Pictured L-R: Donna King (mother), Danene Kopperud, Dwight King, D.J. King, Dayna King, and Dwayne King (father) celebrate following Dwight’s first of two Stanley Cup wins with the LA Kings, in 2012. (Submitted photo/Danene Kopperud)

By Martin Martinson

Local Hockey Royalty

Meadow Lake’s King family reflects on call to Sask Hockey Hall

Feb 24, 2023 | 12:38 PM

The Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame recently announced its 2023 Induction Class for the fall ceremony that will take place in Meadow Lake at the end of August.

Among the local-area inductees recognized this year are Meadow Lake’s King family, featuring former NHL players Dwight King and D.J. King, and their sisters Dayna King and Danene Kopperud— each of whom played at the University of Saskatchewan.

The four will be enshrined together in the Builder/Grassroots Category.

Dwight King, who won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014), and played more than 365 games at the highest level, said hockey has always played a key role in their lives for as long as he can remember.

“Right from our parents down, hockey has kind of been our lifestyle growing up and it continues to be now with my siblings and I having families and kids,” he said.

Billion dollar industry

National Forest Week: Local forestry company a 'shining star' in industry

7h ago

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Bell Tolls

14h ago

Rain on the way

Significant rainfall expected through Thursday

Sep 18, 2024

“It’s a game that you can learn a lot of life lessons from. It’s not just about putting the puck in the net; you learn character skills, teamwork, and how to handle adversity. All of those things translate into real-life problem solving and the process of growing up.”

It is that passion for the game that keeps bringing Dwight and his siblings back, now heading into their 13^th year of running the family’s ‘King’s Hockey School,’ a summer hockey camp for youth of various ages and skill levels, held at the nearby Pineridge Ford Arena on Flying Dust First Nation.

“That one was kind of started by our parents, and especially my mom,” Dwight said with an audible smile. “It was an easy way to give back for one week a year during the summertime when my brother and I were still playing professionally, and it’s about bringing the joy back into the game for the kids.”

A look in from the King’s Hockey School. (Facebook/King’s Hockey School)

D.J., who played nearly 120 NHL games split between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, added that it was important for them to give the next generation the same opportunity they had growing up, to learn the game close to home.

“We were fortunate enough when we were growing up to have a hockey school in Meadow Lake, and then there were so many years where the kids just didn’t have that opportunity so they had to go elsewhere,” D.J. said. “It was something we were able to give back to the community a bit to bring back a hockey school, and the kids really enjoy it.”

Dwight and D.J. have also combined in recent years to form DK Skills Hockey Development, a clinic they run a couple of times a month, where they travel to Indigenous communities and work around the local area, helping youth train to compete in elite programs and develop their skills.

When not on the ice running skills camps, Dwight and D.J. can often be found behind the bench, as each has a son on the same minor hockey team, along with Danene’s daughter. The team is coached by Dwight and D.J., and managed by Danene.

Dwight said now on the other side of things, watching their family’s next generation grow up with a similar passion for the game brings back memories from his childhood out on the family farm just north of Meadow Lake where they grew up, and about a mile from where he currently resides today with his own family.

“I remember a lot of front yard games for us on the lawn in the summertime, or in the winter on the frozen dugout, just playing outside and going over those skills you develop over all those hours,” Dwight said, looking back fondly.

“Now I watch my son’s development from just going out there and playing with his cousins, and without even realizing it, the reps they’re putting in just having fun with the game. That’s cool to see from the other side now, as the parent and the coach.”

Danene said with the role hockey has played in their family, it means a lot to go into the Hall together as a family unit.

“It’s an honour to be inducted as a family,” she said. “Hockey has always been a huge part of our lives and now it’s about passing it on to the next generation. Through hockey, we have been blessed to experience many amazing opportunities, with more memories to come as our little crew grows up. Most importantly, receiving this acknowledgment as a family highlights the value of kinship family.”

Half of all proceeds from this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be donated towards Meadow Lake’s efforts to build a new rink in the community after the Meadow Lake and District Arena burned down in June of 2021.

D.J. King called the rink more than just a place to play, also serving as an important staple in the lifeblood of the community.

“This community is so built around the rink, it just brings everyone together,” D.J. said. “We’ve been fortunate enough that our neighboring community of Flying Dust has a rink, but it’s a big hit in our community [to be without a rink]. Like in many small towns in Saskatchewan, there’s a lot of events that happen there that help make the community stronger.”

The 2023 Sask Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will take place Aug. 25 at Meadow Lake’s PineRidge Ford Amphitheatre. More on this year’s Inductees and event can be found here.

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1