Thankful for the Good Times

PENSACOLA, FL – This time of year the Single A writers at Pro Hockey News like to highlight a fan who goes the extra mile and demonstrates an extraordinary amount of spirit.

Meet Joshua Dickens.

“Hockey isn’t just about winning,” said Dickens. “It’s about people working together through thick or thin all the way to the end, and casting that reflection onto their community. That is exactly what a hockey team is. It’s a family; a group of guys that come together for the collective hope of becoming champions and writing a legacy.”

Josh started his hockey adventures with his parents in the 1998/99 ECHL Ice Pilots season. Dickens and his father David travelled the corridor of deep south teams between Pensacola and Lafayette Louisiana, including Mobile and Biloxi.

“I didn’t understand hockey watching it as a child,” Josh recalls. “But as the years passed I developed a passion for it that would change my life forever. Now at 25 I look back on the many memories of seeing banners lifted, cup celebrations, wins, and losses.” Dickens watched the Ice Flyers hoist the cup in back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014, saw them break the record for most points in an SPHL season, and watched them clean sweep the playoffs in 2016 with a 7-0 playoff record for a third President’s Cup in a 4-year span.

“Hockey is and always will be a passion of mine,” said Dickens. “It’s allowed me to visit places and meet interesting people from Lafayette, Augusta, Mobile, and elsewhere.”

Dickens has hundreds of photos in his hockey collection that tell some unforgettable stories. He has met and made many permanent friendships with fans from almost every city with an SPHL team.

“My true hockey home will always be Pensacola,” said Dickens. “My fondest memories of winning championships and seeing records broken are there. I still head to The Hangar every game – every season – to cheer on my Pensacola Ice Flyers.”

The best memories are forged from the spirit in which they are lived out. What largely makes a moment special is expecting it to be special. A day at a ball park, a trip as a kid; these A-list times stay fresh in our memory because in our anticipation we experience something more profound than a good hotdog or a sunny drive.

For Joshua Dickens, hockey is full of those moments. “It’s about people,” says Josh. “And I’m thankful for every game.”