Get to know Emilee Dries, Sheldon Dries' wife, in our third Better Halves spotlight of the season. Emilee shares her story of growing up in Michigan, being a mom, traveling the country with Sheldon, being a former student athlete at WMU and her future career plans. 

Give us your backstory. Where you’re from, childhood, hobbies, etc.

So, Sheldon and I are both Michiganders, which makes being here in Grand Rapids extra special. Playing hockey in the home state is something I wish everyone could get to experience. So yeah, from Michigan, I grew up in a teeny tiny village of Holly on the east side of the state. I grew up in a pretty traditional family. My dad was a small business owner, distributing specialty foods and spices, and my mom was home with my siblings and I. I have a sister who's 14 months older. So, we were like twins, super close, and then I have a little brother who's five years younger. We all kind of had our hobbies. I was a competitive gymnast, which probably seems irrelevant now, but was a huge, huge part of my upbringing. I was at the gym, I think 30 hours a week at some point. It's a very intense sport and was a huge part of me, and it still is, I feel like. That took me to Western Michigan. My sister actually got accepted to their dance program and then I was recruited a year later to do gymnastics there. So, with it being only two hours from home in Kalamazoo and my sister already being there, it was kind of an easy transition. That is where I met Sheldon as well. My siblings and I, once we flew the coop, we really flew the coop, my poor mom. My sister settled in Alberta, Canada. She's raising two under two and rocking that. Then my brother is super artsy and creative and he's out in LA starting his own advertising agency. So, we try to stay super close and tight as much as we can, but do it from a long distance, which is kind of challenging sometimes, but we do a good job of seeing each other on holidays and as much as we can.

You went to Western Michigan University and were part of its gymnastics team. Can you talk about that experience? 

Yeah, that was amazing. I was pretty injury prone. So, when I committed, I actually totally blew out my elbow and had Tommy John surgery. So, that was a year-long recovery and was kind of a long process. But with that being said, I met some of my best friends there, I met Sheldon there. I wouldn't change the opportunity, even though it didn't exactly go as planned. But I feel like that was kind of my gymnastics experience, all along. I had the mindset and the drive, but my body didn't hold up all the time. I think that taught me a lot about life and just facing adversity, and I was always called the comeback kid. So, yes I would have loved to competed more at Western, but still super special and proud to have gotten to that level. Vault and bars were kind of my specialty, but the uneven bars was my main, main event. 

You’ve been with Sheldon since 2014 and have been part of his whole pro career. What do you remember most about your early days together in college? 

Yeah, we're kind of a funny story, because I mentioned my sister is 14 months older and went to Western and she brought a hockey boy back home to Holly. So, when I went in as a freshman, my sister was dating a hockey player. All of the other gymnasts were kind of fangirling over the hockey team and I literally was like, ‘nope, my sister's already there. I can't do it.’ But our dorms were co-ed. So, the gymnasts and hockey players were together. So, he was literally right above me. There was genuinely nothing [between us] freshman year and then the summer after freshman year, there's not really a lot of people on campus and it's mostly athletes. So, we hung out with the hockey guys a lot and honestly [we] just met at a party and the rest was history. It was a very easy, like meant-to-be relationship. We met once and honestly spent 0every day since together. I think a huge part of that was being both from Michigan, we were able to meet each other's families really quickly. Our families are very similar, both have three siblings and raised up doing sports and just super similar family values. So, I think that's why we worked and clicked so quickly. My sister was the complete opposite, but her husband was from Alberta. We didn't meet his family until they got married in Hawaii. So, completely different situations. [Sheldon] was the captain for three years at Western and was kind of like the sheriff on campus. Very serious, that probably doesn't surprise you guys. I think I was a good balance for that. He was the serious one, and I was like, ‘come on, let's have fun, relax, life is good’. Yeah, we had a great time and had lots of special memories [at WMU]. We actually just went back for the first time like a month ago. We went back and watched a hockey game. It was our first time going back together. That was really fun and got to talk to the coaches and everything.

Can you talk about the ups and downs of professional hockey from your point of view?

Yeah, for sure. I feel like it's such a niche lifestyle. A lot of people don't understand it, but it's so nice to have the girls around, especially when it's a close group. I think it's kind of a unique opportunity because you're just kind of popped in to a city. You're in this bubble a little bit. So, it gives you the chance to really focus on yourself and kind of learn about yourself. You find maybe what you want to do, what you don't want to do. So for me, career wise, it really gave me the opportunity to find, first, what I didn't want to do, but then from there, go back to school and kind of figure out what I did want to do before kids. I think you just have to take the opportunity as it presents itself to learn about yourself because you are in this bubble sometimes. 

How special is it to see Remy interact with Sheldon during warmups? Also, how much of a relationship does she have with the other kids on the team? 

Yeah, so fun. Again, I think kind of a unique opportunity because we are popped in the city, we're home, but we're not seeing people every day. So, I think being a stay-at-home mom in hockey life, I'm probably the closest that I ever could be to my daughter, which is so special. So, our first year out of college, we went to Austin, Texas with the Stars. There actually were like 10 kids on the team and we got to see super early in his career what a family might look like in hockey life. He's told me he's dreamt of that day ever since he saw that his first year. So, that's been so special. I clearly remember the first time [Remy] knew what was happening. She was so little when we first came last season, only five months old. So, toward the very end of the season, she would kind of look at him and you could just see her light up seeing him behind the helmet and all the gear. I'm like, ‘oh my gosh, she knows who that is. Like the big scary guy behind the helmet, she knows who it is.’ Now this season, such a huge difference. They grow so much from, you know, an infant to one and two. So now, it’s ‘dada hockey’ and knucks on the glass. Everyone gets knucks everywhere and anywhere now. Yeah, so just so special. I know that's something he looked forward to for a super long time.

Yeah, she loves [playing with the other kids]. It's so fun. She steals their mini sticks every time we go in the family room. So, I had to get some Detroit mini sticks and now she brings her own. But they're a little bit older. So, I feel like that relationship is kind of just now forming. But it is so nice. We've been on teams, like I said, in Texas where there are 10-plus kids and then other teams where there are no kids at all. So, to have just kind of that mutual understanding with other moms on the team is so helpful. I think we all know like, ‘okay, we're going a little stir crazy, let's get together’. Or like, ‘okay, this lifestyle is kind of challenging, we all need our space and need a break, too’. But we try to get the kids involved with all the extra events that we do. So it’s really fun, really special.

Through a Google search, I saw that you are a maternal mental health coach. Can you talk about your career? What does that entail? Was that what you wanted to do coming out of college? 

Gosh, the career path's kind of crazy. I switched my degree like a million times in school. I ended up graduating with a marketing degree, and worked in sales for a minute. It was pretty hard at that time to find anything from home. A family friend was able to get me a sales job in Austin, and I was selling electronic lockboxes, not very fun. So that's why I say it taught me what I didn't want to do. Sales wasn't it. So, when we went to Colorado, I decided to go part-time and I did the internship with Make-A-Wish, which was awesome. That got me in the direction of I know I want to help people and I want to be hands on helping people, not necessarily on the business side. So, from there, I decided I wanted to go back to school. I got a master's in health psychology and kind of paired that with the health coaching certification. It's a kind of a newer industry, and it's hard to find something specifically health coaching. So, the mental health coaching, that's where that came from and started to work with postpartum moms. Honestly, that was really interesting because I was pregnant at the time. I feel like before you're pregnant and have your own, you don't really know what postpartum entails. So, it gave me just such a new perspective on the challenges of postpartum in that 4th trimester. It's just so much pressure on mom. Mom's doing most of, you know, everything for the newborn. I think that it just made me realize like ‘it's okay that it's hard and it will be hard’. Maybe people don't expect that going in, but to expect that was probably better for me because Remy ended up being a pretty challenging newborn. I think just opening my eyes to the, you know, not so glamorous part of motherhood and postpartum was really helpful. I try to not scare people about it, but just normalize the fact that it is such a challenge, both physically and mentally. I'm actually doing this gut health program now and just diving deeper into my own hormones and my gut health postpartum and how everything shifts. So, very interested in that field and maybe one day I'll get back into that after my own kids are in school and resettled one day. 

It looks like you guys like to travel a lot. What has been some of your favorite experiences? 

So, my sister ended up marrying Sheldon's teammate from Western and they lived overseas for like 5 years. So, I got to go see her, which was awesome. It was my first time going there. She was my little travel guide, which was great. I feel like once I did that, I was like, ‘oh, this isn't that hard’. So, then my family went to Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Then Sheldon and I did an Italian trip ourselves. That was just really important just before kids. We wanted to get the travel bug out a little while we could. Yeah, so far, I'd say Italy's our favorite place and hope to go back.

Sheldon went undrafted but has become a very reliable professional and has enjoyed a long career up to this point. Did you ever foresee him playing pro for this long? He has had a couple of seasons of playing majority in the NHL. How different were those years for you? 

In college, people thought that he would just maybe go play overseas and that was his expectation. So, he obviously surpassed that. [He’s] genuinely one of the hardest working guys I know. I feel like he was a bit of an underdog, but just with his work ethic and personality, I think that led him a lot further than just going overseas. I had really no idea about pro hockey or where it would end up. I remember when he signed with Texas, I was like, ‘what are we going to do? Like, what do I do? I need to use my degree. I need to do something.’ He's like, ‘what do you mean? You're going to come with me.’ I had no idea where it would lead and his first NHL game was my first NHL game. So, that was a really cool memory. Actually, we got engaged a couple days before [his NHL debut]. So, that's maybe one of our favorite hockey weeks ever was getting engaged and then he made the opening night roster for the Avalanche. So, that was awesome.

[Sheldon’s] done so much up and down, and he did the first year just in the AHL and then did some up and down and then got his chance. So, it's like he got a little taste and then really wanted [the NHL]. Once he got it, I feel like he was just kind of grateful to be there, especially the season with Vancouver because it was like he was actually on the team. I think that was maybe shocking to him, but he just kind of took it and rode with it and tried to relax a little bit. The up and down can be more of a challenge mentally because you want it so badly. So, once you're finally there, I think he learned to just relax a little bit. Now because he's done it, I think he has over 100 games, he's like, ‘okay, like I did it. I surpassed everyone's expectations.’ I think he's just kind of proud to have done it. I think he's just kind of content with where he's at. He'd love to play a game for the Wings just because it's his home team. But yeah, I think he's just proud of having those games and that year in the NHL. 

What are some of your favorite things to do by yourself and with Remy while Sheldon is on the road? 

Like I said, I’m kind of a health nut. So, I feel like I'm always looking at the new fad or doing some research, whether it's for Remy or myself. I am super lucky to have a lot of college friends here, or a handful at least. Just last night we went to Donkey and got to do a mom's night out, which is nice. It can be a little bit overwhelming trying to balance the home life, the hockey life, and friends. I have kind of it all going on, but the pros outweigh the cons for sure. So anyways, I get to see them a lot, which is nice. My best friend is only 10 minutes north and has an in-home Pilates studio, so I love to do that with her. Just recently, I got back into strength training. I feel like college kind of wore me out on that. I didn't do it for a long time and now I'm like, ‘oh, I like this again.’ Sheldon and I both are kind of homebodies. So, we spend a lot of time at home, just making it cozy and hanging out. But with Remy, especially the holidays, trying to do all the different things, the light shows and going to see Santa. Hearing her say Santa now is awesome. We did the market and we like the children's museum and the library. Grand Rapids is the best place ever to raise a kid. So, lots of different things.

What are you most excited about for your future?

I think if we could ever get to a point where we feel a little bit more settled, that would be nice. Like I said, Sheldon would love to coach, hopefully at the collegiate level, which I feel like is a little bit less pressure than pro. Maybe you will stay there for more than a year or two. I also think I look forward to when our family is complete. I think that's a really cool phase in life. We can focus on instilling values and not just grow and have babies and be in that busy baby phase. So yeah, being somewhat settled, and him kind of finding where he fits in the hockey world post playing. I'd like to go back to work and focus on me again one day when I can as well. 

We saw a video of you guys at the Jonas Brothers concert with Sheldon trying to sing along to songs he didn’t know. Do you guys enjoy going to concerts together or was he dragged to this one?  

Oh my gosh, he was very much dragged. This is actually my third show in this tour, which is psycho, but I've been obsessed with them since I was literally 12 years old. My sister, my best friend and I are fangirls. So, I was like, ‘they're up the street, we have to go.’ So honestly, I thought he was going to hook me up with backstage passes or something, but he came through with some tickets. So, that was great. I think he tried to hide how much he enjoyed that. There was some genuine enjoyment on his face, and he knew way more words than I thought. There's maybe a Jonas Brother friendship in our future. I don't know. We'll see.

Any fun facts about Sheldon that you could share with us?

Yeah, I think that you kind of know what you're going to get with Sheldon. He's pretty straightforward, kind of serious. But I mean, that's not to say he doesn't loosen up. Of course, give him a beer and he'll have a great time. But because of that personality, he's so good at everything that he does, which can be annoying for me sometimes. However, I can wake surf longer than him without the rope. So, I will have everyone know that. I need to take my wins where I can. But no, I think you know what to expect of him and that pays off for him. He's all in every aspect whether it's being a dad or a hockey player or taking care of the house or the boat, like he's all in and you kind of know what you're going to get from both of us.