Renowned Huskies coach to hang up his skates
Ex-huskies player and coach believes he’ll still help those who teach the game
The rusted hulk of Rutherford Rink welcomed an old friend Monday.
Renowned hockey coach Dave King laced up a vintage pair of blades, and went for one last skate at his old haunt.
King — wearing the same Micron molded-plastic skates he bought in 1986 and first used with the Huskies — coached at a youth hockey camp on the familiar old surface. Then he skated off, one last time.
“Sure, there’s a soft spot for it,” King said. “But it’s long overdue (to be replaced).”
The gleaming new Merlis Belsher Place awaits its baptism. King — an ex-huskies player and coach — led the fundraising campaign for the new facility, and on Monday, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the U of S during spring convocation ceremonies at TCU Place.
Also receiving honorary degrees were Merlis Belsher, David Carpenter, Leonard Edwards, Agnes Herzberg, Joni Mitchell, Ross Petty and Joseph Quewezance.
King coached the Huskies to the 1983 Canadian university national men’s hockey crown before moving onto the NHL, international hockey, and multiple Olympic teams. He’s 70 years old now, and was an assistant coach on Canada’s 2018 Olympic squad.
It might be time to slow down, he says, but he doesn’t sound convinced.
“It looks like I’m going to try to retire,” King said. “I hate that word: retire. I just hate that word. I’m a busy guy, and I’ll do all kinds of things, try to help out with as many things as I can. But I won’t actively coach for the first time in my career. And I’ve got to tell you, I have a few questions about that.
“The only time I feel old is when I look in the mirror in the morning. Other than that, I feel great. I’ve got lots of energy. It’s going to be interesting: Can I really retire?”
King ’s use of that word doesn’t square with the way most other people view retirement. He’ll keep a hand in the sport. Maybe two, if the mood strikes.
“I’d like to keep active, helping other coaches,” King said. “I’d like to help in coaching development, because I think that’s where the game has to get better. If you can get better coaches, with a better philosophy of the game and some expertise, the kids have a better experience, and more kids stay with it. We’ve got to find a way to get kids in the game, and keep kids playing it longer.”
King has a quick answer when it comes to the why: Why this devotion? Why does he keep doing it?
“I love the game,” he said. “Every day, when I watch a game on TV, I learn something. I always say to myself: ‘When am I going to stop learning things? When is this going to stop?’ Then I realize it’s not going to stop. It’s simple. I enjoy the game, I enjoy watching other coaches do their work, do their craft. I find the game very, very interesting.
“I had a love affair with hockey way back when I was a kid. You know that old expression, you can’t learn to love the game until you freeze your toes? I was one of those guys, because we played outdoors, shovelled the rink off ... You fall in love with the game, and it just means so much to you.”
King learned to be a teacher at the U of S, and taught at Aden Bowman Collegiate for a few years — biology, physical education — and coached football, wrestling and basketball. Then, hockey called his name, and he went.
“I decided to try (hockey) for a year. That year just kept going,” he says. “Likely I would have been a principal at a school here in Saskatoon, and I probably would have had a lot of fun with a different career. But I’ve got to tell you: the career path I ended up evolving to has been enjoyable and unique.”