Imagine being a young computer science student with teachers named Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak, or a culinary student whose professors are Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay. Now you get a sense of what Semyon Varlamov might feel like.

Varlamov, the young Avalanche netminder hoping for better things in his career, has Patrick Roy as his head coach and Francois Allaire as his goalie coach. The former is generally acknowledged as the greatest goalie in NHL history, and the latter is credited for teaching Roy the secrets of his success.

Varlamov has the formidable task of being the first pupil to the collective teaching team of Roy and Allaire, and the learning curve figures to be steep. The Russian goalie enters training camp as So far Varlamov is earning good marks from Roy and Allaire.the Avs' No. 1 goalie, but in the last year of his contract and with another former student of Allaire — Jean-Sebastien Giguere — as his backup. Can he make the grade?

"I know there are a lot of question marks in Denver regarding Varly," Roy said. "But I can say one thing: I drove from Quebec to Montreal to see him practice with Francois (this summer), and for 14 days he worked with Francois and 'Jiggy' in Montreal, and he was with Francois for about a week in Switzerland; he is putting in a commitment that makes me believe he deserves a chance to prove himself, and we will give him that chance."

Already, Varlamov is changing his style some based on suggestions from Roy and Allaire. The biggest is the positioning of his catching glove higher.

"When he's going to face a shooter, the shooter is going to see less," Roy said. "That's the first big change for him. And you know what? He's very receptive."

For Varlamov, 25, it all seems a bit surreal still that his boyhood idol is his head coach.

"It's a dream come true. I'm so excited about it," Varlamov said. "I can't wait for the season to start. I know it's a very important Allaire, who coached goalies with Montreal from 1984-96, Anaheim from 1997-2009 and Toronto from 2009-12, is known for stressing constant movement toward the puck with an emphasis on the butterfly technique. Goalies under Allaire can be expected to skate well, with good side-to-side mobility. That may seem fundamental for success for any goalie, but Allaire's methods were considered revolutionary in the 1980s when he started in Montreal, with Roy as his first star pupil. The standard style of goaltending before that was a more stationary, "stand-up" approach.year for me and the Avs."

Allaire also introduced a different method of sharpening the skates of goalies; in the older days, skates were kept in a more convex shape to make the edges duller — the theory being it made it easier to shift from side to side. But Allaire insisted on edges as sharp as possible, to make for quicker push-offs and better anchoring once in a new position.

Varlamov has always had excellent quickness and had some success in the NHL but has yet to put together a true breakout season since being drafted in the first round by Washington in 2006. He posted an 11-21-3 record with the Avs last season, with a 3.02 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.

It hasn't all been his fault, as the Avs' defense in front of him was woeful last season. But that excuse only lasts so long in a league known for its impatience with goaltending.

"I know I always need to improve, to keep working to be better," Varlamov said. "I feel more comfortable here now. I've been here a couple years now and know the guys a lot better. I feel like I have a good chance."

Varlamov badly wants to start for Russia in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, calling it a "lifelong dream" to play in his home country for a gold medal. He was on the Russian team of 2010, but was the No. 3 goalie. He knows the only way that will happen is if he plays well with the Avalanche before that. He also knows he has good help on his side to make that happen.

"It's like I have two goalie coaches. And they both know what it takes to win Stanley Cups. I couldn't ask for much better than that," he said.

RECORD OF SUCCESS

Semyon Varlamov has some marquee help around him for the art of goaltending. As a young goalie still trying to make his way to stardom in the NHL, he has successful examples all around him, including:

Patrick Roy, head coach - A Hall of Famer, with four Stanley Cups and an unprecedented three Conn Smythe Trophies in three different decades.

Francois Allaire, goalie coach - He is credited by Roy for teaching him the methods to become a great goalie during their time together in Montreal in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Avs goalie - The veteran backup to Varlamov, he also blossomed as a star under Allaire in the last decade in Anaheim.

Craig Billington, Avs assistant general manager - He had a long career and is the only goalie in league history to play on a team with Roy and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.