Mr.Wendland, or Wendy as his students call him, is a science teacher here at Tahoma High School. He teachers IPC and Biology and is planning to teach Marine Bio next year. He is known for his fun and relatable personality and his ability to bond with students. But, most people don’t see beyond the teacher side of him. What about his past? What was his life like before he became a teacher?
Mr.Wendland, believe it or not, used to play hockey growing up. Mr.Wendland played for “16 years” before quitting because of “problems with his knees”. Mr.Wendland is very passionate about hockey and still watches hockey to this day.
Growing up in California, Mr.Wendlands favorite NHL team was “the LA Kings”. In fact, Mr.Wendland was such a huge fan that he had season seats. “I had LA Kings season tickets until I moved up here”. Mr.Wendland also says that his favorite team is the LA Kings of the NHL and that his favorite player is Drew Doughty, a member of the LA Kings. Defenseman Drew Doughty, was selected 2nd overall by the LA Kings when he got drafted and is now an Alternate Captain for the team. Doughty is the first defenseman in Kings history to reach 600 points and has played over 1,100 NHL games in his career. Doughty is a powerful skater and has an extremely effective shutdown presence on the ice.
Doughty has had an extremely successful career in the NHL, one that Mr.Wendland loves to follow. Doughty made his NHL debut at the age of 18, “becoming the second youngest defenseman in franchise history”. At the age of 20, Doughty “became the second-youngest finalist (behind Bobby Orr) for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman”. Doughty also took home a gold medal from the 2008 World Junior Championships competing for Team Canada.
Growing up, Mr.Wendland’s favorite hockey player was Ziggy Palffy. Palffy played in the NHL for 12 seasons playing for 3 different teams. Palffy was drafted by the New York Islanders and played with them from 1993-1999. He was then traded to the LA Kings, Mr.Wendland’s favorite team, where he played there for 5 seasons before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he finished his NHL career. Over his 12 season career, Palffy played a total of 684 games and scored 329 goals.
Mr.Wendland is still an avid fan of the LA Kings of the NHL. Although he no longer has season tickets back in LA, he still supports the team by watching here in Washington. You wouldn’t think that teachers have an interesting or surprising background but, Mr.Wendland’s is surprising beyond belief.
