Three DU Hockey Alums Return To Magness Tonight.
It's why Antti Laaksonen, Mark Rycroft and Paul Stastny are so excited about the Burgundy and White exhibition tonight, the Avalanche's annual charity event at the University of Denver's Magness Arena.
It's a homecoming game for the three former Pioneers.
Laaksonen, 32, spent four years at DU, graduated in 1997 with a degree in international business and signed with the Boston Bruins, who selected him 191st overall in the 1997 NHL entry draft.
Rycroft, 28, left in 2000 after his junior year to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues.
Stastny, 20, left this summer, after his sophomore year, to sign with the Avalanche, which made him a second-round pick (44th overall) in 2005.
Laaksonen and Rycroft will suit up for the Burgundy team, Stastny for the White squad.
DU's George Gwozdecky, who coached all three, will be watching with a great deal of pride.
"It's three guys who never played with each other and are from three different eras," Gwozdecky said. "I think it's real special. One of the things we've tried to do since we got here is tie in the past with the present and the future."
Laaksonen, a speedy left wing, didn't play at Magness Arena while in college. The building opened three years after he left, but he makes Denver his home and skates there with returning DU players every summer.
Recruited by Frank Serratore, who now coaches at the Air Force Academy, Laaksonen played under Gwozdecky for three years and said leaving his native Finland for the school was one of the best decisions he ever has made.
"I'm really glad I did it," Laaksonen said Sunday after training camp sessions at the South Suburban Family Sports Center. "I met my wife there my first year, and in May we'll be married nine years. Going to DU really helped my hockey career, because it's hard to get noticed in Finland. We made the NCAAs twice and I got noticed. It's probably the only reason I got drafted."
Laaksonen recorded 75 goals and 72 assists in 154 games at DU. He spent his first six NHL seasons with Boston and Minnesota and signed with the Avalanche in 2004.
Rycroft, a grinding center and right wing, signed with the Avalanche in July. He plays a style similar to that of Dan Hinote, who left Colorado in June to hook up with Rycroft's former team in St. Louis.
The British Columbia native collected 51 goals and 52 assists in 117 games at DU but wasn't drafted and gave up his senior year when the Blues came calling.
"I have some fond memories of playing at DU," Rycroft said. "My last year was the first year of the new arena, so I'm looking forward to going back and reliving some memories. DU was the first school interested in me. I flew down there, saw the city and the campus, and it turned out to be a great place to be."
Rycroft earned a degree in real estate/construction management three years after turning pro and said he stays in touch with as many former Pioneers teammates as possible.
Stastny, a playmaking center and the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, totaled 36 goals and 62 assists in 81 games at DU and was a member of the Pioneers' 2004-05 national championship team.
"I'm excited about this game. It's going to be awesome," he said. "It was an honor to play there, and I'm thankful for all the help I got. I owe them a lot."
"Gwozdecky has turned out plenty of NHL players but takes as much interest in those who have gone on to other fields. He sends progress reports of his current teams to former players on a weekly basis during the season.
"The guys call back and stay in touch quite a bit, and that's always real special," he said. "They follow the program."
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