Built at the Rink.
For Wherever Hockey Takes You.
Where it started.
Long before Rink Dude, there was Grandpa Ron.
Ron Grahame came to the University of Denver in 1969 and became an All-American goaltender for the Pioneers before going on to play professional hockey, including eight seasons between the WHA and NHL.
After his playing career, Ron returned to DU as a coach and later spent decades helping lead its athletic program.
But his greatest impact on our family goes far beyond what he accomplished on the ice. He passed down a love for the game, a respect for the people around it, and the belief that hockey is about much more than where you play.
Three generations later, that love for the game is still being passed down.
Carrying it forward.
John Grahame grew up playing hockey in Colorado, following in his dad Ron’s footsteps as a goaltender.
He played minor hockey at DU and Team Colorado, Junior A hockey in the USHL before going on to play college hockey at Lake Superior State. John was drafted by the Boston Bruins and went on to play in the NHL for the Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
Along the way, he won the Calder Cup, the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, and represented Team USA at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
But to Luke and his brothers Colt and Knox, he’s just Dad.
Today, John is back where it all started, at the rink. Now coaching, he gets to pass down his love and respect for the game, the lessons it taught him, and a hockey tradition that now spans three generations.
Her place in the game.
Grandma Charlotte built an incredible career in hockey at a time when there were very few women in the room.
As a longtime executive with the Colorado Avalanche, she spent decades working behind the scenes of the game she loved. In 2001, her name was engraved on the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.
Three years later, her son John, Luke’s dad, won the Stanley Cup as a goaltender with the Tampa Bay Lightning, making Charlotte and John the only mother and son to both have their names on the Cup.
But her impact goes far beyond that.
Charlotte showed our family, and so many women and girls, that there are many ways to have a place in this game. She built her own path, became a respected leader, and continues to be an incredible role model for the generations following her.
The next generation.
Colton, Knox and Luke are the third generation of Grahames growing up around hockey.
They love to play the game, but they’re also learning to appreciate everything that comes with it: being a good teammate, respecting the game, competing, having fun and being grateful for every opportunity to play.
For them, some of the best memories are simply being at the rink together.