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Doc DelCastillo told me to check back in four years.

With everything that’s happened in the last few days, it seems like months ago, though it wasn't even a week to the day (Doc resigned Thursday and the Ice Dogs played the previous Friday).

He wasn’t happy when he said it, but then, considering the conversation, I hardly expected him to be.

It was between periods at the Ice Dogs game, and I had simply wanted to chat up Erik Drygas. As such, I wasn’t paying too close attention to who was around him. Well, let’s be honest, I wasn’t paying one bit of attention.

The West Valley hockey coach and I chatted up his “up in the air” status, and a bit about the game. Running out of things to talk about, I switched the topic over to Adam Cardwell, who was skating against the Ice Dogs, and had committed to play for the Nanooks next year.

I wanted Drygas’ take on one thing: how did UAF land the North American Hockey League’s leading scorer?

Cardwell is part of a killer Wichita Falls line, and one of his linemates is headed to Michigan State, another to Denver. Both top-caliber programs. But Cardwell, who at least on the stat sheet out performed both of them, was headed to a program that finished tied for ninth in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

I was wondering how that happened, and I asked Drygas as much.

Well, Doc was right there, and he didn’t take too kindly to the question.

“So, in your opinion, Michigan State is up here,” Doc asked, raising his hand up high, “Denver is here,” he asked, moving his hand just a little lower, “and we’re down here?” he finished, dropping his hand down to his thighs.

“Yes,” I replied, not knowing what else to say, and not wanting to lie.

“Well, check back in four years,” Doc said and turned away.

He overestimated his stay by at least three years and 51 weeks.

More importantly, though, those aren’t the words of a man who’s thinking about resigning. Heck, sitting there watching his player-to-be aren’t the actions of a man who doesn’t expect to be coaching him next year.

And a man who was thinking about jumping ship wouldn’t have the sheer anger I saw in his eyes. That was still “his” program I was talking about. That’s why he took exception.

He wasn’t a man resigned to leaving Fairbanks and UAF behind. He was a man ready to defend his program against anyone who disparaged it.

Now, I have to admit, I’m getting kind of sick trying to read between the lines of coaches “resignations.” This latest one, according to the university’s press release, was because of he and his wife expecting their sixth kid. And with the kid, they wanted to be closer to family.

Now, of course, we can’t completely rule out that that’s true.

But my colleague Danny Martin tells me that Doc told him on an early-season road trip that he and his wife were expecting their sixth child. So, this is hardly new news. If he was thinking about resigning he would have thought long and hard about it before I put my foot in my mouth last week at the Dipper.

He wouldn’t have told me to check back in four years.

Then you can add in the rumors — the whispers around town of players near revolt; and other rumors of much worse — and it all paints a picture of much more than a man resigning to move back closer to his family — a man who dreamed of being a Division I head coach giving up on the dream in less than a year.

If there’s more to this story, like I suspect, we at the News-Miner will do our best to bring it to you. But for now, no one on the hill is talking. They have their story and they're sticking to it.

For my part, I plan on following Doc’s wishes. I’ll look him up in four years.

I just wonder where I’ll find him.