Dietrich Kept Things Light in Dressing Room
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B2 ■ SPORTS THE BRANDON SUN ■ FRIDAY JULY 30 2021 TRY TO BEAT THAT!: THE 1978-79 BRANDON WHEAT KINGS Dietrich kept things light in dressing room BY PERRY BERGSON more after our careers fi nished the size and the ability to take had a charley horse he couldn’t great hockey players. Dieter, I and saw him while he was bat- on a bigger role but I wonder if shake or a thigh problem. If he thought, had a bigger role and Don Dietrich’s biggest im- tling his disease. He was a good he was mentally mature enough had been a year older and the he could have stepped in and pression may have been made man, and a very good hockey as a 17-year-old to play that kind player he was the next season in played more if they let him.” off the ice during the 1978-79 player. He was a tremendous as- of role in that league, the way the fall of ‘78, that would have WES COULSON: “Dieter just season. set.” the league was at the time. Let’s made a big difference, especially had a heart of gold. He would The 17-year-old Brandon BRIAN PROPP: “Dieter was be honest, it was a pretty brutal when Perovich got hurt. I loved do anything for anybody, any- Wheat Kings defenceman was awesome. He was quiet but his league physically at that time.” Donny Dietrich. He was always where any time. He was a really brought along slowly by his sense of humour was unbeliev- RAY ALLISON: “(Don) was cackling.” nice guy. I think he was a little coach, former National Hockey able. That made a difference. comic relief most of the time. RICK KNICKLE: “Dieter was bit intimidated to start with but League rearguard Dunc McCal- You need to have character guys Dieter was six-two and prob- an unbelievable person. We he got himself out of that. I don’t lum. who have fun and joke around.” ably weighed 200 pounds, he hung together and did a lot of think you would have one guy Freshly out of senior hockey RICK KNICKLE: “He was was a big fellow. He enjoyed life things together because of be- on that team say one bad word with his hometown Deloraine such a good player. When I fi rst and had a good time and played ing one year younger (than the about Dieter. He was always Royals, the rookie played on time say I thought ‘Whoa, that’s hard.” team’s 19-year-old core).” ready to help any way he could. Brandon’s blue-line behind the Don Dietrich a generational-type guy that can KELLY ELCOMBE: “(Don) DON GILLEN: “Dieter never If that meant he had to get out four 19-year-old defencemen skate like that and handle pucks was just a really nice guy, like changed. He was always a team- and drive the bus, he would ahead of him in the pecking or- Canada Customs. and confi dent … He played both Darren (Gusdal), just a really mate.” have just so he could help the der. “I take every one of those at- ends of the rink really well, and good guy. I think Dieter just STEPHEN PATRICK: “We rest of the guys on the team.” Even as he was protected by titudes that I got in hockey, ba- it showed.” loved the hockey life and every- had a party at Christmas, and DAVE STEWART: “Dieter was McCallum, Dietrich showed sically, with that junior founda- TIM LOCKRIDGE: “Dieter thing that came with that, not what that song from Grease, gung ho. He was one of those fl ashes of the player he would tion to deal with my illnesses was kind of the class clown. He only the team but just hanging White Lightning, came on and guys where he wanted to go become, putting up 43 points in the way I do,” Dietrich told the was always a smart ass, had a out and the guys and the life- he started dancing to it. It was places. You could tell. He had a 69 games. Brandon Sun in 2016. “There’s smart-ass remark or comeback style and playing and travelling. very, very funny. Dieter was the lot of natural talent but again he With more responsibility in no guarantee.” for everything he always said. He was a total, total hockey guy.” fi rst guy I saw in high-top run- needed a little training. He was the 1979-80 season after the Dietrich wrote a book with He was really witty and would WES COULSON: “I played ners and painter pants. He had a big boy but he wasn’t that ag- graduation the four 19-year- his wife Nadine and area writer do anything for you. He was just with Donny a fair bit. He was a a lot of skill. He was good with gressive when it came to hitting old blue-liners ahead of him in Brad Bird called No Guarantees, that kind of guy you wanted to smart, smart player and he had the puck, and could shoot the and stuff like that. He wanted the lineup, Dietrich responded which came out in 2007. It can take care of. He was just a bud- some good offensive skills but it puck. He had a good career and to be more like a Perovich but with 60 points in 63 games. That be purchased at Amazon. dy.” was throwing a 17-year-old kid was a real good guy. Dieter and he wasn’t ready for that. He had prompted the Chicago Black- Dietrich died on Feb. 16, 2021 BRANT KIESSIG: “The most into a lineup we had that was I were there (two years later) as to get a little tougher … Dieter hawks to grab him in the ninth at age 59. light-hearted guy on that team mostly 19-year-olds or a lot of 19-year-olds together. I really, was always a good guy. I used to round, 183rd overall in 1980 KELLY McCRIMMON: “Dieter would have been Don Dietrich. them. We had a fairly old team, really liked him.” run into him all the time when I He graduated to the pro ranks was my roommate and my best He was kind of the class clown. and it can be kind of intimidat- DAVE CHARTIER: “Donny is was in Brandon. He had way too in 1981-82, debuting in the NHL friend then and through many He kept things light at times ing to a younger kid.” my brother. Him and I got draft- much bad luck that kid, way too on Dec. 31, 1983 with the Black years after. He was so well liked when that team got way too se- BRIAN PROPP: “(Don) had ed the same year. Donny went to much bad luck.” Hawks against the Detroit Red by everyone, he was so funny, rious. We got a little bit dark. We a book (his autobiography No Chicago and I went to Winnipeg. DAVE McDONALD: “(Don) Wings. He played 17 games with just a guy who everybody abso- were our worst critics.” Guarantees) he gave me and I I knew Nadine very well, I knew was only 17 that year. He was a Chicago and 11 with the New lutely loved. He was 17 on that MIKE PEROVICH: “Dieter read that a couple of times. He his kids very well, I tried to keep talented young player. He liked Jersey Devils. team, and in that era, 17 would always had a smile on his face. was a fun kind of guy, he liked him touch with him. Donny was to have fun. We would laugh and Dietrich retired from pro be the youngest you played — He was always happy. If you told to have fun and joke around but the biggest gentleman in my joke around. We had lots of fun hockey after the 1990-91 season. it would be very uncommon to him something he would listen, could be a little serious too.” history … He played good, he with him. He was a character for He began working at a golf have a 16-year-old in the West- and he was always asking ques- GREGG DRINNAN: “As a wasn’t a dirty player, he played sure. He was a fun guy.” course in Buxton, Maine, mov- ern League in those days — so tions and wanted to learn. He 17-year-old, especially in the the game like it was supposed DON GILLEN: “When you ing the family back home to as a 17-year-old he was a young was a good teammate. I liked fi rst part of the season, Dunc to be.” fi rst got to know Dieter, you felt Deloraine in 1994 to take over guy, yet he played senior hockey him. He was a good guy.” likely fi gured that if he played TIM LOCKRIDGE: “Donny like you knew him all your life. a restaurant. He was diagnosed the year before in Deloraine. He GREGG DRINNAN (Bran- Donny too much, he would was younger and Kelly (El- He was the kind of guy you met with Parkinson’s disease in 1995, was just a fabulous guy and a don Sun): “He was a deer in the get into those wrong situations combe) was a year younger too at training camp and you felt and had his fi rst bout with can- great friend to me for sure but headlights to start with.