Paul Dixon has been honoured after a quarter century of commitment to ice hockey, as his team take his jersey number out of circulation.
Head Coach Paul Dixon of the UK’s southernmost ice hockey team, the Surrey-based Guildford Flames, had his jersey number retired to acknowledge his service to the club.
Dixon and his family were presented with a banner of the #22 prior to play against the Nottingham Panthers on 7 December last year. This banner is now displayed in the Guildford Spectrum’s rink rafters alongside the numbers of other players who have received this accolade.
On what spurred the club to retire the jersey, Kirk Humphreys, Chief Operations Officer of the Guildford Flames, explained by official criteria, a player is meant to have left the club after retirement before the honour is offered “but in Paul’s case he’s still in an active position, so the club and the supporters club decided after a quarter century of dedicated service and success it was time to recognise him.”
Jersey retirement is a significant honour in ice hockey as it is symbolic of a player’s exceptional career and contributions to their team. Once retired, jersey numbers are removed from team uniform circulation and therefore cannot be worn by players in future seasons without permission of the player honoured.
When asked how he felt about the retirement in a post-game interview, Dixon said: “I found out a little bit of time ago, and I wasn’t expecting it, it’s a great honour. Obviously I’ve been very fortunate to be here for 26 years.”
Dixon’s career with the Flames started in the 1999-2000 season as one of the team’s defencemen. He became captain in 2001, a position he held until hanging his skates to take over as head coach in 2007.
Humphreys said: “Last year was Paul’s 25th season in all roles including player, player-coach and head coach/GM. As the leader in many categories from games played, games coached and coaching wins, it was time to recognise that.”
Dixon reflected on his family’s support, highlighting that taking up hockey at 10 years old led to a career of 41 years and counting.
He added: “No matter what you do, your family’s most important to you. They have allowed me to do this for as long as I have and they deserve all the love and respect in the world.”
Following the banner presentation, the Flames cemented the celebratory atmosphere at the Spectrum with a 5-4 overtime win against the Panthers.
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