A Salmon Arm sports hero has comes home to return a favour.
Scott Jackson has had an impressive hockey career to date, but winning the Calder cup has been the icing on the cake.
The 25-year-old took to the ice with the Norfolk Admirals, who fought their way to the number one team position in the AHL.
“It was pretty intense,” he says. “The last two teams, we hadn’t played against until then, so we didn’t know what to expect from them.”
While the team had been on a significant winning streak, Jackson found himself on the sidelines after taking a slap shot to the face in a game against St. John’s.
“I had laid out to stop a shot and got hit in the head, splitting my skull and causing a concussion,” he says.
It was hard to sit back and watch knowing there was nothing he could do to help his teammates.
In the last game of the final season however, the former Sicamous Eagles player was able to take his skills back to the game, suiting up and hitting the ice in time to win the big prize.
Jackson, who has played hockey since the age of three, describes the competition as being one of his career highlights.
“I still don’t think I realize really, I think it will be a couple of years before I realize how special it was, the group of guys I got to play with and the winning streak we went on,” he says.
Once he had the Calder Cup in hand Jackson knew he had to repay a favour that, in his eyes, was a long time coming.
“When I was younger, I had gone in for back surgery where they had found a tumor,” he says. “It was a stressful week for me and my family.”
“When I got back home, there was a hamper full of games and cards and everything – all from the community. It was a real eye-opener for me on how important community was. They believed in me, and I always knew I had to return he favour one day.
“So when I got the Calder Cup it was important for me to bring it back here and share it with the community who supported me.”
Jackson brought the cup to the Shaw Centre on Monday so local residents could see it up close and take a picture or two.
The cup will stay with Jackson in the area for three days.
The whirlwind season has been somewhat bittersweet however. Jackson is recovering from hip surgery that will keep him out of the next hockey season.
The young D man says the injury is mostly a degenerative issue caused over time.
This is not Jackson’s first injury. He has undergone three knee surgeries, as well as a broken foot that had to be reset.
“I always prided myself for playing through injuries, but now I need to look long-term,” he says.
The local hockey hero must wait about six weeks for his hip to heal, at which point he will be going in for surgery on his second hip.
For an athlete who has been playing the sport for 22 years, heading into the hockey season without a pair of skates on will be challenging.
“It will be a tough transition,” he says.
Jackson hopes to focus on recovering and getting himself where he needs to be to get back on the ice and playing to his full potential.
Whether he will be returning to the Norfolk Admirals however is still up in the air.
“I would love to, they treated me awesome. I just need to wait and see what happens, that is the way the sport is.”
Jackson has come a long way since playing in Sicamous, but admits that he never really thought he would make it to where he is today.
“I don’t think I ever did. Every step was a big accomplishment. I always wanted to go as far as I could,” he says.
Jackson still hopes to achieve his ultimate goal of one day playing on an NHL team.
“I watched the Canucks growing up, but I would go anywhere just to play in the NHL.”
During the summer, Jackson plans on taking some time to relax with his family and friends in Salmon Arm, and enjoy the lake and a barbecue or two.
He’s also looking at possibly taking some courses in the fall.
“I would like to learn the business side of hockey.”
