hockey played no part in his life.
"I dodged snakes, water moccasins. I had a mini bike," he said. "It was a hillbilly lifestyle, that's what it was."
But when the family arrived in Canada, the 7-year-old had to find ways to make friends. He picked up a stick and played ball hockey with the neighborhood kids. As Eakins put it, he "learned to figure it out."
A couple months later when the terrain froze over, that's when skating lessons began.
"When I got on the ice, I knew firmly, I was way behind," he said.
Eakins figured it out over the next 10 years, well enough to the point he became a regular with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. The Washington Capitals drafted Eakins with the 208th pick in 1985. Two years later, he served as captain for the Petes.
Although Eakins spent the majority of his professional career -- 882 games -- at the minor league level, he would receive a call up at least once a year during the 1990s.
"He's been through a lot in the game," Edmonton's Sam Gagner. "I think just the perseverance that he's shown getting to this level is something we can draw inspiration from."
On Feb. 23, 1993, Eakins, playing for the Winnipeg Jets, became the first Floridian to register a point in an NHL game. This past June, he became the league's first head coach born in the Sunshine State.
He doesn't hold the honor of being the first Floridian to play in the NHL, though. That goes to Ocala-born Valmore James, who suited up for the Buffalo Sabres in 1981-82.
Eakins and James aside, only three other Floridians have made it to the NHL: Dan Hinote, Blake Geoffrion and Corey Tropp.
Of the seven franchises he skated for, Eakins logged a third of his 120 NHL games with the Florida Panthers.
"I swung through here twice as a player," Eakins said. "I spent the first eight years of my life near Tampa. Lots of connections to the state and the (Panthers) organization."
It is a time, while short, that sticks in his memory firmly.
"We didn't have great teams, but boy, the teams were together," said Eakins of his time with the Panthers. "We checked really well. We take great, great pride in that. And being able to play for my second father, Roger Neilson, was special as well."
Eakins only appeared in one game with the inaugural year Cats, but skated with them in 17 contests during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. He cited learning a lot from the defensve-minded Neilson, Florida's first head coach.
"Roger was a tireless worker," Eakins said. "He used to sleep at the rink. A lot of times it would be too late for him to go home so he would stay overnight. His passion for the game, the way he communicated with players and his incredible work ethic were things that really rubbed off on me."
Neilson became known as an innovator of the game because he would study video replays of games to learn about teams' players and system. The former coach was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2002.
If Neilson's desire to impact the game also influenced on Eakins, it may be in the realm of nutrition. As a coach, Eakins has been proactive in making sure Oilers players are consuming a healthy diet at and away from the rink.
"I think it's taking care of your body," Ryan Smyth said. "Away from the rink is just as important as when you're on the ice. When you do those type of things, it enhances performance. He is a guy that is a big believer in that."
After stops in St. Louis, Winnipeg, Phoenix and New York, Eakins returned to Florida for the 1997-98 season.
Ironically, one of Eakins' future players -- a pre-teen Gagner -- would be watching from the stands at the Miami Arena. Dave Gagner, Sam's father, also played for the Panthers that season.
"It's interesting with the expansion of the NHL in these markets," Eakins said. "It's only natural that players are going to start coming from here. That's encouraging to see."
Few know better than the ones who blaze the path.
Follow Erin Brown on Twitter @rinkside.
