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It’s the end of an era for the Saskatoon Blades.
Joan Dietz, a Blades super-fan, long-time season ticket holder, billet mom and booster club founder passed away on Dec. 20 at the age of 72.
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The hockey team posted a social media tribute to Dietz on Jan. 3, noting that she first bought season tickets in 1977 and held the record as the longest season ticket holder in franchise history.
Tyler Wawryk, the Blades’ vice president of business operations, knew Dietz and said the team learned of her passing a couple of weeks ago.
“Players, fans, arena workers- everybody’s gotten to know Joan,” he said.
“We did a tribute to her at our last home game (Jan. 3). She had some family in attendance and (we) wanted to acknowledge that, ’cause she’s been a part of the Blades franchise for many years.”
Joan Dietz’ family members placed a Blades jersey over the seat where she used to cheer on the team during a tribute at a recent home game. Back Row: Nancy Marshall (sister), Ken Homeniuk (brother in law), Bev Homeniuk (sister) and Suzanne Skwarchuk (sister in law). Front Row: Ron Skwarchuk (brother) and Donna Skwarchuk (sister). (Nancy Marshall/Submitted)
Dietz wasn’t just a typical super-fan, dressing up in Blades gear and heading out to games regularly. She did all of that, of course, but she also did much more for the team and its players, according to her sister Nancy Marshall.
“Joan never did anything sort of halfway. (She) absolutely loved hockey all her life… so she became enamoured with the Blades and she just kept at it. It became part of her life,” she Marshall.
Part of Dietz’ love for the team included starting a booster club, which did scrapbooking projects as one of its initiatives.
The club grew to include around 20 volunteers who, for about 10 years, made the keepsakes for every single player by meticulously cutting out newspaper articles and pictures of them, while also keeping up with team stories.
“So that when they did leave the club, whether it was to carry on their career or go home or whatever it was, that they had these for themselves and their families,” Marshall said, noting that Dietz also had a full-time job as a nurse.
Dietz’ passion for the Blades also extended to following the team on western road trips, typically in the springtime. It was on one of those trips that she met her late husband Al.
“I think it was one of the first Blades west-coast road trips in 1989, and they did a number of booster trips most years, especially in the 1990s, and they sure looked like a lot of fun,” Marshall said.
After they married, the pair billeted players and worked to make their home a welcoming, safe gathering spot for the whole team.
“Always so much food, honestly. So she fed them well, and I’m guessing that’s why there ended up being a lot of them hanging around,” Marshall added, noting that Ukrainian Christmas was always an extra special time of year at Dietz’ home.
“Her and her husband didn’t have children. These boys were ‘her boys.’ You know, that’s how she referred to them,” Marshall said.
“They became our adopted nieces and nephews. She just really cared for them as if they were her own.”
Surviving Members of Dietz’s family came to Saskatoon for her funeral on Dec. 29th and to attend the following Saskatoon Blades home game at SaskTel Centre, where she was honoured.
“The Blades organization was fantastic,” Marshall said.
“They allowed us to get some seats together. We put a jersey on her season-ticket seat, and we were able to do a picture around that.”
In the past couple of years, Dietz couldn’t attend as many games as she would have liked, but Wawryk said she always had feedback for the team’s management and was one of the pillars of the Blades’ fan base.
He recalled a game in 2024 when the team was in the midst of a playoff run and she was able to make it to the arena.
“Just a testament to her passion and just commitment to the team to be there,” Wawryk said.
“She was very feisty. I so remember that because it was not easy for her to physically get to the arena, but I don’t think anything was going to stop her.”
Wawryk said everyone involved in the organization is going to miss her.
“It certainly leaves a gap. There’s nobody quite like Joan. We obviously miss having her at the rink, but I think also she inspired so many others,” he said.
“They appreciate all she did for the team and how passionate she was.”
Those sentiments hold a dear place in Marshall’s heart as well.
“I hope people do remember her for that lasting mark she put on the world,” she said.
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