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Posted Jan. 10, 2002
Jake, Troy Riddle take different paths toward NHL dreams
By Annie Fowler
Herald staff writer
Fifteen years ago, Jake and Troy Riddle didn't want their mom to read them a bedtime story.
They wanted a good-night skate.
"We had a pond down the block at Waite Park in Northeast Minneapolis and my husband (Mark) would get them out in the day and skate, and they wouldn't go to bed at night until I took them skating," said Mary Riddle, who said her two boys were skating before they were 5 years old.
The Riddle brothers have come a long way since their moonlight skates with their mother, and their passion for being on the ice took them both to the game of hockey.
Jake, 19, is a forward with the Tri-City Americans, having been acquired from Seattle on Halloween. Troy, 21, is a junior forward for the University of Minnesota - the defending NCAA champion.
"Jake and Troy are opposites, but they are very close," Mary Riddle said. "Jake knew he was a different type of player - more physical because of his size, and he really isn't the school type. I was hesitant to let him go (to the Western Hockey League). I would rather have had him do the college thing. But when Jake has his mind set on something, he is very determined."
Jake (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and Troy (5-10, 175) last played together in 1999 when they led Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota Class A state championship. At the time, Troy was a junior and Jake a sophomore, and they both were named to the all-tournament team.
"Jake has always been in Troy's shadow, but he never complained about it," Mary said. "I think he enjoyed it and he encouraged Troy. When Jake was named to the all-tournament team, I think Troy was celebrating more because Jake finally got the recognition he deserved."
Troy was the leading scorer in the state that season (54 goals, 99 points), and Jake could have been right there with his brother had it not been for a broken ankle he suffered just before Christmas that required three screws, which are still in his ankle.
"My ankle gives me problems once in a while, but it isn't because of the screws," Jake said.
Jake also had knee surgery last summer and has a scar on his chin from a high stick in Saskatoon his first year in the league.
After winning the state title, Jake was named to the U.S. Developmental team and headed for Ann Arbor, Mich. Troy went to play for the Des Moines (Iowa) Buccaneers of the USHL his senior year of high school and was highly sought after by many major colleges.
And while Troy chose to attend Minnesota, Jake headed out West.
"It was a big decision, but I think I made the right one," said Jake, who got a lot of letters and visits from the Minnesota coaches. "I do miss playing with Troy. He was my center for two years in high school. There were a lot of Riddle-to-Riddle goals when we were playing together."
There are times when Troy wishes Jake would have joined him in college, but he knows that his little brother wouldn't be enjoying the game as much.
"I think in the end, school has been more of a priority for me than him," said Troy, who is majoring in speech communication. "It would have been nice to play out there with him, but it just wasn't his thing."
But Jake gets his share of college hockey when he goes home. The Riddle brothers share a townhouse with a couple of other Minnesota players.
"He played with some of the guys in the USA program and knew them before I did," Troy said. "It's funny when he comes home. We'll all get ready to go out and we throw on sweats and he's got to get all jelled up. (The WHL players) are like girls in the bathroom. I have to bring him back to Earth."
Jake went to Seattle in 2000 and over the course of two seasons had 29 goals and 35 assists. When her youngest son was traded to Tri-Cities, Mary was disappointed.
"It's part of the game, but I hated to see it happen," Mary said. "He had a wonderful host family in Seattle, but (in the WHL) you put the playing first, so it was a good move."
The move was a good one for Jake and Tri-Cities. He has 11 goals and 10 assists in 22 games since arriving in Kennewick.
"We played Tri-City three times before I got traded and they always gave us a run," Jake said. "They were a good team. In Seattle, I got ice time, but I wasn't playing special teams, my role was getting slim and my future was dim. I felt I didn't belong.
"I was excited to come here and see if we (former Seattle teammate Trevor Johnson, who arrived in Kennewick one week before Riddle) could help turn the team around. We've taken a lot of pride in being able to turn things around, but it's not just us. It's everyone."
Americans coach Shaun Clouston said Jake has been a positive influence on the team.
"The one thing we've enjoyed about Jake from the start is he comes to the rink with a smile on his face," Clouston said. "He's got a positive attitude and outlook and that was something we really needed."
His play also has impressed the coaching staff.
"Where he's most effective is in the corners," Clouston said of his left wing. "He grabs it down low and protects it. He's a dominant player when he plays strong on the puck - that is something we didn't have. Ben (Kilgour), Stan (Dylan Stanley) and Jake, that line has been dominant. They complement each other well, they all bring something different to the table, and they are having fun right now."
Troy, who had two assists in last year's title game against Maine, has 13 goals and 16 assists in 21 games this season for the Gophers.
It's been nearly four years since the Riddles have played hockey together, and almost as long since they've seen each other play.
"It's tough for me to get out there and for him to come back here." Troy said. "He's sent me care packages with his fights (on videotape)."
Mary and Mark get to watch Troy play a majority of his games, something Mary said makes them feel a little guilty.
"We promised Jake that we would come and watch him play," Mary said. "We are going to try and get out the end of January or beginning of February."
The Riddle brothers both have a goal of playing in the NHL, but if it doesn't pan out, Jake would like a career in law enforcement and Troy in broadcasting or coaching.
Jake was selected in the eighth round of the 2001 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild - he was the first Minnesotan drafted by the Wild, which is in its third year of existence. Troy was a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2000.
"By drafting you, they have your rights for a year," Jake said. "After a year, they have to send you a qualifying offer, which they expect you to turn down and they keep your rights for another year. They have to sign me by June 1 or I will become a free agent or go back into the draft.
"I hope they sign me. I'd like nothing more than to play for the hometown team. I don't think Troy and I will ever play on the same team again, but I'd love to play against him."
If not in the NHL, maybe some shinny on the pond in Waite Park.
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