Off the Ice: Charlie Coyle

This article appears in the March issue of Wild Magazine.
Welcome to Off the Ice, where we sit down with Wild players to learn more about their lives away from the rink. This month, we caught up with Charlie Coyle to discuss Boston, alternative career paths and his grandmother Mary Kelly.

Wild.com: As a native of the Boston area, what are some of your favorite things to do in the city, and what do you like most about your hometown?
Charlie Coyle: I like to go in the city, because I live about a half an hour outside of it, and that's where I grew up, and that's where I live now when I go back in the summer. So I like to check out the city and different spots. I play as much golf as I can with my buddies and my dad. I like to go to country concerts in the summer, either at Gillette Stadium where the Pats play or Fenway Park, just around the area. I like to get as many as I can in with my buddies and have a good time there.

W: In your down time away from the rink, what are some of your favorite activities? Do you have any hobbies?
CC: Most of the time, I just relax and hang out at home, or do some type of chore, something you've gotta do around the house that you've been putting off for an off day. I go and see a movie sometimes if there's a good one out, and we'll catch that.
W: What's your favorite part about living in Minnesota?
CC: The people are nice. I love living downtown. It's easy to get around; it's not as busy as Boston. It's easy to get around, people are nice, and everyone loves their hockey. It's pretty cool to play in a place like this.
W: Your grandma was recently in town for her first few Wild games. What has her support meant to you growing up, and how big a role has your family played in your journey to the NHL?
CC: It's been huge. I've been really lucky, just knowing I have people back there who are watching every game. I get a text from so many people out there every game, good luck texts, and it's pretty cool to know that you have that support. Like I said, I'm pretty fortunate. It was really nice to finally get my nana out here and for her to actually take in a game. What she was looking forward to most was to go outside the Xcel [Energy Center] and to walk in with everyone else. That was her favorite thing to look forward to. She got to do that; [they] dropped her off right in front and she got to walk in with everyone and just be a normal fan here, so that was pretty cool.

W: If you weren't a professional athlete, what career do you think you'd be doing instead?
CC: That's a tough one. To be honest, I never thought of doing anything else; I don't know what I would do. There was no back-up plan. I want to do this my whole life. This was it, and I went for it.
W: Tell us a bit about your charity work and some of the causes you support.
CC: United Heroes League, Humor to Fight the Tumor, Autism Speaks, Gillette Children's. Those four right there are definitely big. I don't like to just go for one; there are a bunch of good causes out there and foundations that help a lot of people, so I like to be a part of a couple different ones and try to help out as much as I can. It helps when you know someone in a certain situation that may be affected. That really kind of hits close to you, so you want to help out in any way you can and try to make a difference, even if it's small. Every little bit counts. You go to events and you see how it affects people. Little donations or just giving your time helps so much, and that's the satisfaction you get. It's to try to help people and their families and help people live a good life.