Denver native, former DU star Troy Terry continuing to grow with back-to-back NHL All-Star selections

Jan. 26—DENVER — Troy Terry knocked once, waited about two seconds and then opened the door to Logan O'Connor's house and let himself in.

It was "typical Troy fashion" according to O'Connor as the two roommates from their freshman year at the University of Denver — who now happen to be next door neighbors — got the chance to catch up the day before Thursday's meeting between the Avalanche and Ducks in Denver.

"Just everything we went through in our three years together — it's something that makes us close for life," Terry told The Denver Gazette. "I feel like we've just continued to get even closer and he's one of my closest friends. He's always been a big part of my life. Funny enough, my wife and his girlfriend have known each other since they were 8 years old, so they reminisce on memories and me and Logan reminisce. It's pretty fun."

Terry also got to have some fun getting the best of O'Connor and the Avs on Thursday night with a 5-3 win over the defending Stanley Cup champions. Terry made a nice play to find Adam Henrique for the game-tying goal midway through the final period.

Terry, who's now in his fifth season with the Anaheim Ducks after a standout career at DU, had some of his Ducks teammates over on Wednesday night to play darts and Guitar Hero in the basement of his offseason home that's just a few miles away from the place he became a household hockey name — Magness Arena.

"That place molded me into the player I am on the ice and the player I am off the ice," Terry said.

Physically, Terry looks nothing like the kid O'Connor remembers as "skin and bones" when he showed up on DU's campus as a freshman. He'd been on the Pioneers' radar for multiple years as a kid that grew up going to games and working on the ice with DU assistants, particularly current head coach David Carle, before he was even a teenager.

"At DU, I think I came in as a player with skill and ability, but very young and immature physically, mentally," Terry said. "I think in three years I made a lot of steps and became a man at that school and made lifelong friends."

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The 2017 National Championship banner that Terry helped deliver and that still hangs from the rafters speaks for itself. By the end of his three years at DU, Terry was one of the top players in college hockey and despite the fact that he was only a fifth round draft pick, he was someone Anaheim was eager to bring in at the end of the 2017-18 season.

"To see Troy come here when he did and the body he had and the work he's put in, it's really impressive," Carle said. "He's continued that growth as a pro. I think he's gaining more and more confidence as his body's continued to develop. It's great to watch him having success at that level."

Terry has really rounded into a complete player in the last two years and will head to south Florida next weekend for his second straight All-Star Game and he entered Thursday's game tied for the team lead in points.

"He deserves all the success he's had throughout his pro career and college career," O'Connor said.

Terry's individual success hasn't led to the same team success he had at DU as Anaheim is last in the Pacific division and likely will be one of the teams vying for the No. 1 pick in the draft at the end of the season. But Terry, along with fellow budding young stars in Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, have given the Ducks pieces to build around as they aim for a resurgence in the coming years — something the Avs pulled off not too long ago.

"We've got some great pieces here," Terry said. "It's been a roller coaster, but at the end of the day it's exciting. I think a lot of the guys on this team have taken big steps. For me, it's about following up last year and being an impact player in this league. At the same time, I've got a whole other level to get to. It's been a fun ride for me and I'm just continuing to build on it."

GAME RECAP

DUCKS 5, AVALANCHE 3

WHAT HAPPENED: The Avalanche had their six-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to the Ducks on Thursday night at Ball Arena. Colorado led 3-1 in the second period, but allowed four unanswered goals, including three in the third period, in a defeat to one of the bottom teams in the Western Conference.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: The Avs came out firing in the first period, dominating the first few minutes of play. Mikko Rantanen scored his first of two goals on the night less than four minutes into the game. Colorado held an 18-7 advantage in shots on goal after the first 20 minutes. Samuel Girard put the Avs back on top early in the second period after a nice pass from Nathan MacKinnon. Rantanen's second goal of the night came late in the second period on the power play. The all-star forward now has 34 goals on the season and is just shy of 200 for his career.

WHAT WENT WRONG: All it took was 10 minutes for the Avs to drop a game to an inferior opponent. After a solid first two periods, Colorado was slow to start the third and Anaheim pounced with a flurry of chances that culminated in the tying and go-ahead goals being scored in the span of 24 seconds.

BETWEEN THE PIPES: Pavel Francouz made his 14th start of the season and lost for the first time since Jan. 12. He stopped 27 of 31 shots on the night and is now an even 7-7 on the season.

UP NEXT: The Avs conclude their homestand on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the St. Louis Blues.

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