The ice rink has pretty much always been home for the Cruikshank family.
Bonnie Blair Cruikshank and Dave Cruikshank grew up speedskating. Bonnie got an early start on the ice thanks to growing up in a family of speedskaters herself.
“They had me on skates almost before I could walk,” she said.
Dave Cruikshank started speedskating around eight or nine years old, after first trying hockey. The two grew up in Illinois — Bonnie in Champaign and Dave in the Chicago suburbs. Illinois was then home to one of the largest speedskating clubs in the United States, and different clubs would meet and compete with each other. That was how Bonnie and Dave met.
“We were just good buddies, and then it got to be better buddies,” Bonnie said.
Both would go on to compete in four different Winter Olympics, with Bonnie bringing home five gold medals and one bronze throughout her Olympic career.
The couple has passed their love of the ice down to their children, Grant and Blair.
“Our lives have been really spent in an ice rink,” Bonnie said. “So for sure it’s a family thing.”
Blair is a speedskater like her parents, while Grant is a forward for the St. Cloud State University Men’s Hockey team. He was introduced to the ice just as early in life as his mother, pushing a bucket around as a toddler while getting his bearings on the ice.
“Whether it was hockey skates or speed skates, I think I just loved being on the ice,” Grant said.
Grant played three seasons for Colorado College and one for University of Minnesota before coming to St. Cloud State. In junior hockey he skated for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League for two seasons, also playing for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals and the U.S. National U17 Team.
While his parents certainly introduced him to the ice, Grant credits them for much more than that.
“They’ve been so supportive my whole life. I think it’s probably the stuff away from the rink that’s been the most important and the most influential for me. They just really know how to treat people, and that’s one of the things I hold very close to my heart,” Grant said.
“They know what it takes, both at the rink and away from the rink, to be successful in life,” he added. “The way that they treat people, their leadership qualities — that’s the stuff that I think people might not think about when they think about how successful my mom was on the ice. It really is both my parents — they’re really special people.”
Bonnie was with Grant the first time he visited St. Cloud State, where she said they both liked what head coach Brett Larson had to say.
“It just seemed like a great program. We heard a lot of positive things about it from the players that were there, and the connections that they’ve had,” she said. “You just felt good that when this opportunity arose for him to be able to go there, you just felt like it was going to be a good fit.”
For Grant, the Huskies were a perfect fit.
“It’s been such a great experience,” he said. “We have such a special group and they’ve really welcomed me from day one. I’ve been really fortunate to be a part of this group and this culture.”
SCSU’s season included an NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship and a trip to the NCAA Regional Finals, with Cruikshank leading the team with 23 goals. Following the season, Cruikshank signed with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League in early April. His collegiate career may be complete, but he will always look back fondly on his time as a Husky.
“I wish I could somehow get another year of eligibility. … If I could, I’d stay here forever. I’ve had so much fun here,” he said. “This place is just really special.”
