Meet your fellow Colorado Hockey Now subscriber: Doug Heinzer

The latest in a series of mini-biographies on Colorado Hockey Now subscribers. Interested in me writing yours too? Subscribe and then send me an email detailing your life history in a few paragraphs and attach a photo, to adater@comcast.net

DOUG HEINZER (@doug_heinzer)

By Adrian Dater

Doug Heinzer is such a big hockey fan that, well, he bought a hockey team.

Well, Doug is part of the ownership group, at least, of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. A former president of Phillips 66 Canada, Doug went on to form Pro Sports Ventures, LLC, and Heinzer Holdings, LLC.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Doug worked his way up in the oil and gas industry to a career that not only included being the president of the largest exporter of Canadian crude in the world, but had a five-year stop in Denver, from 1996-2001.

Not a bad time to live in Denver and become a big hockey fan, in other words.

Doug takes it from here:

“I’d lived briefly in Calgary so was exposed to hockey then (way back in ‘87), then moved to Denver right after the Avs won their first cup. I was there for the second cup and went to a lot of games from 96 through 2001.  My kids started playing hockey and we all became die-hard hockey/Avs fans.  I eventually started playing beer league after my company transferred me to TX.  I later moved to Calgary and all my Flames fans friends know I bleed Avalanche from my Avs cuff links to my dog’s Avs sweater to staying up until midnight/1 AM to watch every Avs game on ET zone (now that I live in SC).”

Doug owns or has interests in many other businesses, including a chain of fitness studios called Ilovekickboxing.com. For more on Doug, check out his personal website.

Thank you Doug, for being a part of the Colorado Hockey Now family.

TAKE FIVE (QUESTIONS)

1 What’s the best, most memorable Christmas present you ever got as a kid? Has to be the Schwinn stingray bicycle that was British racing green.  It was as close as I was going to get as a 12-year-old to owning a fast sports car.

2. One of my recurring dreams is where I’m somehow walking around naked in front of a big group of otherwise clothed people. Apparently, this is a fairly common recurring dream. Do you have this one too? If not, do you have a recurring dream?   I haven’t had that one for a long time but often I dream that I am traveling and frantically trying to make a connection I am late for.  This probably says something about the pace of my lifestyle.

3. Do you have a favorite podcast? My favorite right now is “12-6” hosted by Collin McHugh, who is a pitcher for the Houston Astros.  I believe It is named “12-6” for the phrase used to describe a breaking ball that drops straight down, versus one having lateral movement. As for other podcasts, I listen to numerous hockey and music related ones as well as general podcasts like Freakonomics Radio, Planet Money and Stuff You Should Know.  In the near future, I hope to start a podcast for the Swamp Rabbits.

4. One of my sayings is “money is only something you need if you don’t die tomorrow”, from the movie “Wall Street.” What’s one of your favorite sayings? As someone that, regardless of what age I am at the time, has continually tried new things, I like to remind people (and myself) that “It is never too late to do something you are passionate about.” I blogged about this on my website.

5. I’ve had surgeries on my lower back and ankle. Have you had any surgeries on a body part? 
A few years ago I was maxing out on decline bench press and the bar rolled back to my neck and I couldn’t breathe. Long story short, I passed out but likely seconds before I “went to the other side”, a couple of guys thankfully lifted the bar off me. Before blacking out though, I tore both rotator cuffs, labrum and fractured a shoulder as I was fighting to get out from under the weights.  So I’ve had two successful shoulder surgeries and consider myself extremely lucky to be alive and healthy.