Arizona Wildcats captain Orion Olsen will honor late great-uncle in 'Pink the Rink' game

A huge smile spread across Orion Olsen’s face when UA hockey coach Chad Berman read off whose name he’d be wearing for the team’s annual “Pink the Rink” game.

“Frank Sanders,” Berman said.

“Frank Sanders,” Olsen repeated. “He was a pretty good hockey player and a great man.”

A few seconds later, Olsen corrected himself. “He was a really good hockey player,” Olsen said.

Sanders, Olsen’s great-uncle, died of pancreatic cancer in 2012 at age 62. Sanders’s last name will be stitched on the back of Olsen’s jersey Saturday as the UA hockey team hosts its annual cancer awareness game. The Wildcats have already raised a program-record $15,000, which they will donate to the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

Sanders was a legend in Minnesota hockey circles. The 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pounder played for the University of Minnesota’s varsity team as a sophomore. Two years later, Sanders — by then a captain — led the Golden Gophers to the 1971 Frozen Four, where Minnesota fell to Boston University in the national championship game.

Sanders caught the attention of the U.S. national team and was part of the 1972 Winter Olympics squad. There, Sanders finished runner-up again. The Soviet Union beat the United States for the gold medal.

Sanders returned home to Minnesota where he joined the Fighting Saints, who were part of the burgeoning World Hockey Association.

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After a season with the team, Sanders shocked the local hockey community by quitting the sport to pursue the ministry. He spent his adult life as a pastor, founding the Spirit of Life Bible Church in Woodbury, Minnesota; he penned a memoir, “From Silver to Gold,” tracking his life’s progression from defenseman to preacher.

By the time Olsen was old enough to play hockey competitively, Sanders had given up the days of lacing up the skates, but the two bonded by sharing stories from the ice.

“He was great with young people and related to them really well,” said Wes Olsen, Orion’s father. “He was just a cool guy.”

Thirteenth-ranked Arizona (17-7) begins its two-game home series against Utah on Friday night, when the team hosts its Third Annual Teddy Bear Toss.

On Saturday, Mama’s Hawaiian BBQ will give out 500 T-shirts as part of “Pink the Rink” night.

After the game, players will read bios of the loved ones whose names are honored on their jerseys.

Berman calls it “my favorite game of the year.”

“It feels like the whole city is behind it,” he said. “We get such support and there’s such emotion in the building. The players get it too. They’re honored to be wearing somebody’s name on their back, and that’s a special responsibility.”