A 17-year-old hockey player from Whitby, Ontario, turned his on-ice skills into a real-life defence when he used a hockey stick to confront three individuals attempting to steal his father's truck from their family driveway.
A Noisy Wake-Up Call
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 10, when Dayne Deruchie was awakened at approximately 1:40 a.m. by the sound of shattering glass. Peering outside his Durham Region home, the teenager saw three males surrounding his dad's Toyota Tundra TRD truck.
"I first heard the smashing of the window, and I looked out and saw three guys around my father's truck," Dayne recounted from Sarnia, where he was participating in the Silver Stick hockey tournament.
Reacting quickly, Dayne got dressed and grabbed the first item he could find on his way out the door: his 13-year-old sister's hockey stick.
Stickhandling the Intruders
Armed with the stick, the Whitby Wildcats player confronted the trio. "The guy was inside it and the other two guys, and I just started swinging the stick, guns a blazing, to get them to leave," he explained.
The confrontation escalated when one of the thieves managed to wrestle the stick away from Dayne. Unfazed, the teen resorted to his fists. "That's when I punched the guy," Dayne said. "I gave him a right hook."
The combination of hockey-stick slashes and a solid punch proved effective. The three individuals fled the scene on foot, abandoning their attempt to steal the vehicle.
Family Pride and Concern
Dayne's father, Denny Deruchie, expressed mixed emotions about his son's brave but risky actions. "I am proud of him," Denny stated, acknowledging that Dayne saved not only the truck but also valuable work materials inside. "But I also don't think it was the wisest choice."
Denny emphasized the potential danger, a sentiment Dayne has come to share upon reflection. "The more he has thought about it, the more he realizes he's fortunate he didn't get hurt," his father noted.
Meanwhile, Dayne's sister had a more immediate grievance: she was reportedly upset that he had used her hockey stick in the scuffle.
Aftermath and a Canadian Reaction
Following the event, the Deruchie family has implemented new security measures to deter future incidents. Dayne also stated that if faced with a similar situation again, he would call 911 first, something he did not do during this encounter.
The story has sparked reactions among his peers and the broader community, highlighting a tension between the instinct to protect property and official advice sometimes given to avoid direct confrontation with thieves.
Dayne, a former AAA player who once dressed as iconic hockey commentator Don Cherry for Halloween, summed up his actions simply: "Sometimes you got to get a little dirty." He is ultimately relieved that his father's truck was saved and, most importantly, that no one was seriously injured in the altercation.
