<b><div align="center">THANK YOU WINNIPEG</div></b>
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I don’t know where to begin, it probably makes sense to start with what just happened. When the goal light came on at the 1:44 minute mark of overtime, that officially marked the end of my playing career. It’s alway hard to end a season not as a champion and it’s even harder when your season ends in overtime of game 7. The boys gave it their all but unfortunately we came up short however I have no doubt they will be back next year competing for that challenge cup. As I sat on the bench as the Calgary Dragons celebrated going onto the next round a lot of memories crossed my mind as it started to sink in that this was the end of the road.

I started thinking of where it all began, back in the SMJHL over two decades ago in S19. I was just a scrawny kid from Canada hoping that some team would take a chance on me. Luckily for me, that team was the Regina Force, they selected me 48th overall. Hearing Spangle call my name was truly surreal. I had so much to learn but had a great group of people around me in Regina that help me settle right in. I was so excited but I knew that this was just the beginning. I had an important year ahead of me because I wanted to give this season my all with it being my SHL draft year.

Entering the SHL draft I felt the same emotions as I did during the SMJHL entry draft, I was anxious, nervous, and excited because this was the next step in my journey. Going into the draft I didn’t have any preference on which team I wanted to go to; I was just hoping to get drafted. Later on in the night, a few rounds into the draft, just like in the SMJHL draft, I heard my name called with the 48th overall pick. This time however, it was Fever calling my name; I was so excited to be a member of the Wolfpack organization, they had drafted quite a few players from the Regina Force as well so I was really happy that I was joining a team with so many people I knew. As soon as I signed my entry level contract, I told myself that I was going to play the rest of my career with the New England Wolfpack. However, approximately one season later that would become impossible as I was traded during the S21 offseason to the Winnipeg Jets. I didn’t really know much about the Jets excepted I was told that Leafs was a great GM and knew how to build a great team.

The trade from New England to Winnipeg came as a shock to me. One moment I was planning on spending the rest of my career with the team that drafted me and the next moment I was finding out my time with New England had come to an end. Having had many seasons to reflect on this move I later realized that this was the best thing that could have possibly happened to me. That trade put a chip on my shoulder and made me want to perform even better. Anytime you are involved in a trade for a team’s captain there is a little added pressure to perform. At the time I arrived, Winnipeg was known as an undesirable destination with an inactive locker room. Having come from locker rooms in Regina and New England that were arguably the most active, I wanted to help change the perception of Winnipeg. Seeing how Winnipeg is regarded today, and how active of a locker room they have, I feel so proud.

The benefit of joining a rebuilding team was that I had an opportunity to play in the SHL that very season, on the third line. In addition to this, Leafs also gave me the honour of being an alternate captain on the team; the first Jets rookie to ever be given a letter. The first season was great learning experience for me, playing on the third line. Our team unfortunately, wasn’t able to make the playoffs but given we were a rebuilding team, it didn’t come as much of a shock. The next season however, our team was able to give a bit of a shock to the league, and make the playoffs. Unfortunately, we were eliminated in five game but it served as a good learning experience for our group.

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The highlight of my career would have to be winning the Challenge Cup in Season 25. This was my first challenge cup and getting to share it with guys like Onopriekno, Einstein, Taylor McDavid, Manious, and Prikulis (just to name a few) was something I’ll remember forever.
Later on, in Season 37 I was able to experience winning the Challenge cup one final time, this time in a different role, with a different core of guys. In Season 25, I was one of the guys leading the charge offensively where as in season 37, I took a back seat and played more of a depth role. This time around I also got to celebrate the victory with guys like Flemmy, Evans, Weber, and Manious too (again) just to name a few (it was great getting to celebrate it with everyone).

During the S38 offseason I got a huge honour and huge surprise when my teammates voted me as team captain. The seasons following we were never quite able to get back to the top of the mountain and win another challenge cup but I have no doubt that they will be back soon.

I leave the game after 1008 regular season games as a Winnipeg Jet over 20 seasons, 2 Challenge Cups, 108 career playoff games over 10 playoff appearances, in addition to 5 IIHF medals (2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze). All I can say is Thank You, Thank You Winnipeg for letting me be apart of your great organization and city.



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