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In part two of the conversation with former Pembina Valley Hawks star goalie Reid Dyck, he talks about gearing up for the playoffs with the Swift Current Broncos, his future in hockey and what it was like to love the game through an injury-plagued season that turned out to be one of his most enjoyable in his career.
Last year when the Broncos were going on that special run, Dyck says it was his best year in hockey despite having to miss chunks of time battling injury. "I actually got hurt in training camp, I tore my hamstring," the netminder explains with a chuckle. "I think I missed the first 12 games of the year. I came back for a BC road trip and unfortunately, I blew out my ankle, I'd say 13 or so games after that. I missed nine weeks with that. It was a crazy year battling injuries and a lot of ups and downs. I got healthy at the right time, right around Christmas, just in time for that playoff push. We brought in a lot of good players, Conor Geekie was one of them. That was probably the most fun I've ever had playing hockey, just with the group we had. We had a lot of 2004 born guys who were with me throughout my career and we kind of peaked at the right time together. We had a good team, the guys were fantastic, high character guys and it made for a great year that I'll take with me for the rest of my life."
It wasn't always easy for Dyck, between joining a young, rebuilding franchise where wins were hard to come by and battling through that string of injuries, he was pushed mentally but he believes it made him even tougher. "I mean, there's always stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Every player is fighting their own battle, whether it's injury or a slump or whatever. It's a pretty normal part of the game. Some guys show it more than others sometimes or results show more. For me, it is hard mentally sometimes, but when you have that feeling of success, you kind of chase that the rest of your career. Having some of that, you know what it takes to get back there. If you're in a slump or having a bad season, you know what makes you successful and getting back to it comes through growth and maturity. Being in my 20-year-old season and it being my last year, you really find what works for you and it's what's helped me the most, staying true to what makes me successful."
Time has flown by for Dyck but he says thanks to the changing landscape in junior hockey, a new and exciting door has been opened for him. "It was the fastest five years of my life, no doubt. With the new college rule, with major-junior players allowed to go play NCAA now, NCAA is going to be the route I'm choosing to take. I'm talking to a few schools right now and talking to my family about what is right for me. So, college hockey is the way I'm going to go next year. I'm going to get an education and hopefully it opens some more doors for me down the road."
Being a goaltender, Dyck is hopeful having more opportunity at a high level will help him earn more looks from teams going forward and maybe going pro is a real option. "I think it gives me a longer runway. Before this rule came in, it was a huge decision to make at 20, whether to go play U-Sport or take a shot at cracking pro. Now, it's more of a stepping stone option that a lot of guys are using. Playing in front of different scouts or different eyes is never a bad thing. The goal is to play professional hockey. I feel like with a couple of extra years to develop, that goal may come to fruition."
Being from Winkler, many young goalies are looking up to Reid Dyck and they want to be a goalie just like him, that's something Dyck doesn't take for granted because he was one of those kids. "It's super special. It means a lot. I remember when I was young, I'd be watching the Flyers or the Hawks, looking up to them. If I can be someone that kids look up to, that is special. Hockey in the Pembina Valley is awesome. The support the community shows is special. They love their hockey and it means a lot that they support me."
Being humble and down to earth is something Dyck prides himself in but he also knows that the cliche of goalies being a little weird is out there and he admits it's true. "I'd consider myself pretty normal but the stereotype isn't completely off. There are some oddball goalies out there, for sure. I don't have any weird rituals or anything. We do get a bad rap being goalies but I can't say they are all always wrong."
Dyck and the Swift Current Broncos will start their playoff journey Friday night against the Medicine Hat Tigers.