At the young age of 5 or 6, Gophers forward Grant Cruikshank got a taste of the family business of speedskating and decided it might not be for him.
His mother, Bonnie Blair Cruikshank, is a five-time Olympic gold medalist. His father, Dave Cruikshank, is also a former Olympic speedskater, and his sister, Blair, is an Olympic hopeful.
Grant, though, bailed after getting lined up in a race with mixed age groups competing at the same time.
"He looked at this kid on the starting line who was head and shoulders bigger than him," Bonnie said. "He was like, 'Whoa! I'm not going to skate against THAT guy.' … It was like, 'Forget this. I'm just going to stick with hockey.' "
Speedskating's loss is hockey's gain and specifically for the Gophers men's team. This weekend, the fourth-ranked Gophers (21-11, 16-6 Big Ten) face Wisconsin in the final regular-season series at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Grant, a versatile forward, will take part in Saturday's Senior Night festivities with his family.
"He's excited to be in the mix of things,'' Bonnie said.
Grant Cruikshank has been a solid, two-way player for the Gophers this season after arriving in Dinkytown as a transfer from Colorado College. After collecting 30 goals and 15 assists in three seasons for the Tigers, including the final two as captain, Cruikshank has six goals and six assists for the Gophers. In his last game, he scored twice as the Gophers rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat Penn State 6-4 and run their winning streak to six games.
"It's been kind of crazy coming into a new setting and a new campus and new teammates,'' Cruikshank said. "I've been really happy with all the changes, and it's been awesome to be here with these guys and play alongside them.''
Cruikshank spent much of the early part of the season playing wing, but shifted to center when Ben Meyers and Matthew Knies were away from the team to play for the United States in the Winter Olympics. The Gophers depth showed up well as the team went 5-0 with the Olympians unavailable.
"I love playing center,'' Cruikshank said. "… Using my speed has been huge the last few weeks, getting all over their 'D' and trying to forecheck hard and create turnovers.''
Long route to the U
Cruikshank is from the Milwaukee suburb of Delafield, Wis., and the Badgers influence was strong when he was growing up. He originally committed to Wisconsin under former coach Mike Eaves as a 16-year-old in 2014. When Eaves was fired and Tony Granato took over as Badgers coach in 2016, Cruikshank's scholarship offer changed.
"When it went down, I was really sad, really upset,'' said Cruikshank, who missed the Gophers series at Wisconsin in November because of a knee injury. "… I basically had to get over it and look elsewhere.''
Cruikshank spent the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons with Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League and ended up committing to Colorado College and coach Mike Haviland. After Haviland was let go following the 2020-21 season, Cruikshank was looking for a place to hone his game and chose the Gophers. The first half of the season was an adjustment, but Cruikshank feels more comfortable now.
"Bob [Motzko] and I talked about it after Christmas that it's a fresh start now and to settle in,'' he said. "I feel like I've been playing really well the past few weeks.''
The need for speed
Speed skating still will tug at Cruikshank, and he'll put on the long blades occasionally. He's had teammates Jackson LaCombe and Sammy Walker give it a whirl, too.
"They're good,'' Cruikshank said after a recent visit to the John Rose MN Oval in Roseville. "It was Sammy's first time on speedskates, and with the oval in Milwaukee, Jackson and I have done it the past couple years. It's a blast, but the training — not so much.''
Cruikshank heard stories about his parents' Olympic success while growing up, but the family keeps things humble.
"To me, they're just mom and dad,'' he said. "It's kind of weird to say, but both of them were so successful. When I was younger, you'd start to look them up on YouTube just to see what they did. People would recognize them in the grocery store, especially my mom.
"The coolest part about them is how well they treat others,'' he added. "… I don't even have the words to describe them because they mean so much to me. I've tried to learn everything I can from them.''
