GENE'S BLOG: Big man on campus

It was an interesting moment when I walked onto the campus of the University of Alberta and into Clare Drake Arena this week. It brought back many memories. Some more recent like when every September the Edmonton Oilers rookies would play the Golden Bears in what often turned into a highly entertaining night on the ice. I really miss those games.
It also spun me back into the 1980s when I applied and was accepted at the U of A or when I used to read the sports on CJSR radio. I remember applying for the Bears hockey play-by-play gig on radio. I never got the job and I never ended up going to university. Well, sort of, as I did spend time on campus meeting up with buddies and might have gone to the odd university function at Lister Hall. The memories came flooding back, but likely no comparison to what Derek Ryan was experiencing.

He walked onto a campus and into a school that is as rich in success as any other in university sports. Before I mention men's hockey, let's not forget about the Pandas, who have won eight national championships since women's hockey became a nationally sanctioned sport in 1997. The men's program began the same year the school was established in 1908. The first rink on campus was built in 1927.
Along the way, they also built a program of excellence on the ice. The Golden Bears have won 16 University Cup titles -- the most of any school -- and a staggering 55 conference championships. The Oilers centreman played a role in the school's success during his first tour of duty in Edmonton.
Ryan showed up in Alberta's capital city wanting to hit the books and the ice all in one place. He was able to do both successfully. As the fall of 2007 arrived, so did the lanky American hockey player who wasn't too far from home but chose Canada as the place to chase his hockey dream. It's where he continued to learn the game at a high level and proceeded to match it with his play and production.

As a first-year Bear, he scored 11 goals. As a senior, he finished with 17 in 28 games. His seasonal point totals shot up from 25 to start his university career to 47 by the time it was over. He was named an all-Canadian and won both conference and national titles while also getting an education.
However, he still needed to learn more about hockey and so he traveled to Austria and spent three seasons there, followed by one year in Sweden, leading his first NHL deal with Carolina.
From Carolina, he ended up in Calgary, and after three seasons with the Flames, he made the three-hour drive north to join the Oilers this past off-season. He has given Edmonton depth, experience and steady play up the middle.
The game of hockey has taken Derek Ryan all around the world. This week, it took him to the University of Alberta and back to school.