UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Almost five years after he graduated from Penn State, Ricky DeRosa sits in the stands and watches Penn State face-off against Notre Dame.
Instead of donning the Blue & White, he's casually dressed in black pants, a green sweatshirt and a black jacket. Instead of gripping a stick in his hand, waiting for the puck to come his way, he might take an Instagram story or two. A lot can change in five years.
But, to Penn State men's hockey, the mark DeRosa's left on the program is indelible.
"You cannot overstate what Ricky DeRosa has brought to our program – so many things," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "That guy is an absolute identity builder, culture driver… and what he meant when he played here is carried on. It didn't leave when he left. I don't know how many years he's been gone, guys still talk about him.
"He brought a great attitude, a great heart… he brought that to the team when he played and because he was such an infectious person, because he continues to move on and do great things in life, it remains that way. He's an extremely, extremely special guy."
When DeRosa came to Penn State in 2013, the men's hockey program was a far cry from what it is today. It was still in its infancy as a Division I program and Penn State had just joined the Big Ten.
Zach Saar, fellow former Penn State teammate and friend of DeRosa, remembers people saying the "ragtag" team would crumble against powerhouses like Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
"Not to knock us, I think we had a team that was 60 or 65 percent team captains coming from juniors, so less ragtag and more blue collar… Ricky had an attitude and a mentality to his job at Penn State with hockey that I think we can all carry on for life," Saar said. "He was reliable, he was a great teammate, hard-working. He accepted his role, and it wasn't always pretty, but he did it like he loved it. Jobs that other people would complain about, Ricky accepted it and put it on his shoulders and set the tone for our team.
"Ricky's a gem in that sense, and a big part of why the program was so successful and why it was built as it was, and why we ultimately won a Big Ten Championship our senior year… Ricky did it all and was invaluable to the team."
DeRosa wasn't afraid to block shots and kill penalties on the ice. Off the ice, he was the cultural backbone of the team, setting the standard for how a Penn State hockey player should act and approach challenges in life. He did the little things right, Saar said.
Now, five years after getting off the ice in Pegula Ice Arena for the last time, DeRosa is the regional manager for Western Pennsylvania at Lord Abbett & Co, an investment management firm.
After playing professional hockey for a brief period after college, DeRosa knew he wanted to get involved in the finance industry.
"I was interested in the financial services industry and had a couple contacts at Penn State, and I started reaching out to some folks that put me in touch with a couple different individuals… (Doug Sieg) was a football player at Penn State, and now managing partner (of Lord Abbett & Co.), so I got in contact with him, interviewed at the firm… I think by February of the following year I started up there," DeRosa said.
He spent just under two years as an advisor consultant before he was asked to take over a regional management position in Birmingham, Alabama, covering the states of Alabama, Mississippi and the entire Florida Panhandle.
About a month ago, he was asked to take on a new role in Pittsburgh, and DeRosa moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania, only two hours away from Hockey Valley.
"I'm definitely still a Philadelphia sports fan. I don't think the Pittsburgh Steelers or Penguins are going to change too much of that," said DeRosa, who is originally from just outside of Philadelphia.
While he's half a decade removed from his time at Penn State, DeRosa still remembers his time with the program vividly. One moment that stands out to him is coming into Pegula Ice Arena for the first time after skating the entire summer before his freshman year at Greenberg Ice Pavilion.
"Getting to come into the new rink was unbelievable… that'll be a memory that will always stick with me. Certainly, going through a couple challenging years as a program. We were brand new going against some of the powerhouse schools like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, some of these storied programs that had been around forever, and a lot of people counted us out immediately," DeRosa said. "I don't know exactly how many games we won my freshman year, but I want to say it was maybe eight… and (to) end up winning a Big Ten championship my senior year, being able to be a captain on that team was certainly something I'll always remember. Outside of the rink, it's such a fun school, there's so much to do."
Another fond memory that sticks out to DeRosa is starting a reading incentives program where Penn State men's hockey players would read to children at the local elementary schools around State College.
It was initially started to bring Penn State men's hockey at the Division I level and the community together, DeRosa said. The program quickly spread, and other Penn State athletic teams began to engage with the initiative as well. It's still something teams today, including the men's hockey program, participate in.
But what's stuck with DeRosa more than his memories from Penn State are the people he met during his time at the university.
"Some of my best friends to this day are certainly my teammates that I've played with throughout my four years here," DeRosa said. "I'd say Coach Gadowsky, Coach Lindsay, Coach Fisher, they were certainly invaluable. I mean, you walk in (to Pegula), and they have a program that… set(s) certain standards for yourself, whether it be on the ice, in the classroom, outside of the rink… and you don't really realize it at the time, but they're helping to mold you to be the best version of yourself… some of those intangible aspects that they put into place – that you didn't really recognize at the time – but you can look back and say that has made a drastic impact on my life."
While hockey isn't as prevalent in his life as it once was, DeRosa still makes room for the sport.
"I just started skating with a couple former Division I guys down (in Pittsburgh) that are a little bit older, which has been a blast," he said. "It's following (Penn State hockey), coaching staff, what they're doing… having the relationships with some of the guys on the team still and certainly the coaching staff makes it a lot more fun to watch."
DeRosa and his former teammates will occasionally venture up to Penn State to watch the Nittany Lions, who look significantly different than they did back in 2013. Not necessarily in character, but in ranking and reputation.
"It's really hard to say no to Penn State if you're a hockey player," Saar said. "Really hard. (It's) something to take pride in."
And to Saar, it's because of DeRosa that Penn State hockey is what it is today.
"Truthfully we're all looking for these people in life that are dependable, indifferent of circumstances," Saar said. "Ricky is that guy that's always going to have your back. He's a true friend. He's a true teammate. If you're wearing the same jersey as him, he's going to give you his all and you can count on him.
"I've got a lot of friends – I can only count on one hand the guys in my life that I can say bring to the table what Ricky did. I'm not being dramatic, it's the truth. He's a good friend. He's a good teammate. He's a good person. Everything you want to emulate. He'll be a friend for life for that reason.
