MN Skating Coach Instructs Stanley Cup Finals Star

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Zach Parise, captain of the New Jersey Devils and playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, has a fan in Minnesota.

It's his offseason skating coach – Diane Ness.

Parise is one of her prize pupils.

"He has such a competitive spirit that it raises my adrenaline," she said. "And it's so awesome to have a player who wants to get better."

She trains Parise and some of his teammates in the summer, and has been for four years.

That's what makes the Stanley Cup Finals difficult for her. She knows the players all too well.

"That's what breaks my heart," she said. "The position they're in right now, and the work they've put in -- you want them to succeed."