There was a buzz around the NCAA Honors Dinner held in Dallas on January 9. As reported by WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod, people were saying, “What is it with these hockey people?”

And for at least this night, it was a question offered in admiration as four college hockey alumni received prestigious honors from the NCAA. Harvard’s Angela Ruggiero, a two-time Olympian and 2004 Kazmaier Award winner, received one of the eight NCAA “Top VIII” awards, for “success in competition, academics, and community service.”

College hockey really took the stage when the six “Silver Anniversary” award winners were announced. Three of the honorees played college hockey and they are believed to be the first former icemen so honored.

College hockey grabbed a big piece of the spotlight when honors were bestowed at the 99th Annual NCAA Convention in Dallas. Above, from left, Harvard’s Angela Ruggiero, Yale’s Gary Lawrence, Wisconsin’s MarkJohnson, and Notre Dame’s Greg Meredith.

“Silver Anniversary” awards recognize former student-athletes who have gone on to professional success in their chosen fields. They are bestowed 25 years after the honorees have graduated. This year’s award winners included:

• Mark Johnson, Wisconsin. The first of these 1980 graduates is perhaps the most familiar to AHCA members, as he is a member himself. A two-time All-American at Wisconsin, he led the Badgers in goals for three years and remains the only Badger to score five goals in a game and to average more than two points per game for an entire career. The leading scorer on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team that captured gold at lake Placid, Johnson enjoyed an 11- year professional career before entering the coaching ranks at the high school level. He is now in his third season as head coach of Wisconsin’s women’s hockey team.

• Gary Lawrence, Yale University: This former Yale captain (1980) earned four letters in hockey and one in golf. As a junior, he helped lead Yale into the post-season for the first time in 11 years. A Rhodes Scholar, Lawrence is managing partner and founder of Excelsior Capital Asia, an independent Asian-based direct investment firm, managing about $230 million in two funds. While in Hong Kong, he has remained active in ice hockey, heading up the leading amateur hockey club in Hong Kong, with more than 200 players.

• Greg Meredith of Notre Dame. Having set Notre Dame career marks for goals and power play goals, Meredith went on to play four seasons with the Calgary Flames of the NHL. After attending the Harvard Business School, Meredith turned to the financial world, eventually founding Proctor Capital, a private investment and strategic advisory firm. He also established the Meredith Family Foundation in 1997, a contributor to programs that care for individuals with intellectual disabilities.