DENVER – In this coldest of winters for hockey fans, there was a scene to warm your heart Friday night in the Rockies. In a game between teams from Boston and Colorado, a man named Bourque lined up against a man named Stastny.

Obviously, this wasn’t an NHL game. There is no NHL this fall. It wasn’t Ray Bourque going up against Peter Stastny; both men have retired from the game and have since been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

This was a battle of college freshmen with Hall of Fame pedigrees: Boston University’s Chris Bourque against University of Denver’s Paul Stastny. Each man has seen his father’s number retired by NHL teams, and each man is now trying to make a name for himself in the college ranks.

Bourque took the ice Friday night with three goals for the Terriers. It’s totally unfair to compare him to his father, but if you’re a Bruins fan you can’t help but flashback when you see Chris go down on one knee and do the fist pump after scoring a goal.

It’s a nice tribute to his father, who returned to Denver to watch the Terriers in action this weekend. While Bourque’s 21 seasons in Black and Gold makes him property of New England fans, hockey fans out here have staked a claim to No. 77 after they cheered him on to his first Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001. He might’ve only lived in the Mile High city for 15 months, but he accomplished enough here to get his number retired by the Avs, too.

Now, he’s just trying to be a hockey dad. His presence hovers over the Terriers, but he manages to stay in the background. If you followed his career, you know he’s not one to be a disruptive influence.

“I coached him a little bit last year when he was at Cushing Academy,” said Papa Bourque. “It’s not easy to coach your kid. It’s a fine line. It’s not that you’re critical, but sometimes it comes out a little different talking to your kid. You’re watching him all the time.

“Now, I’m really enjoying being a dad watching him play.”

“I think Ray is confident in what we’re doing,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “He wants Chris to succeed in hockey and in school, and he knows we’re trying to do what’s best for his son.”

The younger Bourque speaks of trying to “add to the Bourque legacy,” and may just do that before it’s all said and done. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round, and if the NHL ever resumes play, he may get a chance to put his skills to the test.

“It’s great to see,” said Ray. “A lot of the little things I’ve been telling Chris at Cushing were sinking in. I guess he was listening after all.”

It’s obvious Chris was soaking it all up, yet he doesn’t want to simply be known as the son of a great player. He wants to earn his own way on the ice. Back in September, he had to fill out an informational form for the BU Sports Information Department. On the space asking “father’s occupation,” Chris Bourque simply wrote “retired.”

Yes, Ray Bourque is retired. So is his number, both here and in Boston. Yet the Bourque legacy lives on, with a son who is making his father very proud.

Lewiston native Tom Caron is a studio host for NESN.