Toronto Maple Leafs: Hi, My Name Is Dicky Documentary to be Released

Former Toronto Maple Leafs and current Marlies forward Rich Clune is releasing a tell-all documentary called ‘Hi, My Name is Dicky’.

For those Toronto Maple Leafs fans who don’t know the story of Rich Clune, you’re about to.

Clune, better known as Dicky in the dressing room, has had a roller-coaster of a career. On and off the ice.

In the OHL, Clune was a skilled player, but also had an edge. While averaging 20-plus goals per season, he always complimented that with over 100 penalty minutes.

Clune was a fan-favorite and it’s easy to see why. He had the DNA of someone like Wendel Clark. A player who could score the game-winner, but also knock out the opponents toughest guy.

However, as a fan, all we see is what happens on the ice.

Clune’s story off the ice was filled with drug abuse and alcoholism. Something the average fan would never have noticed, which he shared in an article with The Players Tribune a few years ago.

"“I used to get home from hockey practice and start drinking at lunch. From the time I was playing Junior hockey for the Sarnia Sting to my first year in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, I would start drinking the second I woke up on my days off.I smoked marijuana every single day. By the time I was 19 years old, I was using cocaine weekly. If you saw me out at a bar in Ontario or New Hampshire or Los Angeles, laughing and cracking jokes, you probably would have thought, ‘Look at that kid. He’s living the dream’.”"

That last line is so true. For many fans, hockey is an escape from the real world. We idolize these men and put them on a pedestal without understanding the personal struggles they may be going through.

We think that it’s impossible for someone to suffer through depression, or alcohol and drug abuse because why would your favorite player be upset if they’re making millions of dollars to play hockey?

Well, hockey players are human, too.

Clune’s story-telling ability to share his life is much needed for society.

Clune speaks in more detail throughout The Players Tribune article towards his daily struggles and recalls the moment that sobriety was the only option moving forward.

"Between the ages of 15-24, I was not here. I was checked out. I did not exist. Rich Clune the pro hockey player existed. He got in over 150 fights and drove drunk and chased women and laughed and cried and lived in oblivion. But Rich Clune, the kid who loved art and film and read books and thought deeply about life, that guy was just not around. He couldn’t cope with the pressure.Then one day, he woke up. I wish I could tell you it was when L.A. Kings assistant GM Ron Hextall pulled me aside and said, point blank, “Rich, do you want me to get you some help?” I wish it was when my parents begged me for the millionth time. But it wasn’t like a movie. One day, I just woke up and had enough."

Clune has been in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for five seasons now, and has been sober for almost 10 years.

On a Marlies team filled with mostly 19-to-25-year-olds, Clune is not only looked at as a mentor, but a big brother who can share his experiences and help guide players down the right path.

Although he didn’t dress in a single game in the 2018 playoffs during the Marlies Calder Cup run, the team never looked at him differently. He was such a positive person in the dressing room and the team couldn’t have been more proud to see him lift the Cup.

Clune mentioned that he loves art and film, so it’s no surprise that he decided to make a movie about his life, and you can see the trailer below.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Clune leaves the hockey world completely when his career is finished and pursues film-making full-time. However, if he stays in hockey, coaching or a player personnel position seems like a great fit.

There’s no official release date for this film yet, but every hockey or Toronto Maple Leafs fan needs to watch this because the story of Dicky will not only be thrilling, but educational.