
Ryan Bourque spent the last season as an assistant for the USNTDP. (Rena Laverty/USA Hockey)
Ryan Bourque woke up in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 9 thinking about the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 squad's 8-3 win over Augustana the previous night and how they could duplicate such a feat later that day.
His attention was quickly diverted.
He got a call from his father, Ray. Then he got one from his brother, Chris. After that came a call from Bill Troy, his academic advisor when he was at Cushing.
The message was unexpected.