The head athletic therapist for the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus just got his front seat ticket to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Jeff Thorburn with UBCO was chosen as one of the two therapists for the 2017-2018 Men's Canadian National Hockey team.
"I am truly honored to have been selected to join Team Canada for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. It is always a special honor to be involved with a national team, and to be able to support and help the team towards our Olympic goal is incredibly exciting," stated Thorburn in a UBCO press release.
The team won a gold the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and hope to defend the gold medal title at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea next February.
The selection was announced on July 25th at a Hockey Canada press conference in Calgary.
"It's so exciting to be involved with this team and to try to help them to achieve their goals, but as well to take in the Olympics as a whole, I think it's very special," said Thorburn.
Prior to working as the head of the athletic therapy department at UBC Okanagan, Thorburn was the athletic therapist and strength and conditioning coach for the Kelowna Rockets Hockey Club from 2006 to 2013.
Thorburn heads to Sochi, Russia with Team Canada next week, when Team Canada competes in the Sochi Hockey Open and the Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov in St. Petersburg, August 14th to 17th.
Thorburn is originally from New Brunswick.
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