Dillon Dub茅 is proud of his hometown of Golden B.C. and has carried his community with him all the way to the big times.

Playing for the Calgary Flames in the NHL, the closest you can get to a hometown team for Golden, Dub茅 still gives credit to the community that raised him for getting his hockey career started.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 so proud to be from there, the town is so supportive and amazing,B次元官网网址� said Dub茅.

B次元官网网址淢y parents, my whole family, my brother included, are thankful for the opportunities that we were given to be successful.B次元官网网址�

Dub茅 says that he learned to skate at the Golden & District Arena, affectionately called the Plywood Palace around town, with his grandma as his first coach.

B次元官网网址淪he was really big in Golden for teaching kids how to skate and working with everyone,B次元官网网址� he said.

Dub茅 first got involved with hockey after his parents pushed him and his brother to participate in various sports around town, with Dub茅 saying he fell in love with the sport right away.

On top of that, it was the only sport where the two brothers were able to play together, with Dub茅 playing up an age group to keep the pair together.

ItB次元官网网址檚 those kinds of experiences that he says have allowed him to find success in his career.

B次元官网网址淚 give a lot of credit to Golden and the opportunity I was given to be on the ice all the time, all those sorts of things youB次元官网网址檙e able to do in a smaller town,B次元官网网址� said Dub茅.

Even with his passion for the game, it was the friendships he made while with Golden Minor Hockey that defined the early years of his hockey career - playing hockey was just a bonus.

In fact, Dub茅 says that he remains close with the people that he met through Golden Minor Hockey and has maintained those relationships over the years.

He says that he tries to come back to Golden when he can, to see old teammates and friends in the summer, even once coming back to take in a Jr. B Golden Rockets game during an off-week with the Flames back in 2019.

B次元官网网址淲hen I come back, to this day it still feels like home.B次元官网网址�

Beyond representing Golden and Calgary in the NHL, Dub茅 has also represented Canada internationally, playing at the World Juniors two years in a row, capturing silver in 2017 and captaining the team to gold in 2018.

His accomplishments were commemorated with a plaque from Hockey Canada, which now hangs in the lobby of the Plywood Palace, honouring Dub茅 and GoldenB次元官网网址檚 contributions to his development.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a bit surreal to see it, it still honestly hasnB次元官网网址檛 really sunk in,B次元官网网址� said Dub茅.

B次元官网网址淚 think it honestly means more to me than winning and having the medal.B次元官网网址�

Dub茅 says that the plaque shows todayB次元官网网址檚 young hockey players in Golden that itB次元官网网址檚 possible to be from a small town and still achieve something big.

He says that when he was younger, he drew inspiration from Curtis Mackenzie, another Golden-born NHL player who was drafted to the Dallas Stars in 2009 and is currently captain of their American Hockey League affiliate Texas Stars.

He hopes that his success can help inspire kids in Golden today the way Mackenzie did for him.

B次元官网网址淗e was always gone and playing hockey, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so I hope that someone can follow in my footsteps,B次元官网网址� said Dub茅.

B次元官网网址淗opefully we can get more players from Golden into the NHL.B次元官网网址�

Right now, Dub茅 and the Flames sit in first in the Pacific Divison, with Dub茅 suiting up in each one of the FlamesB次元官网网址� 23 games this season, scoring two goals and seven assists.

This past summer, Dub茅 earned a three-year contract extension, committing him to the team he grew up cheering for.

While some may think that growing up in a small town may provide a disadvantage, Dub茅 says the opposite: he believes that small towns foster all sorts of developmental perks that helped shape him into the player he is today, and many others who also grew up outside of city centres.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 so thankful that I grew up in Golden.B次元官网网址�