Warriors favourite delighted at n-ice honour

FORMER Whitley Warriors and Newcastle Vipers forward Hilton Ruggles has been elected to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame

Originally from Montreal, Ruggles – now 45 – moved to the Warriors in 1988 after a spell in Europe and was an immediate hit with the Hillheads fans, totalling 603 (319+284) points in 152 games over four seasons for the club.

He said: “It was a very pleasant surprise to be given this accolade.

"There are a lot of good people in the Hall of Fame and to be placed alongside them is a huge honour."

Ruggles had a successful 19-year career in British ice hockey and won all the major honours, including back-to-back Heineken Championship wins with Cardiff Devils.

He insists he would have loved to have brought major silverware to Hillheads during his time with Whitley.

Ruggles added: “The Warriors are where it all started for me and I have fantastic memories of my time with the club.

"My only regret was the fact I could not collect a trophy for those wonderful fans."

However, in a career which saw him score more than 2,000 points (including 1,096 goals in 946 games), Ruggles did return to Tyneside to end his playing days with the Vipers in 2004.