Almost four years ago, Jackson Whistle was wearing the colours of the Kelowna Rockets and playing for the Memorial Cup.
Fast forward, and the goaltender乌鸦传媒檚 jersey are now flush with the colours of Great Britain (GBR), as he joins the nation乌鸦传媒檚 hockey squad at the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championships, playing against the top teams in the world.
乌鸦传媒淧laying at this calibre is cool, and getting to represent your country is a special thing to do,乌鸦传媒� said Whistle.
Unlike Canada, Great Britain does not rank highly on hockey rankings. Competing at the worlds was going to be an up-hill battle for GBR; but the team persevered and earned their first win at this high of level hockey tournament since 1962.
In a comeback overtime victory against France, the win meant two things乌鸦传媒攈istory was being made and GBR avoided relegation from the elite pool to secure a spot at the 2020 World Championships.
乌鸦传媒淲e celebrated like we won the tournament,乌鸦传媒� said Whistle.
乌鸦传媒淚t was the hardest we ever celebrated for not being relegated. Staying up at this level is huge, playing against better players makes you a better player.乌鸦传媒�
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Whistle was born in Canada, played and grew up in the United Kingdom earning his dual citizenship, then played in Canada and in the WHL with the Rockets.
In 2015, Whistle backstopped the Rockets to the Memorial Cup. But while Kelowna was bested in overtime in the tournament final, Whistle said that there was some familiar emotions of playing at that high level again.
乌鸦传媒淚t was pretty similar to when we were at the Memorial. I loved playing for Kelowna, some of the best times of my life was playing for the Rockets,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Whistle now plays with the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the U.K., but his Kelowna roots have seemed to follow him around during his professional career.
Other Rockets were playing in the tournament as well. Germany乌鸦传媒檚 Leon Draisaitl and Canada乌鸦传媒檚 Damon Severson both gave GBR a good battle on the ice, and Whistle spent time catching up with Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 former goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh.
乌鸦传媒淪eeing some of the guys on the ice and in the handshakes, it was cool to see them,乌鸦传媒� Whistle said.
READ MORE: Former Kelowna Rockets lace up for IIHF Championships
Though Whistle and Great Britain didn乌鸦传媒檛 advance to the playoff rounds of the tournament, there was significant progress made for the country乌鸦传媒檚 hockey programs.
乌鸦传媒淪taying at the top level, you get more funding and get a lot of focus and attention,乌鸦传媒� said Whistle. 乌鸦传媒淚 think a lot more kids see it and will strive towards becoming hockey players.乌鸦传媒�
READ MORE: Canada乌鸦传媒檚 Brown and De Grasse finish 1-2 in 200 metres at Shanghai meet
The team乌鸦传媒檚 history-making win was the biggest highlight for Whistle, but the former Rocket goalie found himself happy to be playing with the world乌鸦传媒檚 best and reminiscing about the glory days as a young goalie with the Kelowna team.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been a lot. Stepping up in net against Team Canada was pretty cool,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏een getting some texts and messages from friends, teammates and coaches saying they saw me on TV.
乌鸦传媒淎nd I乌鸦传媒檓 glad we finished the way we did.乌鸦传媒�
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Whistle was reminded during the tournament that the Rockets will again be a part of the Memorial Cup when they host the tournament in May 2020.
He said he乌鸦传媒檇 be willing to make a cameo appearance and catch some games in his old stomping grounds.
乌鸦传媒淚f I乌鸦传媒檓 able to be in Kelowna, I乌鸦传媒檓 100 per cent in.乌鸦传媒�
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