Luke a little deeper

In many ways, Luke Popko is a man of contrast. The senior forward often goes unnoticed by fans and media because of his unglamorous role as a defensive specialist, but his teammates recognize his importance to the team and look to him for guidance and leadership.

Off the ice, he’s incredibly relaxed, almost to the point of being lazy, but in practice, he’s one the most active and most vocal guys out there.

On the bench, he can appear totally uninterested in the game playing out in front of him, but once he hops over the boards, he flips on the intensity switch and goes full-bore until he returns to the bench 40 or 50 seconds later.

The Leader

Popko’s career at Boston University has been a study in durability. He played in at least 37 games in each of his four seasons, and his 17 Hockey East tournament games tie him for the most in conference history.

“You can see why he’s so durable — he’s built like a house,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “He’s very strong on his skates. A lot of times, someone will go to hit him, and they’ll be the one that ends up on their back.”

That strength comes from his intense workout program. Inside the team’s Agganis Arena gym is a board that lists every player down the side and about a dozen different exercises — ranging from weightlifting to cardio — across the top. Popko’s numbers are at or near the top in every category.

“We did a lot of training and weightlifting out in Ann Arbor [Mich., with the U.S. National Development Team], and I’ve always kept that up since,” Popko said. “The guys will probably say it’s because I have short legs, though.”

Sure enough . . . “It’s easier for him because his legs are so short,” said fellow senior and roommate Eric Gryba. “There’s really no other reason for it.”

The weight room is certainly not the only place Popko’s a leader, though. On the ice, he’s embraced his role as a defensive forward and penalty killer, and he’s excelled at it since the day he arrived at BU.

“Popko is a terrific player who doesn’t get any recognition for what he does for us,” Parker said. “He fills a great role for us, and he doesn’t get much recognition for it. But he knows what his role is, he relishes playing it and his teammates appreciate him.”

Popko said the lack of acknowledgement doesn’t bother him.

“I don’t really care that much about stats or accolades or whatever,” he said. “The guys in the room recognize what I do, and that’s enough for me. Obviously everyone wants to score, but I know that’s not really my role.”

Ever since he was a freshman, Popko has been one of BU’s top penalty killers. His line has often been the checking line that gets matched up against one of the opponent’s top offensive units.

For Popko’s teammates, playing with him is easy because of how much he understands the game, especially the defensive game.

“He’s great to play with,” said junior Joe Pereira, who has played on Popko’s line on and off for the last three seasons. “He always knows what’s going on. He always knows where everyone’s supposed to be.

“I just do whatever he tells me to do . . . You watch him, and he’s always in passing lanes, always in shooting lanes. He’s willing to stand in front of a shot. He just never gets caught out of position.”

As is the case with Popko’s workouts, though, Gryba isn’t buying it.

“He’s only a defensive specialist because he can’t skate,” Gryba said jokingly.

But there’s one area where even Gryba can’t deny Popko’s leadership — working with freshmen. Popko played on a line with freshmen Justin Courtnall and Ryan Santana for much of this season, and he aided them in their transition to the college game.

“I think he helps them a lot,” Gryba said. “He’s always talking to them. I mean, he’s always talking to everyone, but he’s definitely helped bring them along.”

“He’s been awesome,” Santana said. “He was one of the first upperclassmen to really come over and talk to us early in the season. He made it easy for us to feel like a part of the team.”

The Joker

Popko can take Gryba’s jabs because he’d be a hypocrite if he couldn’t. The Skillman, N.J. native likes to do plenty of dishing out himself.

“He’s always joking about something or making fun of someone,” Gryba said. “He thinks he’s pretty funny.”

There are also the pranks.

“We all like to play pranks,” Popko said. “We put clear tape on Zach Cohen’s skates to try and get him to fall when he steps on the ice. He checks them all the time now. We put a cup of water under guys’ helmets so when they pull them off the shelf, all their stuff gets wet. One of the classics is taping “Tool’ to Joe’s helmet. He’ll still go all day without noticing.”

Not even Parker is off limits for Popko.

“I shoot pucks at his skates a lot during practice,” Popko said. “I don’t think he really likes it that much.”

Although Parker probably won’t miss having to catch his balance every time a puck bangs off the side of his skate, he will definitely miss Popko.

“He’s probably the most fun player for me to be around,” Parker said.

“He’s always yapping away at someone. He likes to go after me, too. He shoots pucks at my skates and tells me about how he should be on the power play and stuff like that. He likes to keep things real loose, but he also knows when he needs to be focused and when he needs to be serious.”

As for going after Gryba, Popko does that on the dance floor. The two take a ballroom dancing class together, and Gryba has nothing on Popko’s moves as far as he’s concerned.

“I’m better than Gryba,” Popko said. “He’s not really that good. He’s not the most graceful human being. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing out there.”

“That’s a lie,” Gryba retorted.

The Switch-Flipper

When asked what Popko was like away from the rink, his teammates all painted the same portrait. Pereira, Santana and Cohen described him as “easy-going,” “laid-back” and “relaxed,” respectively. Gryba, of course, opted for a less complimentary adjective–“lazy.”

“I’m a pretty laid-back guy,” Popko said. “I don’t really worry about anything. I like to just hang around a lot.”

That tranquility follows Popko right up to the boards that separate the bench from the ice. As soon as he steps on the ice, though, it’s replaced by fervor and focus.

“I don’t know how he does it,” Cohen said. “He’s so relaxed off the ice, but the second he gets on the ice, it’s all business. It’s like he just has a switch he can flip.”

Parker said it’s just another aspect of Popko’s one-of-a-kind persona.

“It seems like he’s completely out of it when he’s on the bench, like he’s off in la-la land,” Parker said. “But then as soon as he jumps over the boards, he’s ready to go. I’ve never had a player who can go from so relaxed to so intense that quickly.”

Legacy

Popko will never be remembered for his flashy play or 44 career points, but he will definitely be remembered for his hard work, his defensive prowess and his pranks. Any coach or player can appreciate those three things. The hard work sets a good example, the defense reminds guys that hockey’s a two-way game and the pranks keep everyone loose.

The Terriers can only hope that all three will continue in Popko’s absence next season. There’s one thing Cohen doesn’t want the guys to take from Popko, though.

“I just hope they don’t adopt his lax attitude,” Cohen said. “I think he’s the only one who can get away with that.”