Seven years ago, it was just an unselfish act by an NHL veteran.

That one decision has paid off handsomely the last several months for Valparaiso resident Todd Reirden.

In the span of nine months, Reirden has become a head coach in the American Hockey League and held the Stanley Cup trophy over his head shortly after Pittsburgh's Game 7 win over Detroit. Recently, he was fitted for a NHL championship ring.

"It's been unbelievable," Reirden said of his meteoric rise. "I just feel very fortunate. I did things the right way, and that helped give me a break."

Reirden spent time with five NHL organizations as a defenseman. In 2002, he was picked up by Anaheim, but he toiled in obscurity.

Instead of getting ice time with the parent club, Reirden was asked to work with some of the team's younger players. That group included left wing Chris Kunitz, who played for Pittsburgh in this year's playoffs; right wing Joffrey Lupul, who now plays for Philadelphia; and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who has started the past two years for Phoenix.

That team-first mentality struck a chord with Chuck Fletcher, who then worked in the front office for the Mighty Ducks. This past fall, Fletcher, then the assistant general manager for Pittsburgh, looked for someone to work with the Penguins' younger players and he remembered Reirden's actions.

"I hadn't talked with Chuck in six years," said Reirden, who was working with the staff at Bowling Green University. "I never really thought anything about what I had did before. I guess I could've complained about what I was doing, and I must have made an impression. It's kind of funny how that worked out."

Reirden joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last summer, and he was named an assistant coach on Aug. 18. On Feb. 15, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Dan Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien in Pittsburgh, and Reirden was named the AHL team's interim head coach. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made the AHL playoffs, and Reirden was hired as the full-time coach on May 20. The fun didn't end for Reirden.

Reirden joined the parent club and worked with the team for the second half of its NHL playoff run. In the finals, he watched the game from above and reported to the staff during period intermissions.

For Game 7, his wife Shelby and son Travis were flown into Detroit and given tickets to the clinching contest. Afterward, he spent time with his family on the ice and in the locker room.

"I just cannot put this into words," Reirden said. "I always wanted to (win the Stanley Cup) as a player, but this is still pretty amazing."

Reirden still has a hard time realizing what all has transpired in less than a year.

"Getting an (AHL coaching job) is one of the hardest things to do in hockey," he said. "Then I get to take part in a parade where almost 400,000 people attended and go over to Mario Lemieux's house for a party.

"I can't even explain, because it's all kind of crazy."

Reirden calls himself lucky, but I believe these memories are well-deserved. I talked with him three years ago, several months after a stick splintered in his left hand. Part of the stick entered his palm and exited out between his thumb and first finger. That horrific injury didn't halt his playing career.

"I still have a love for the game," Reirden said in 2006.

Maybe the game has paid him back?

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at jim.hunsley@nwi.com.