‘He was one of the fiercest competitors we’ve ever had in Medicine Hat’

Tigers coach Clouston remembers Dorsett as ‘an absolute warrior’

While former Medicine Hat Tiger Derek Dorsett announced his retirement from the NHL Thursday due to spinal issues stemming from a series of head and neck injuries, Shaun Clouston says his legacy will certainly live on for decades to come.

The Tigers head coach and general manager oversaw Dorsett’s Western Hockey League development as an associate coach, and says his work ethic and tenacity are still regularly used as an example in the dressing room to this day.

“He was such a great example when he played here. And then he’s somebody we use as an example for our players today because of his work ethic, his integrity and his drive — with average skills. He didn’t play until he was 18,” said Clouston. “He got cut from four or five midget teams before he found a spot. He just had a never give up, never say die attitude. He worked and competed his way not only into the NHL but a great career.”

Clouston added he will always remember Dorsett as ‘one of the fiercest competitors’ the Tigers have ever had in his 15 seasons with the team. After playing three seasons with the Tigers from 2004 to 2007 and hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup in his final season, Dorsett was drafted to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the seventh round of the 2007 draft.

The Kindersley product closed the book on his 10-season professional career — which he spent between the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks — with 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes across 515 games played.

“He was just an absolute warrior, just ferocious in his mindset,” said Clouston. “He was very mentally tough, would face any challenge against any opponent. He was extremely competitive. I’ve never seen anybody hate to lose more than Dorsett.”

Clouston added Dorsett was a pivotal factor in Medicine Hat’s 2007 championship run. The WHL final between the Tigers and Vancouver Giants featured a handful of unforgettable matchups, including an ongoing battle between Dorsett and Milan Lucic.

“It was an unbelievably hardfought series and Dorsett was a huge part of that team,” said Clouston. “There was lots. There was Lucic and there was (Kenndal) McArdle and we had (Jordan) Bendfeld. The challenging part there was Dorsett had a broken hand. They were really working on getting him to drop the gloves. There was one instance that might have been set up a little bit where off a face-off Bendfeld stepped in.”