The Detroit Red Wings led the Capitals three games to zero, and with that summer night came a sweep of the home team, as the Red Wings picked up its second Stanley Cup in two seasons with a 4-1 defeat over Washington.

As the ceremony came to a close, three particular players entered the Capitals’ locker room for the final time together — never imagining their lives would lead them back together.

Fourteen years later and to the excitement of the MSU hockey program, their paths crossed again.

New beginnings
This summer, freshmen David Bondra and Brock Krygier stepped onto MSU’s campus, eager for the journey ahead of them.

Both currently are members of the MSU hockey team — Bondra a forward and Krygier a defenseman.

“I’ve always wanted to play college hockey, since I was younger it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Bondra said at MSU hockey media day. “I’ve loved (MSU) from the start, from what the coaches showed me, the rink, the locker room, the school aspect is
great — I’m a big believer in academics as well as hockey.”

Although the two entered MSU unfamiliar with what to expect, they have deep roots with one of their assistant coaches, as Kelly Miller remembers them when they only were young kids.

Capital achievement
Miller was a forward on the 1997-98 Washington team that was defeated by the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals.

After more than 15 professional seasons and more than 1,000 games, that game was Miller’s last playoff game as a Capital.

Alongside him that night stood forwards Peter Bondra and Todd Krygier, his longtime teammates and fathers to David Bondra and Brock Krygier.

“Both were great hockey players, both outstanding people, both great teammates,” Miller said. “I was just very fortunate to play with both of them for a long time, (we) played on some really great teams together. I think that’s the really great thing about sports because you get to really know people when you’re playing on a team … I’m very fortunate to get to know them both very well.”

Peter Bondra was an NHL hockey player for 17 seasons, 14 with the Capitals and nine with Miller as his teammate.

He commonly is regarded as one of the best players to put on a Washington sweater, etching his name all over the team’s record book.

He still holds multiple Washington records, including most career goals (472) and most career points (825).

Likewise, Miller — a former Spartan — has been making his mark in the game of hockey from a young age. Miller was an All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist while at MSU.

Much like the other two, Todd Krygier took the ice for more than 500 games, racking up 100 career goals and adding valuable minutes in his time with the Capitals.

“I was fortunate to play hockey, and I was fortunate that my kids had a chance to see me play,” Peter Bondra said. “I was fortunate that my kids understood what I did. They would come to the games and have a chance to see me play at an age in which they could understand what I was doing.”

Family guidance
Just as the trio’s loyalties lied in the Capitals many years ago, they all have turned their attention to the MSU hockey program now, where each has a personal stake.

As the tables now have turned, Brock Krygier and David Bondra stand in the hockey spotlight, and look to have the athletic success their fathers had.

Both said they used their fathers’ successes as a learning tool to further their play.

“There was a little bit of pressure, but I definitely used it to my advantage,” David Bondra said of playing as the son of an NHL player. “I have big shoes to fill, but I’m trying to create a name for myself. Of course, my dad was a great player. I’d just be happy to be half as good as him.”

David Bondra might only be aspiring to have a fraction of the talent his father did, but Miller said he has high hopes for the “bright futures” Brock Krygier and David Bondra have ahead of them.

And Peter Bondra is going to offer as much help as David Bondra needs to get where he wants to be — whether it’s hockey-related or not.

He said as a professional, it occasionally was tough for him not to get too involved in his children’s sports, but he found a happy medium between being an NHL’er and just being a dad.

“Sure, it’s kind of tough watching,” Peter Bondra said. “It’s the same story with every family. I don’t care how much hockey knowledge you have, I think the kids are going to try to do some of their own stuff and be aware of their own mistakes — not just hockey, in basic life. You have to learn the hard way, but sometimes you give them somebody to lean on, and that’s the job as a parent.”