Kevin Dickie - middle, conducted a ceremonial puck drop prior to Wednesday night's game between the Melfort Mustangs and Estevan Bruins (photo courtesy/Broad Leaf Media)

By Ben Tompkins

Kevin Dickie

Mustangs honour former head coach for contributions to club history

Nov 14, 2024 | 5:18 PM

A legend of the Melfort Mustangs organization returned to the Northern Lights Palace Wednesday night for the first time in roughly 10 years.

Former Head Coach of the team (back in the 1990s) Kevin Dickie was honoured prior to the Mustangs taking on the Estevan Bruins on Nov. 13.

The club held a presentation for Dickie pregame and he performed the ceremonial puck drop to the two teams’ captains.

“I actually wasn’t expecting any of this, I just thought I was coming to a hockey game to watch the Mustangs, and I was excited about that. It was nice and I’m really appreciative because this place has been a big part of my family’s life. My two boys were born here, so I couldn’t be happier and I saw so many people tonight which was awesome,” Dickie told northeastNOW.

“I was really locked into the game and I didn’t want to see Trevor (Blevins) after a loss, but they deserved to blow them out and they got it done in overtime, so to see the win was pretty cool.”

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A Shaunavon, Saskatchewan native who now resides in Nova Scotia, Dickie was the Melfort bench boss from 1991 until 1996, winning two SJHL Championships and earning a national silver medal in his final season.

Dickie coached Blevins when he was a player during that time and the two’s relationship has been strong ever since.

“I was only in Melfort for five years but it has been the foundation for everything I’ve done in the sports world. The community was special to us and we got to spend time in a high-performance environment that I think we helped create here a little bit, and Blevs has just taken it to the next level. Melfort has been a big part of everything that I’ve done,” Dickie added.

“Trevor and I are super close, and I’m a super passionate alumni of this program. I was really happy with my time here, and really proud of what we kind of left for the next people coming behind. To think about what Trevor’s done to take it to the absolute next level, it’s beyond words, and I’m proud of him because he’s such a great person.”

Blevins shared very similar sentiments for a guy he views as a mentor and taught him a lot of the values that he still holds true today.

He looks up to Dickie who in his career has been on the coaching staff for both the Medicine Hat Tigers and Saskatoon Blades, has spent time coaching Canadian Junior National teams, and for most of the last while has been the executive director of Acadia University Athletics.

“I think it was huge for our club to recognize a person who was very integral in the early stages of this organization to set the culture and foundation that is still implemented today. His coaching philosophies, preparation, work ethic, and what was expected from a hockey club as individuals are all the founding areas and recipe for success,” explained Blevins.

“His community involvement, in the sense of giving back to Melfort, was also very important when he was here, and we feel the Mustangs are a top-notch organization because of people like him who paved the way… it was a small recognition for a guy who’s done a lot and is still a very valuable resource to this day, but one that we could tell he was happy and proud of.”

Blevins and Dickie are the only two coaches in club history to guide their team to the National Junior A Gold Medal Game.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8