Mallards' Dimaline decides to leave the net

By Alan Trubow

After shining bright between the pipes for six years, the United
Hockey League's winningest goalie is dimming the lights on his
professional hockey career.

Joe Dimaline, who led the Quad-City Mallards to the Colonial Cup in
2001, announced Tuesday that he is hanging up his skates after 165
regular-season wins and two Colonial Cup championships.

Dimaline, who won 70 games in three years with the Mallards after he
was acquired in a trade with Muskegon in 2001, will trade in a career
of stopping pucks for one of stopping crime.

The 30-year-old from Ontario, Canada, accepted a job in a Toronto
suburb as a police officer on the Peel Regional Police force.

"I wouldn't mind playing a few more years, but there comes a time
when you have to get serious," said Dimaline, whose wife gave birth
to their first child, Matthew, in February. "I'm 30, and I'm not
making the big bucks as a hockey player in this league. I had a
chance to explore some opportunities and a chance to come home and be
closer to family and friends.

"I just needed something a little more concrete. This was better for
me and my family."

After leading the Mallards to the championship in 2001, Dimaline
posted a 38-7-1 record and a .917 save percentage in the 2001-02
season.

But Dimaline struggled last season.

Bothered by a knee injury, which he initially aggravated during the
2002 playoffs, he played in just 35 games. He eventually lost his
starting job to rookie Jeff Reynaert, who took the Mallards to the
Colonial Cup Finals.

Despite the emergence of Reynaert, who led the UHL with a .923 save
percentage, Mallards president Howard Cornfield knows Dimaline is a
tough guy to lose and an even tougher guy to replace.

"We just lost the all-time wins leader in this league. It's a huge
loss, and we have a huge hole to fill," Cornfield said. "He's a
winner. Everybody liked him. When it came time to step on the ice, he
was always ready to go. We wouldn't have won the cup without him (in
2001)."

Dimaline had been contemplating retirement for a while — he was
second in line for a job with the Muskegon (Mich.) Fire Department —
but decided to come back to the Mallards for the 2002-03 season.

He admitted last year was a tough season, especially playing backup
to Reynaert during the playoffs. But he said he made the right
decision to play one more year.

"I have no regrets, even after this year and how it ended, with me
not playing in the playoffs," said Dimaline, who won his first
Colonial Cup with the Muskegon Fury in 1998-99. "Of course I would
have wanted to be the No. 1 goaltender, but you can't always get what
you want, and maybe it was a sign that it was time to try something
new."

Cornfield said anybody who wants to know about the type of person
Dimaline is can look at the way he handled being Reynaert's backup.

"Not only did he always say the right things, but he was truly Jeff's
biggest supporter," Cornfield said. "He could have been completely
negative during the playoffs, and he was anything but that. He was
always there to root Jeff on. He's that type of guy.

"When the Mallards' reunions come, he should get the biggest hand
from the fans."

For all Dimaline's accomplishments — he is the league's all-time
shutout leader (15), was selected Goaltender of the Year in 1998-99
and named to the UHL All-Star Game in 1999 and 2000 — he remains
humble.

"As I stand right now, I'm the winningest goaltender in the league,
but I don't think I was the best goaltender in the league," he
said. "I worked hard. And while I wasn't the best, I always gave it
my best. I hope people remember that."

Dimaline certainly will remember the Quad-Cities.

"I really enjoyed my time there," he said. "It's one of the best
organizations in minor-league hockey. They are dedicated to winning,
and they treat their players right on and off the ice.

"The two greatest memories that I'll have are winning those rings,
and those can't be taken away from me."

While Cornfield was saddened by the loss, he's already thinking about
Dimaline's replacement.

"It's an emotional break. He's a class act and one of our all-time
greats, and it's sad to see such a vital player go," Cornfield
said. "But we go into every season expecting to fill the cup. We'll
start working on getting the position filled first thing (in the)
morning."

Alan Trubow can be contacted at (563) 383-2294 or at
atrubow@....