In addition to his role on the 1956 Olympic team, Dan McKinnon represented the United States at the 1955 and 1958 World Championships. McKinnon was a star in high school in Williams, Minnesota, near hockey-mad Warroad. After serving in the US Navy during World War II, where he was stationed on Guam, he played collegiate hockey at the University of North Dakota, which he attended from 1947 through 1950, making second-team All-American as a defenseman in 1950.
McKinnon was inducted into the UND Sports Hall of Fame in 1982. He later had a brief minor league professional hockey career in San Bernadino, California, and also played semi-pro hockey with the Warroad Lakers. His hockey career ended in 1958 when he blew off part of one hand when a rifle went off by accident while he was deer hunting.
United States