Where are they now: White Bear Lake hockey star David Tanabe
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. (BVM) — David Tanabe had to end his hockey career early due to a severe concussion back in 2008, but since then, he has been a coach, become a lawyer, and has even written for a magazine.
Tanabe played for the perennial powerhouse Hill-Murray High School. During his time at Hill-Murray he helped the team finish fourth at state in 1997. However, Tanabe did not finish his high school career at Hill-Murray, he spent his senior year playing for the National Team Development Program in Michigan.
Following his time in Michigan he then played one season at the University of Wisconsin before being drafted in the first round by Carolina Hurricanes with the 16th pick in the 1999 NHL Draft.
After one season in the IHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones he was called up to play for the Panthers. Tanabe played four seasons with the Hurricanes, even making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 before going to the Phoenix Coyotes.
Tanabe played for one season with the Coyotes then two seasons in Switzerland prior to returning to Phoenix. He had a brief stint with the Boston Bruins and then finished his career right where it started in Carolina.
A concussion ended his career early, but Tanabe never truly left the sport. He worked with the National Team Development Program that he once played for, and wrote articles for the Minnesota Hockey Magazine. Tanabe has also gotten his law degree and has become a lawyer in Minnesota.
