"He's the nicest guy I've every played with—and any guy who ever played with him would say the same thing," Sharples said. "The thing that catches me the most is he's so modest. He never, ever gave himself enough credit for being as good as he was."

Goring, making his first Utah appearance since leaving to coach the New York Islanders five seasons ago, has enjoyed a 20-year teammate-coach-friend relationship with Dineen, dating back to when they both played for the same NHL team on Long Island.

"It's always a good indication of a player and coach's relationship when you maintain that friendship when it's done," he said. "It's been five years and Gordy and I are still friends. That speaks volumes."

Pinpointing just one memory of Dineen was too difficult for Goring, who's looking for a new hockey job after recently departing from a position with a German team. Goring fondly recalls "dealing with Gordy on a day-to-day basis."

"I knew what I was getting," Goring said. "He was exactly what I was looking for. He was the right person to be captain of our hockey club."

Similar things were mentioned in verbal tributes given all night by a slew of his former teammates and Grizz officials — including ex-Grizz Dave Archibald, Bob Beers, Todd Copeland, Andy Brickley, Rob Zettler, ex-coach Kevin Cheveldayoff, ex-president Tim Mouser and owner David Elmore.

Dineen, who played in 528 National Hockey League games, was glad he finished here.

"Six years with the Grizzlies was a great way for me to end my career," he said. "If I couldn't be in the NHL this was as classy an organization as you can find."

Forward Jarrod Skalde was also honored Saturday, earning a spot in the Grizz's "Ring of Honor."

Hartford and Utah go at each other again Monday at 1 p.m.—an early start for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

---

E-mail: jody@desnews.com