In some ways, Colorado Springs native Matt Tabrum is no different from Littleton’s T.J. Tanberg and Richard Bachman, the Testwuide brothers of Vail and, more recently, John Ryder and Chris Knowlton of Colorado Springs.
Each grew up a University of Denver or Colorado College fan but went on to play for the intrastate rival he used to despise. Tanberg and Bachman played for the Tigers, and Ryder and Knowlton are current Pioneers.
The Testwuides split their allegiance — J.P. became captain at DU in 2008, and brother Mike served in the same role for CC a year later.
Tabrum, however, is a little different. The DU freshman forward is the son of former CC assistant coach Mark Tabrum, who now serves as an executive for Colorado Springs-based USA Hockey and is the hockey coach at Liberty High School in Colorado Springs.
Matt Tabrum, who was scratched in the two previous games against CC this season, is a former Tigers stick boy who is centering DU’s fourth line.
“To play in this series is probably going to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” he said Thursday. “I’ve grown up around the CC-DU rivalry. I know what it’s all about.”
Mark Tabrum, 49, coached under Don Lucia from 1993-99, when CC returned to national prominence and typically had its way with DU. Tabrum remained in Colorado Springs to raise his family after Lucia left to become the coach at Minnesota.
“I’m happy and glad he’s at DU,” Mark Tabrum said of the oldest of his three sons. “Here’s a young man growing up in Colorado who has an opportunity. He’s excelling at playing hockey, and he’s very lucky and fortunate to be at a school like DU. I think it’s great.”
The Lucia era at CC featured some monumental and sometimes ugly games with DU, partly because Lucia said on multiple occasions that Minnesota was the Tigers’ biggest rival, because of the many Minnesota-raised players on CC’s roster and the intense games between the teams that most often fought for league supremacy.
The Pioneers have had more success than CC or Minnesota in the past 10 years, and the current state of the DU-CC rivalry is based on mutual respect. But when Mark Tabrum was behind the CC bench and young son Matt was a Tigers stick boy, DU rarely tamed the Tigers and the rivalry was usually vicious.
Matt continued to serve as a stick boy under Lucia’s successor, current coach Scott Owens. But he was contacted by DU associate head coach Steve Miller when he was 16, and they kept in touch through Tabrum’s years at Coronado High School, when he played for various triple-A Front Range organizations, and two years in the United States Hockey League (junior-A).
“You always wanted to have that Tiger head on the front of your chest. That was a main goal of mine, to play for them,” Matt said. “As I grew older, I got a lot of college interest, and CC kind of wasn’t one of them. Coach Miller got me up here one summer, and I instantly fell in love with the school. After that visit, my goal was to play for the Denver Pioneers.”
Depending on the looming snowstorm, Mark Tabrum will attend tonight’s game at Magness Arena.
“I still live in Colorado Springs, and I attend CC hockey games if DU is out of town. I’m a fan of the game,” he said.
“Am I a DU fan? Absolutely. I want to see my child, my son, have success while he’s there and have a good college experience, and get everything out of what DU has to offer.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
