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Canwest News Service
If you're known by the company you keep, then Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene have a leg up on their fellow wide-eyed and impressionable rookies.
The Colorado Avalanche centres — the first pair of 18-year-olds to debut for one team since Shane Doan and Jason Doig started the 1995-96 season with the Winnipeg Jets — are being housed by Darcy Tucker and Adam Foote respectively to fast-track into the fast-paced world of professional hockey.
However, for O'Reilly, the foundation for adapting to the work world was laid well before he became the 33rd selection in the 2009 NHL entry draft.
In his first 14 years, O'Reilly was raised in a household that opened its doors to terrified and troubled youth.
His parents are counsellors and volunteered with the Children's Aid Society of Ontario and became foster parents.
It wasn't unusual to have as many as eight kids — Ryan, his older brother, two sisters and four foster children — interacting under one roof.
Talk about having to grow up in a hurry.
"It's probably the best thing to ever happen to me and I'm just so fortunate that my parents did that," recalled the well-spoken O'Reilly, who's already being touted as a future Avalanche captain.
"People come from situations where their parents don't love them and they have had really tough childhoods.
"A lot of them were really troubled — in and out of Juvy [Juvenile Detention] — and depending on how they behaved, some we had to kick out. And some were really good and went back to their parents.
"One of the hardest things is to live and get along with people you don't even know," said O'Reilly. "It's leadership in a way because you have to be an example and I had to learn to control myself when I'd play hockey with them." O'Reilly thought he might be ticketed for more OHL seasoning after 66 points last season with the Erie Otters.
But the rebuilding Avalanche clearly needed a new direction under rookie general manager Greg Sherman and coach Joe Sacco after finishing last in the Western Conference.
Gone were the retired Joe Sakic and the departed Ryan Smyth and Ian Laperriere. Enter O'Reilly and Duchene and seven other new faces.
"I kind of surprised myself," said O'Reilly, who was third in rookie scoring after 24 games with 17 points (4-13) and first with a plus-11 rating.
"I didn't know what to expect in camp and in the back of my mind, I wanted to make the team, but I thought I'd be back in junior. But I got some lucky breaks.
"I still can't quite believe I'm here right now and going on the ice against the Sedins and shooting against Luongo. It's amazing. I never thought this would have happened." Part of making it all happen is soaking up the experience under the watchful eye of Tucker.
The irritating winger is either loathed or loved for his edgy play, but he has three Memorial Cup rings and former Kamloops Blazers coach Don Hay — who currently coaches the Vancouver Giants — called Tucker the best player he ever coached.
"He's been in every situation," said O'Reilly. "We [rookies] don't really know what it's all about and every day we give it everything we have. Just being around him, you pick up so many things." At 34,Tucker knows his career is winding down, but admits the adrenaline rush he receives from the enthusiastic O'Reilly and Duchene is like being injected with a vitamin B-12 shot.
"When you come in at 18, I don't think you really realize a lot of things and sometimes that's good as a young guy," said Tucker. "You just go out there and play the game and don't worry about the other stuff. You just have fun with it." For Duchene, the fun started on draft day. As an Avalanche admirer, who long idolized Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Sakic, the third-overall pick in June didn't mask his joy at being claimed by Colorado. He almost became a goalie because of his adoration for Roy and was determined to crack the roster on his first try.
"I expected it of myself to make the team," said Duchene, who had 10 points (3-7) after 24 outings.
"And it's cool to have a guy like Ryan on your team because we've played on under-17 and under-18 [national] teams together and we can learn from each other and that's been awesome." As much as rookies are supposed to keep their eyes and ears open and their mouths shut, Duchene has found that hard to do. He's not wired that way. He had six points in his first 10 games after amassing 79 last season with the Brampton Battalion.
"I'm a guy who's pretty outgoing on the ice and I have a ton of fun at the rink," he said. "I can see how I can give off some good energy and that's part of my game. That's when I'm playing my best." And when he's not — and a seven-game pointless streak is part of the learning curve — he can lean on Foote for how to manage the NHL marathon season.
"He's an amazing guy and his family is awesome," said Duchene. "It's good to get perspective like this because it's hard to take care of yourself at 18 because you've never lived on your own before. It's good to have somebody show you how to be a pro." bkuzma@theprovince.com
