After his last season with the Golden Rockets ending earlier than he hoped Darren Andre picked up honours from not only the team but also the Eddie Mountain Division and the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL).
Andre was named the Most Sportsmanlike for both the division and overall for the league in a special ceremony before what turned out to be his last game in a Rockets jersey.
“It is an honour. It was truly unexpected but it felt really good. I feel extremely honoured to have been recognized by the league. There were a ton of players who deserved it. It means a lot to me,” he said.
Andre went on to say that he felt it says a lot for the game when a player like him can win this award.
“I think in general it is a sign of the way the game is going now. A 20-year-old captain can win that. Ten or 20 years ago the last person that would ever win a Most Sportsmanlike award would be an older guy and a captain. It is a sign of the way things are changing and that is good for the game.”
At an awards banquet this week both of his parents were on hand to share in not only the Sportsmanlike awards but also others he received from the Rockets.
“That has been the best part about everything. To have them here with me tonight and win some awards mean a great deal to me. This has been awesome.”
Now that his career in the KIJHL is over Andre hopes to continue playing hockey at the university level where he plans to continue working on a science degree and working towards making it into medicine.
