In hockey, the words "warrior," "battle" and "tough" are tossed around all the time. At the end of Avalanche practice Tuesday, 12 U.S. Army brigade members who recently have been in battle walked into the team's dressing room.

A mutual admiration society developed, as the Army personnel took pictures with their cellphones and gathered autographs, and wide-eyed Avs players asked what it was like in Iraq.

"For us, it's an honor to get to meet them," Avalanche captain Joe Sakic said. "These guys risk their lives protecting us."

The 12 soldiers are based at Fort Carson, where they have been since August, after spending the previous 12 months in Iraq. They may be sent back next October.

"For some of these folks, they haven't been back in the United States for 18 months, some for two years," Lt. Col. Dave Johnson said.

"Some of them are real surprised they were allowed to come in here.

"It's not your average day you can come in here and sit down with guys like Joe Sakic or Rob Blake."

Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles could have been one of the soldiers. As a teenager, Liles attended a military academy prep school in Culver, Ind., for two years. Liles' father, John, is a hockey prospect coordinator with the academy and was in the dressing room Tuesday with his son. Liles' brother, Joseph, who is in his third year at the Naval Academy, also was on hand.

"I never went to war, but I know the marching and wearing the uniform," Liles said. "I have a deep respect for these guys and the women that serve. They go out and do their job every day; it doesn't matter if it's a holiday or what. The hockey life is nothing compared to what these guys do. Every once in a while, a guy's got to step back and realize just how good we have it."

Said Liles' father, John: "It makes me feel good to see these guys because I can see (John-Michael) in them. It was a good background for him. The structure and leadership that we teach there, that was good for him."

Maj. Rob Cunniff was busy pointing out some of the players for his autograph-seeking comrades. Cunniff's family has a hockey background; his uncle, John Cunniff, was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team and played in the old World Hockey Association.

"It's nice to see these guys and appreciate what they do for the community," Cunniff said.

"And it's nice to be in a place where people aren't shooting at you and things aren't blowing up around you. Pretty much every soldier in this room was exposed to small arms fire or some kind of improvised explosive device."

Sakic, a Canadian, has lived almost year-round in Denver the past 10 years. He does not have dual citizenship, but he appreciates what American soldiers are doing for this country as much as anyone.

"I feel dual. I mean, we've been here so long," Sakic said. "It's home. We love it here and, like I said, to have these guys come in, it's great."