To say Penn State hockey players Ryan and Curtiss Patrick have a rich family history embedded in hockey is somewhat of an understatement.

The cousins have family members who have been involved with the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in the early 1900s.

We're not just talking some average, run-of-the-mill people who came up with the idea of painting the goal pipes red. We're talking about icons, legends, pioneers and people who helped to make professional hockey what it is today.

Some have even called the Patricks "Hockey's Royal Family."

In fact, Ryan and Curtiss's hockey bloodlines run so deep that it's a miracle they weren't born with a pair of skates laced up and a stick in hand.

Five members of the Patrick family have their names inscribed on the Stanley Cup and three of them have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Patricks' great-grandfather, Lester, is a New York hockey idol. He was the first coach and general manager of the New York Rangers and brought the Big Apple its first Stanley Cup as a coach in 1928. Five years later, his team brought home one of professional sports' most prestigious trophies again.

He also headed the front office for the Rangers' 1940 title squad.

Lester actually first won the Cup as coach of the WCHL's Victoria Cougars in 1925.

Lester and his brother, Frank, were instrumental in creating many modern aspects of the game including the current playoff format, the minor league farm team system and placing numbers on the back of player jerseys.

The two brothers also implemented groundbreaking rules including penalty shots, awarding assists on goals, the use of blue lines, and line changes during continuous play.

The old Patrick Division—today's Atlantic Division—of the National Hockey League was named after the two brothers.

Lester's son, Murray, played five seasons for the Rangers, including a year on the 1940 championship team.

Impressed yet? The list keeps going.

Lynn Patrick, Curtiss and Ryan's grandfather, also played on the Rangers' 1940 championship squad. He also went on to coach the Rangers and the Boston Bruins.

Ryan's father, Craig, is the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and helped guide the franchise to back-to-back NHL titles in the early 1990s. He also netted 80 goals in his seven-year playing career. Craig was also an assistant coach on the 1980 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.

Even though the rigors of the NHL season keep Craig very busy, he still managed to see his son and nephew in action four times this season.

"I've watched them grow from an early age when they were attending hockey camps in Minnesota and it's been great to see them get better over the years," Craig said. "I really enjoy the town of State College. There's such a great atmosphere here."

We're still not quite done yet folks.

Curtiss's father, Glenn, is a second year head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Finally, Ryan's brother, C.J., was a standout two-time captain for the Icers who finished his collegiate career two years ago.

"There's always been a lot of pressure to play because of the background, but I've always loved it," Curtiss said. "We have three relatives in the hall of fame and five on the Stanley Cup, so I'm really proud."

In early January, the Icers were north of the border for the Two Nations Cup Tournament in Toronto. During the trip, Icer coach Joe Battista took his club to the Hockey Hall of Fame where Curtiss and Ryan came face to face with a large statue of Lester.

Battista said the hockey-crazed citizens of Canada couldn't believe that players from Penn State could actually be related to one of professional hockey's forefathers.

"We took several pictures of Curtiss and Ryan with Lester's statue and it was funny because people were coming by and saying 'why are you doing that?'" Battista said. "When we told them that he (Lester) was their great-grandfather, they saw our Penn State gear and started laughing told us 'get out of here.'"

But that's only one fond memory Ryan and Curtiss will carry with them after their hockey days are over.

Ryan recalled taking part in the celebration after Pittsburgh won its first NHL championship in 1991.

"When the Penguins won the cup, that was really neat," Ryan said. "We got to travel to Minnesota to see the game there and we got to go in the locker room after the game when they clinched it. It was really exciting."

Now that they're grown up and some of the nostalgia of being part of one of hockey's most prestigious families has worn off, Curtiss and Ryan are ready to move on with their own playing careers.

Battista has been impressed with Curtiss's season-long progress.

"I think he's improved significantly all season especially after being thrusted into the lineup," Battista said. "The only concern we had with Curtiss, early on, was the number of penalties he was taking. But in the second semester he's done a much better job of keeping himself under control."

Battista said Curtiss's aggressiveness has followed him from his Junior A career in Syracuse and Rochester.

"In Junior A hockey, you're encouraged to muck it up," Battista said. "This season, he had 72 penalty minutes half way through the year and was on pace to break a record. He has 90 now, which is still relatively high, but he's certainly cut his minutes significantly."

Curtiss said one of the reasons he's taken so many penalties is because of the difference in Junior hockey and ACHA rules.

"The main thing is that you can't fight in this league," Curtiss said. "I definitely want to fight but I can't. I think if there was fighting in this league there definitely wouldn't be as many cheap shots. I think they'd call the game much tighter.

"But I have to keep calm in order to get the playing time that I want."

Still, Curtiss — a freshman defenseman despite being 21 years old — has been a valuable commodity considering the Icers' losses due to injuries.

Curtiss is one of only four Icers to play in all 30 games and he has the third best plus-minus ratio on the squad.

"He's only been on the ice for 13 goals against us while we were at full strength," Battista said. "He's a physical player and he's good in front of the net. He has a good reach and he does a great job in the neutral zone."

Curtiss chose the Icers over Cornell and Hamilton College in New York.

"I visited here first and it sort of ruined all my other trips because I knew this is where I wanted to go," Curtiss said. "The other schools didn't compare.

"This is definitely the best college in the world."

Ryan—a sophomore forward—followed his brother's footsteps to the Icers after spending a year at the Shattuck-St. Mary's School, a prestigious prep school in Minnesota.

"I always had a good time when I came to visit him so I pretty much knew I wanted to come here," Ryan said.

Battista said Ryan has plenty of potential, but needs to find more consistency in his game to be a big contributor.

"Ryan's had kind of an up and down year," Battista said. "He's a streaky player. It's been an issue of him being able to maintain his conditioning.

"He's one of the most instinctive players we have. He knows a lot about the game and he's the kind of guy that can make some noise."

But now with the regular season behind them and the ACHA tournament looming, the cousins are looking to mirror the same post-season success that their forefathers enjoyed.

"I've never been in a tournament like this but they (the upperclassmen) got us all ready for it," Curtiss said. "We know what to expect. I think our whole team is more excited than nervous.

"I'm definitely looking forward to the next few years because we have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. I think we'll be dominant for a while."

If history tells us anything, it's tough to doubt him.