On the first day of undergraduate classes at the University of Minnesota this fall, Keith Ballard showed up early. He found an open desk up front and pulled out a notebook and pencil.
Soon after, the other seats were filled by students pulling out laptops.
In a classroom for the first time in more than a decade, Ballard quickly realized how much had changed since he left the U to become a pro hockey player following his junior year with the Gophers in 2004.
Ballard, 33, officially retired from the NHL last week because of lingering concussion symptoms but already had started finishing his undergraduate degree, taking finals this week before an internship and online classes next semester.