Dallas Eakins

Dallas Eakins
Eakins at the 2013 AHL All Star Game
Born	(1967-02-27) February 27, 1967 (age 49) Dade City, Florida, USA
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Winnipeg Jets Florida Panthers St. Louis Blues Phoenix Coyotes New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs New York Islanders Calgary Flames
NHL Draft	208th overall, 1985 Washington Capitals
Playing career	1988–2004

Dallas Franklin Eakins (born Dallas Yoder on February 27, 1967) is a retired American-Canadian ice hockey defenceman.

He is the head coach of the San Diego Gulls, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. He previously served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

Eakins' mother, Carol Ploof, was a native of Macon, Georgia. His birth father was a Native American, Ted Yoder, whom Eakins believes was "Cherokee". Both parents split up shortly after his birth. Ploof later married Jim Eakins, a Canadian long-distance truck driver, and Dallas subsequently adopted his stepfather's last name.

In October, 1974, Eakins' family relocated to Peterborough, Ontario.

Eakins played 4 seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Peterborough Petes, being named the captain in his final year and also the team's best defenseman that season. Jeff Twohey who was with the Petes for 3 decades called him the best captain the team ever had, saying "He was a great leader. He was a hard worker, loyal, tough, and never afraid to confront people. He knew how to keep players in line."

Eakins was drafted 208th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 120 career NHL games, scoring no goals and 9 assists for 9 points, thus becoming the second Floridian to play in the NHL, but the first to ever record a point. Eakins is also the first native of Florida to play for the Florida Panthers, having played for the club on two separate stints. However, the majority of Eakins career was played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL). In those two leagues, Eakins played 882 games, scoring 43 goals and 179 assists for 222 points, whilst playing for 10 different teams. Eakins also won a Calder Cup and a Turner Cup as a member of the Chicago Wolves.