For 11 seasons, Curtis ‘Superman’ Dickson dazzled the Rough House with dynamic, high-flying goals.
But this time around, he’ll be playing the villain.
“Hopefully they don’t find my Kryptonite,” Dickson joked.
The longtime fan favourite and former Calgary captain is making his return to the Rough House after signing with the San Diego Seals in free agency last August.
Months later, it remains one of the most difficult decisions he’s made in his career.
“It was a long three or four days. Me and my wife talked about it for quite a while and were back and forth,” Dickson recalled. “I’d earned my right to free agency and kind of shop around and I just thought this was the best fit for me at this point in my career.
“No surprise to anybody, I’m getting older, and my career is starting to wind down. Dane (Dobbie) coming here last year was a big reason I chose San Diego and I just love the culture that this team is building and the roster that they’ve been able to put together.”
The 34-year-old closed out his Roughnecks tenure as Calgary’s all-time leading scorer with 458 goals, including 22 game-winners — a franchise record .
As he returned to the Saddledome for the first time since trading jerseys, one particular memory comes to mind.
“In 2019, winning the championship was probably the greatest moment of my lacrosse career,” Dickson said. “But, you know, over an 11-year career there’s so many instances in this in this room that have been amazing. This is the only place that I had ever called home. So it’s definitely going to be a bit of an emotional time.”
“That was actually the first time he had won in this league after, I think it was, nine seasons,” Roughnecks forward Zach Currier recalled. “He’s been so close so many times. Seeing how fulfilled he was lifting that trophy was probably my number one moment with him.”
Dickson isn’t the only lacrosse superstar to make tracks for San Diego.
Riggers’ all-time points leader, Dane Dobbie, signed with the Seals and made his first trip to the Dome as a visitor in 2021.
After a resounding ovation, Dobbie scored seven times and was left bloodied by the effort.
So Dickson has an idea of what to expect.
“Dane, last year, got cheers until he buried seven on us during the game and then they probably didn’t like him too much. But the fans here, they’re so passionate, so knowledgeable. I’m expecting to hopefully get a warm reception at the start and then they’ll probably learn to hate me over the 60-minute game.”
Beyond what happens on the floor, there are no hard feelings between the players.
Dickson even works with forward Tyler Pace in the offseason.
“He sent a message to us (after the signing) and he’s a good friend of all of ours,” Currier added. “He’s been around for a long time so you can’t really hold it against him. This is, at the end of the day, a job and some people get better job opportunities, whether it’s location, pay, or whatever it may be, and people can make their own decisions that are best for them and their families. We completely understand that.”
Feelings aside, fans can expect a vicious battle between the only undefeated teams in the western conference.
The Roughnecks are coming off of home-and-away wins against Vancouver, outscoring the Warriors 25- 14 through two contests.
The Seals rallied for seven-straight goals in a dramatic overtime comeback victory against the Saskatchewan Rush. Dickson tallied four goals and four assists, including the overtime winner.
Dickson will be recognized by the organization for his impact on the franchise in the first quarter of the game.