Quick Recovery

Weisbrod had a concussion and only missed one week of action. But Vukonich had been worried. He knew that for Weisbrod, like for himself, not being able to play hockey would be devastating.

"Hockey is the focal point of my life," says Vukonich, who is hoping for a pro career with the Los Angeles Kings, who hold his rights. "It's all hockey, hockey, hockey."

Practice with hockey players, live with hockey players, eat with hockey players. Hockey, hockey, hockey.

"I grew up in Duluth, and I always wanted to be a [University of Minnesota-Duluth] Bulldog," Vukonich says. "In our town everything was UMD hockey. But as I grew older, I realized I wanted to go away a little bit."

Away, at first was not across the country. It was across the state, to Minneapolis, home of Stauber and the University of Minnesota.

If he wasn't going to be a Bulldog, Vukonich wanted to be a Golden Gopher. The ECAC? Hockey East? Are those leagues? He didn't even know what Eastern teams belonged to what divisions. Hockey was the WCHA and nothing else.

But even Vukonich had heard of Harvard. And eventually he decided to make the big move--to the East and the land of indoor hockey rinks.

Minnesota Coach Doug Woog approached Vukonich after a hockey game one day in the spring of his senior year, when the acceptance letter to Harvard was already in the mail.

"We really took it to Harvard," said Woog, whose Goldem Gophers had defeated the crimson in the NCAA finals that year. "They're wimps."

Vukonich knew Woog was joking But still, he couldn't help thinking, "Someday...someday, we'll beat you down the road."

Woog and Stauber better get ready. Someday just might be someday soon.