Former Creston Valley Thunder Cats captain Jesse Collins was back on the ice at the John Bucyk Arena on Friday to have his number, 17, retired.
“Literally, I’m speechless. I can’t even pick out the words to describe it,” Collins said after the pre-game ceremony, which saw his pennant raised beside those of Cole Yurkowski (No. 15) and Travis Ludwar (No. 9). “It’s the coolest thing that happened in my career.”
“Jesse is one of the top players in the history of our league and franchise and he’s fully deserving of the honour of having his number retired,” said Thunder Cats head coach Jeff Dubois. “He left a legacy in the Creston Valley, not just as a top player but also as a great person, teammate and leader.”
The 22-year-old Spokane, Wash., native played for the team from 2011-2014 (after two seasons with the Spokane Braves) and is the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s all-time leading scorer, with 391 career points. As captain, he led the team to a franchise-best 39-1-1-1 in the 2013-14 season and the team’s first trip to the Kootenay Conference finals. Also in that season, he finished second in the KIJHL, with 91 points.
“That season is also known for an unbelievable playoff comeback against the Kimberley Dynamiters that saw the T-Cats shake off a 3-1 series deficit as well as a three-goal hole entering the third period of Game 7 on home ice,” said a Thunder Cats press release. “Collins scored a breakaway goal to contribute to that epic comeback, which saw Creston score four unanswered goals in the final 14 minutes of regulation to clinch a 5-4 victory.”
“You couldn’t have written a better script for this,” former head coach Josh Hepditch told the Advance after that game. “It was unbelievable. I’ve gotten texts and emails from people who said it was the best sporting event they’ve ever seen in their life.”
Collins is now in first year of hockey with the Eastern Washington University Eagles, part of the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League, in Cheney, Wash. He’s still wearing No. 17, and has earned eight points in nine games.
Once his college hockey career is over, he hopes to play in Europe or, like former Thunder Cat Scott Swiston, in Australia.
Creston, however, will always be a special place for him, and not just because his name hangs from the arena’s rafters.
“It just grew on me,” he said. “I can’t keep myself away from here.”
