Despite a “humdinger” of a chest cold, Dave Dickenson was out doing the dad thing, son and daughter in tow, pounding the neighbourhood pavement on All Hallow’s Eve.

“My son is going trick-or-treating as a blind referee,’’ he reveals.

“NOT a CFL referee. Let’s get that clear. No disrespecting our crews, who do a good job in a tough job. We just got back from the school. It’s a good little costume, I think.

“And we made a deal – I have to go out as a coach, yelling at him.”

A soft chuckle of self-effacement.

“Cause that’s what he says I do to refs.

“A lot.”

Dickenson seems resigned when reminded that door-to-door hollering isn’t maybe the best way to clear up a chest cold.

“I’m married to a pharmacist. So I feel pretty fortunate there.”

Professional ins aside, the prescription that matters most to he and his Calgary Stampeders can’t be filled at any corner drugstore.

It requires a return flight to and from Toronto, not a quick jaunt over to Safeway.

Best record.

Best offence.

Best defence.

Best player.

Leading rusher.

Seems as if there isn’t anything this edition of the Stampeders hasn’t done, except the most important thing.

Photo by Johany Jutras

And beginning a three-week layoff, reflecting on a remarkable few months, it’s easy to overlook the protruding potholes and potential snares they were forced to contend with.

The smooth transference of sideline clout from a coaching legend, John Hufnagel, to a playing legend, Dickenson, right off the hop.

The burly baritone DeVone Claybrooks taking over from another three-down tactical master, the CFL’s Columbo, rumpled Rich Stubler, as defensive coordinator.

Longtime standbys Keon Raymond and Juwan Simpson exiting. Jon Cornish, one of the finest homegrown tailbacks ever, retiring. Explosive wideout Eric Rogers heading south to pursue the NFL dream.

An offensive line that belonged in Hawkeye Pierce’s and Trapper John McIntyre’s 4077th M*A*S*H unit but still protected QB Bo Levi Mitchell as if he were the Crown Jewels locked away in the Tower.

Then, as the regular-season starts ticked away, their own week-to-week excellence as they endeavoured – unsuccessfully, as things turned out – to hunt down a 27-year-old record.

And most jarringly, of course, the tragic shooting death of popular defensive back Mylan Hicks outside a downtown nightclub in the early hours of a late September morning.

“We’ve been through a lot,’’ says Dickenson. “We’ve been resilient. I’m proud of the players.

“The Mylan situation obviously hit everybody hard. But we’ve rallied well. He’s in our thoughts all the time.

“There were a lot of open question marks even going into the season. So let’s give our scouting and coaching staffs a lot of credit. We were able to put a competitive roster/practice roster together.

“And our coaches – well, we didn’t change the standard.”

Photo by Eric Boldt

A loss in Week One and not another until Week 20. In between, 15-0-1 and more sweet goodness than the Dickenson kids found inside their Halloween sacks on Monday evening.

Remarkable, all things considered.

“We’ve been fortunate,’’ Dickenson protests. “The decisions we made this year have all worked out. That doesn’t happen often.

“It took awhile, and a little bit of convicting on my end, but I felt we needed to change our corners. We did. That was positive.

“We felt at middle linebacker that the Canadian draft pick (Alex Singleton) was our best option. That worked out, too. He helped us get better.

“We needed a leader to come through on defence with a couple of our veterans gone. So we asked Deron Mayo to step up. Maybe that’s not Deron’s personality, his comfort zone, but he totally did a great job.

“I honestly don’t believe we’re any more talented than anybody else. We’ll get more all-stars than our share because we won a lot of games.

“But basically we’ve won because we play a good, solid team system and we demand certain things if you’re going to be part of that. And everyone bought in, which isn’t easy.”

What the first-year head coach sees most in this group is a stem-to-stern professionalism that helps override the obstacles.

“Whether it was their first year or 10th year, I didn’t see a big difference in the expectations or work ethic of any of our guys.

“That starts with Bo, of course. Quay would be another guy. Brandon Smith. These are very successful players, yet they’re outworking everybody on the field.

“Our young guys see that and they think ‘Huh, this guy doesn’t take ANY practice time off. He takes scout team even. I never see him over there sitting on the bench.’ ”

With the schedule giving them a bye on the final weekend of the regular campaign and the first-place finish, the Stamps began an extended layoff on Monday. They won’t reconvene at McMahon Stadium until Nov. 10.

On the plus side, that down time allows them to get healthy (the coach included). On the flip side, the pitfalls of the best record aligned with a long layoff are only too clear.

“I think we need a week,” Dickenson sighs. “Don’t know if we need three …

“We’ve been running out of gas a little bit the last while. I feel our guys have been trying to manufacture the necessary intensity. It’s just been tough with 15 straight games.

“I hope they just totally get away from ball for a little while.

“I want them to get out and enjoy things … without going crazy. When you come back, your body has to be in the best shape possible. And mentally, you need to be re-focused. I want to practice fast and hard and without beating them up.

“So yeah, it was a grind. But now you’re fighting the polar opposite excuse – inactivity. So don’t worry about excuses. Let’s get going.

“Football players, particularly offensive football players, like routine, seven-day weeks. Your body gets used to it, your mind gets used to it.

“When we get back to practice, we’ll go back to training camp in a sense – we want people showing a high competitive level right away.

“They don’t have a lot of time to ramp it up again.”

Only until Nov. 20 at McMahon Stadium, opponent to be determined.

Photo by David Moll

“People are telling ’em how good we are, what a great season they’ve had,’’ says Dickenson, “and yet when we step out for the West final, we’re on an even playing field with whoever we play.

“We might have a better record but that doesn’t count for anything.

“We can’t worry about headlines or predictions, what anybody is saying or writing. Just go out there and earn it.

“The way they have all year.

“The guys just basically took it upon themselves, even with a lot of new stuff, new personnel, to say: ‘Hey, let’s stay consistent in how we win football games.’ We got it done in all three phases, in all sorts of different ways.

“Just a great year. A fun year.”

A year that even now, after everything that’s already been achieved, remains incomplete.

A year that can only be considered a success with one outcome.

Dave Dickenson’s “humdinger” of a chest cold will be gone by the afternoon of Nov. 20 and the Western Final. The pharmacist in the family will doubtless have taken care of that.

But the prescription that most needs filling, the medicine for what ails them, ensures their wellbeing, isn’t available until a week later.

Pick-up, Nov. 27 at BMO Field.