Wisconsin goaltender Brian Elliott and his teammates had just completed a road-series sweep of North Dakota in early November. Elliott was stopped for a postgame TV interview. When he got to the locker room, goaltending coach Bill Howard had a welcome-to-the-big-time gift waiting: A bag of ice. To wear as a hat. Couldn’t have the kid’s head swelling, Howard figured, although it was mostly in good humor. Elliott, recruited as a last-minute stopgap and relegated to backup status behind an All-American during his first two seasons as a Badger, traveled a humble route to Division I distinction.
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