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REGINA — Dale Derkatch made a grand entrance when he became the head coach of the Regina Pats last summer — a hero's homecoming with all the pomp and circumstance befitting his legendary status.

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When Derkatch was shown the door on Tuesday, he walked out with a quiet, humble dignity befitting a man of class.

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"I'm not really going to say very much at all other than what I told (GM) Brent (Parker); I thanked him for the opportunity," said the Pats' all-time leading scorer, who was relieved of his coaching duties Tuesday while assistant Terry Perkins was informed his expiring contract wouldn't be renewed.

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"Obviously I have mixed emotions. I played for the team so you leave feeling bad that things didn't go well. I hope the team does well next year and for years to come. That's generally my whole take on it. You're not going to change anything now."

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Derkatch, who was fired with two years left on his contract, wasn't caught entirely off guard by the announcement since he didn't receive a vote of confidence after the underachieving Pats missed the playoffs.

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The question is: With just one season at the helm, did he get a fair shake?

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"I can't say," responded Derkatch, whose only previous coaching experience came with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds. "Coaches go in halfway through the year or for (only) two months and that's the chance they get. I had a year."

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As it turns out, it wasn't enough.

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"It's like anything, you never know what a situation is going to bring," continued Derkatch, who left a stable job as the director of hockey development at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. "That was the decision we made, not only myself but as a family. It was an opportunity and it seemed like a good fit at the time.

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"It's too bad I won't have an opportunity to go in (next season) with more of an understanding and a plan and getting things organized and have the time to do it. But it is what it is. I appreciate the opportunity I had. At the moment it's hard to know what's going to happen or what I'm going to do but going forward there will be other opportunities, whatever they are, and we'll move ahead."

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Parker took about seven weeks to determine the fate of Derkatch, who continued to perform his duties in spite of the fact he was essentially in limbo. Parker defended the delay, stating he had to put the necessary due diligence into his decision as well as get through the bantam draft.

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In the end, it came down to making a decision with his head, not his heart.

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"Dale is a great person," said Parker. "He cares deeply about the franchise and the kids and wants to succeed. That's why I wanted to make sure I took the proper time to evaluate everything. He has meant a lot (to the franchise) so of course it was difficult that way. He's an icon as a player. I still think he'll be a good coach. I hope he gets another opportunity."

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In terms of Derkatch's legacy, Parker said — in his mind — No. 16 will continue to hang from the rafters as proudly as ever.

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"I'll remember him as someone I enjoyed working with who came to work with a smile on his face even in the most difficult times and wanted to succeed as much as anybody," added the GM. "He still goes down in my mind as the best Pat player of all time. I'll leave that to other people to judge what his legacy is."

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As for Derkatch, he insisted his feelings about the organization haven't changed even though his departure is far from a fairytale ending.

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"It's part of my life," he said of the Pats' franchise. "As a player I had a great time and, you'll probably find this hard to believe, but this year, for a good two-thirds of it, was also a great experience. It turned bad after but you learn a lot from those things. The Pats will be around for a lot longer than all of us will be, so all the best in the future."

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