After all that, Brian Swanson is back.
Seventeen years after he left home in Eagle River to play juniors, the former NHL center, American Hockey League all-star and college All-American at Colorado College has signed to play the upcoming season for the ECHL's Alaska Aces.
The Aces on Wednesday announced Swanson as their first offseason signing.
Swanson, 34, has played the last six seasons in the German Elite League, and his resume includes 70 games in the NHL, the world's best league.
Though Swanson and his family loved Germany and he received offers to play in Europe, he said he and his wife, Lynn, decided it was time to come home for good.
Family considerations influenced the decision, especially with their kids getting older. The couple, high school sweethearts at Chugiak High, have three kids -- daughters Addie (9) and Syd (7), and one son, Mac (4) -- and felt the time was right for Addie to attend her first full year in a school with English as the primary language. Plus, Swanson said, the opportunity to continue his career at home clinched the decision.
"We really enjoyed our time in Germany,'' Swanson said. "The hockey is good, the living there is great. (But) the opportunity to be back home and play here was exciting.
"It's been a long time since I've been on the Anchorage side, and not sitting on the visiting bench. As a family, we want to be here -- this is our home. This is where we want to be when I'm done playing.''
Swanson hasn't played at Sullivan Arena, where the Aces play their home games, since he was a senior at Colorado College in the 1998-99 season.
Still, the Swansons own a home in Eagle River, where they return every offseason. And still they have family galore here.
Brian's parents, Ron and Lynn, still spend summers here -- Brian's wife is often called Lynnie in the family to distinguish her from Brian's mom. Brian's brother, Aaron, and his family live in Sterling.
Lynnie's mom, Carole, lives here. Lynnie's older brother, Reid, who played at Michigan Tech with former Aces and current St. Louis Blues coach Davis Payne, manages the McDonald Center, the rink in Eagle River named after their late father, Harry. Harry McDonald was an iconic figure who coached generations of local hockey players. Lynnie's other siblings, Ann and Kyle, remain locals too.
"Ultimately, this is where we want to be, and we do miss our family,'' said Lynnie, a former Division I soccer player at Creighton. "I was willing to go back (to Germany). That was, and is, such a special time in our life and I'm honestly sad to leave it.
"But then seeing Brian come back here and get to play at home is special too. Brian wasn't ready to give up hockey, and I didn't want him to.''
Aces coach Brent Thompson, who played against Swanson in the AHL, has penciled in Swanson as his first-line center. Swanson can quarterback a power play and also kill penalties, and the strength of his game has always been predicated on superior skating and play-making ability that allows him to think one play ahead of many opponents.
"Very skilled, great offensive vision, very shifty -- he has a fantastic skill set,'' Thompson said. "We want to build our team around him. With his character and leadership, and experience, he's going to be a big part of our team and leadership, on the ice and off.''
Swanson will count as one of the club's veterans. Each ECHL team is allowed a maximum of four veterans -- veterans are players, goaltenders excluded, who begin the season with 260 or more regular-season games as a pro.
Other than a few more lines around the eyes, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Swanson doesn't look much different than he did during his four seasons at Colorado College, where he racked up 232 points in 167 career games and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's best player. Last season, Swanson earned 19-23--42 totals in 54 games for the Iserlohn Roosters.
Swanson said he basically trains year-round -- he runs and hikes, and lifts weights in his basement gym. Over the weekend, he and his wife, and some of her family spent three-plus days hiking along the Crow Pass Trail, where their journey also included a side-trip to the site of the small plane crash in which Harry McDonald and a friend died in August 1994.
Swanson said he first talked last summer to former Aces coach Keith McCambridge about the possibility of coming home and kept in touch with Thompson by e-mail last season. He said he's eager to play at home again.
"I want to contribute -- that's my No. 1 goal,'' Swanson said. "I've never won a championship as a pro, and when you get to this point in your career, you crave it.
"I know the goal here is to win a championship, and that's exciting.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Brian Swanson by the numbers
Former NHL center Brian Swanson has signed to play the upcoming season with the Alaska Aces for his first taste of the ECHL. Here’s how he’s done in other leagues, as a pro and amateur.
LEAGUE GAMES PLAYED GOALS ASSISTS POINTS
German Elite League 292 75 143 218
American Hockey League 257 84 142 226
National Hockey League 70 4 13 17
NCAA Division I 167 88 144 232
U.S. Hockey League 80 52 77 129
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