University of Minnesota Athletics
Smooth As Ice: Junior Forward Troy Riddle
11/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Ever watch Riddle skate? The guy is like liquid gold. For hockey's sake, let's call him frozen gold. He's virtually unstoppable, executing strong, pure movements down the ice. He blazed into the season this year as the team's top returning scorer, notching 16 goals and 31 assists last year, and already this season, he's leading the team in goals (12) and points (19).
There isn't a whole lot to Troy Riddle that isn't smooth. He glides over the board with ease, saunters out of the locker room, speaks with confidence and plenty of eye contact. Quite possibly the only thing not-so-smooth about the junior forward is the fact that his favorite television show is Walker, Texas Ranger.
But it just goes to show that Riddle covers all the angles. His playing style is self-described as "a little bit of everything." From shots on goal to cumulative points to smart penalties, Troy proves that he can get the job done on all lines of the ice sheet.
"What I would like opponents to say about me is, 'he blocks shots, he hits people, he scores goals, he wins faceoffs, he's good on defense,'" Riddle said. "That's where I'm working toward, where I would like to be. I'd like to be more of a complete player."
On the path to becoming this complete player, Riddle seems to be taking the right strides. During the off-season, he skated at camp in Brainerd, Minn. for four weeks with fellow national college players. Representatives from solid teams such as Colorado College, Boston College and St. Cloud State joined Riddle and the boys skating twice a day and working out in 90-degree weather.
Riddle also spent a good deal of time at Acceleration Minnesota, skating on the treadmill. In fact, he has spent so much time there that his trainer, Jason, started asking about Riddle's older sister Sarah. Now the two are married.
Riddle's determination to become a top all-around player has impressed even the most discriminating of critics-including his close friend and linemate, forward Matt Koalska.
"As a hardworking guy, Troy gets his nose dirty and he's got your back at all times. The guys look to him for leadership and try to get him the puck," Koalska said. "He's fast and skates well, so we get him cutting down the right side of the ice, using his speed to go around the net and make things happen. The more we get him the puck and the faster he is going, the more likely we will score goals."
But given the chance, Koalska can't help but give Riddzy, as his teammates call him, a hard time. As roommates, along with Grant Potulny and Jerrid Reinholz, they're rarely serious with each other and if one guy is getting a hard time, the others have to put their two cents in.
"For the first two years, and a few times this year, we would be doing drills in practice and Riddzy would just screw them up," Koalska said. "He could be in the third or fourth line doing the drill, but he would still mess up the line. So we call him the drill wrecker."
Admittedly, not as smooth. But you can be sure he messed up the drills with style and grace. That's the Troy Riddle technique.
Come performance time, however, you rarely see Riddle miss a beat. He's one of the Gophers' biggest players, with one of the smallest physiques. At 5'10" and 175 pounds, he's a veritable little guy by hockey standards. So how does Riddle keep up with-and pass-the big boys, make his mark and leave the competition stunned in his icy wake?
"Not being a big guy, you've obviously got to make up for it in other ways," Riddle said. "You had better bring something to the plate out there that's going to make you effective, like speed or skills, or you aren't going to be playing at this level very long."
And just in case there are any skeptics on another team who have somehow missed the last two years of his explosive playing, Riddle knows how to deliver his message.
"When you've got a lot of guys who look at a smaller player on the ice and think he isn't going to do anything, that's when you go at them as hard as you can, try to catch them off-guard," Riddle said. "That's what I like to do."
Yes, Riddle is one valuable asset to the team. He's one of the guys the team looks to for leadership, and it's a role Riddle takes on willingly.
"I like to get the guys going by a big hit or going out really hard for one shift, giving everything I've got and hitting three guys in one shift, getting some great shots off and hearing the boys hollering on the bench a little bit," Riddle said. "That's the way hockey is, swings of momentum. When things are happening, I try to keep it going, and if we're down then I try to change things and get back our energy."
Knowing that there is no better way for the guys to act like a team than to feel like a team, Riddle uses his leadership to get the guys together off the ice whenever they can. Whether it's Thursday night movies or just hanging out together, Troy said he feels that quality time spent together really improves team chemistry and cohesiveness. It is no coincidence that the 2002 NCAA Championship team was composed of strong friendships.
"There is more to life than hockey and school. But that is the part that really eats everybody up all year long-you really don't get time for anything else," Riddle said. "So we try to get the boys together on a more personal level because, after all, you know the guys for two, three, four years, so you are best off to get to know them as people and not just teammates. That's why the camaraderie is so strong in college hockey."
Even when Riddle actually takes some time off, he spends it with his teammates. This summer, he headed up north a few times with teammates Nick Anthony, Jon Waibel and Reinholz to his parents' new place outside of Brainerd, or to Waibel's hometown of Baudette for hunting and fishing. Otherwise, Riddle likes to golf. But regardless of what he's doing, friends say he's always fully concentrating on it.
"He's zoned in on everything. A lot of times, he can't hear anything that anyone else is saying because he is so zoned in," Koalska said. "Even when he is watching television, we'll have to say something four or five times. But that also means he's zoned in on the ice too. He's always focused, always in the game and nowhere else."
Apparently, it's something his parents taught him, because his brother Jake is much the same way. A year-and-a-half younger than Troy (making Jake 19 and Troy 21), they grew up playing hockey together. When Troy left for the USHL after his junior year of high school to play for the Des Moines Buccaneers and later be named the USHL Rookie of the Year, Jake left for the NAHL, an under-17 league.
Although the Riddle brothers never got to compete against each other, they played in the same summer leagues with some of Troy's current teammates. Jake was recently traded from the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds to the Tri-City Americans and was also drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the eighth round last year.
"He could have easily gone to pretty much any college he wanted to, but that wasn't necessarily his priority," Riddle said. "Plus he's big-he grew to 6'1, 205 pounds. He's definitely a fighter."
If Jake's the fighter of the family, then Troy is his refined complement-the smooth operator. If the Gophers were bread, Troy would be their butter. But even though most of that polished manner is most likely natural, Riddle isn't about to take it for granted.
"You can't just go halfway," Riddle said. "You've got to be doing something constantly out there to prove yourself."
But Riddle does it seamlessly. He does it with grace rarely found in such a rough sport-it's making maximum performance look like minimal effort. That's more than grace. That's smooth. That's Troy Riddle.
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Kimberly Jackson Troy Riddle-now there is a guy who draws fans to arenas. He's that kind athlete people want to see play. From the seats at Mariucci, it's Riddle's name you hear yelled most often, whether the fans want to see a tidy wrist shot fire into the net or know who they have to energize to get the power play hot. So what's the lure? What is it that the only Minneapolis native on the team oozes to attract the ladies-and the guys-to come watch hockey? In a word, Troy Riddle is smooth.
Ever watch Riddle skate? The guy is like liquid gold. For hockey's sake, let's call him frozen gold. He's virtually unstoppable, executing strong, pure movements down the ice. He blazed into the season this year as the team's top returning scorer, notching 16 goals and 31 assists last year, and already this season, he's leading the team in goals (12) and points (19).
There isn't a whole lot to Troy Riddle that isn't smooth. He glides over the board with ease, saunters out of the locker room, speaks with confidence and plenty of eye contact. Quite possibly the only thing not-so-smooth about the junior forward is the fact that his favorite television show is Walker, Texas Ranger.
But it just goes to show that Riddle covers all the angles. His playing style is self-described as "a little bit of everything." From shots on goal to cumulative points to smart penalties, Troy proves that he can get the job done on all lines of the ice sheet.
"What I would like opponents to say about me is, 'he blocks shots, he hits people, he scores goals, he wins faceoffs, he's good on defense,'" Riddle said. "That's where I'm working toward, where I would like to be. I'd like to be more of a complete player."
On the path to becoming this complete player, Riddle seems to be taking the right strides. During the off-season, he skated at camp in Brainerd, Minn. for four weeks with fellow national college players. Representatives from solid teams such as Colorado College, Boston College and St. Cloud State joined Riddle and the boys skating twice a day and working out in 90-degree weather.
Riddle also spent a good deal of time at Acceleration Minnesota, skating on the treadmill. In fact, he has spent so much time there that his trainer, Jason, started asking about Riddle's older sister Sarah. Now the two are married.
Riddle's determination to become a top all-around player has impressed even the most discriminating of critics-including his close friend and linemate, forward Matt Koalska.
"As a hardworking guy, Troy gets his nose dirty and he's got your back at all times. The guys look to him for leadership and try to get him the puck," Koalska said. "He's fast and skates well, so we get him cutting down the right side of the ice, using his speed to go around the net and make things happen. The more we get him the puck and the faster he is going, the more likely we will score goals."
But given the chance, Koalska can't help but give Riddzy, as his teammates call him, a hard time. As roommates, along with Grant Potulny and Jerrid Reinholz, they're rarely serious with each other and if one guy is getting a hard time, the others have to put their two cents in.
"For the first two years, and a few times this year, we would be doing drills in practice and Riddzy would just screw them up," Koalska said. "He could be in the third or fourth line doing the drill, but he would still mess up the line. So we call him the drill wrecker."
Admittedly, not as smooth. But you can be sure he messed up the drills with style and grace. That's the Troy Riddle technique.
Come performance time, however, you rarely see Riddle miss a beat. He's one of the Gophers' biggest players, with one of the smallest physiques. At 5'10" and 175 pounds, he's a veritable little guy by hockey standards. So how does Riddle keep up with-and pass-the big boys, make his mark and leave the competition stunned in his icy wake?
"Not being a big guy, you've obviously got to make up for it in other ways," Riddle said. "You had better bring something to the plate out there that's going to make you effective, like speed or skills, or you aren't going to be playing at this level very long."
And just in case there are any skeptics on another team who have somehow missed the last two years of his explosive playing, Riddle knows how to deliver his message.
"When you've got a lot of guys who look at a smaller player on the ice and think he isn't going to do anything, that's when you go at them as hard as you can, try to catch them off-guard," Riddle said. "That's what I like to do."
Yes, Riddle is one valuable asset to the team. He's one of the guys the team looks to for leadership, and it's a role Riddle takes on willingly.
"I like to get the guys going by a big hit or going out really hard for one shift, giving everything I've got and hitting three guys in one shift, getting some great shots off and hearing the boys hollering on the bench a little bit," Riddle said. "That's the way hockey is, swings of momentum. When things are happening, I try to keep it going, and if we're down then I try to change things and get back our energy."
Knowing that there is no better way for the guys to act like a team than to feel like a team, Riddle uses his leadership to get the guys together off the ice whenever they can. Whether it's Thursday night movies or just hanging out together, Troy said he feels that quality time spent together really improves team chemistry and cohesiveness. It is no coincidence that the 2002 NCAA Championship team was composed of strong friendships.
"There is more to life than hockey and school. But that is the part that really eats everybody up all year long-you really don't get time for anything else," Riddle said. "So we try to get the boys together on a more personal level because, after all, you know the guys for two, three, four years, so you are best off to get to know them as people and not just teammates. That's why the camaraderie is so strong in college hockey."
Even when Riddle actually takes some time off, he spends it with his teammates. This summer, he headed up north a few times with teammates Nick Anthony, Jon Waibel and Reinholz to his parents' new place outside of Brainerd, or to Waibel's hometown of Baudette for hunting and fishing. Otherwise, Riddle likes to golf. But regardless of what he's doing, friends say he's always fully concentrating on it.
"He's zoned in on everything. A lot of times, he can't hear anything that anyone else is saying because he is so zoned in," Koalska said. "Even when he is watching television, we'll have to say something four or five times. But that also means he's zoned in on the ice too. He's always focused, always in the game and nowhere else."
Apparently, it's something his parents taught him, because his brother Jake is much the same way. A year-and-a-half younger than Troy (making Jake 19 and Troy 21), they grew up playing hockey together. When Troy left for the USHL after his junior year of high school to play for the Des Moines Buccaneers and later be named the USHL Rookie of the Year, Jake left for the NAHL, an under-17 league.
Although the Riddle brothers never got to compete against each other, they played in the same summer leagues with some of Troy's current teammates. Jake was recently traded from the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds to the Tri-City Americans and was also drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the eighth round last year.
"He could have easily gone to pretty much any college he wanted to, but that wasn't necessarily his priority," Riddle said. "Plus he's big-he grew to 6'1, 205 pounds. He's definitely a fighter."
If Jake's the fighter of the family, then Troy is his refined complement-the smooth operator. If the Gophers were bread, Troy would be their butter. But even though most of that polished manner is most likely natural, Riddle isn't about to take it for granted.
"You can't just go halfway," Riddle said. "You've got to be doing something constantly out there to prove yourself."
But Riddle does it seamlessly. He does it with grace rarely found in such a rough sport-it's making maximum performance look like minimal effort. That's more than grace. That's smooth. That's Troy Riddle.
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Kimberly Jackson
