Weekend Interview - Sheffield Steelers’ Jonathan Phillips ready to embrace ultimate challenge at IIHF World Championships

By The Newsroom
Published 11th May 2019, 01:15 BST
Updated 11th May 2019, 02:15 BST
BRING IT ON: Sheffield Steelers' forward and GB captain Jonathan Phillips is relishing the opportunity to mix it with the sport's elite at the World Championships in Slovakia. Picture: Dean Woolley.BRING IT ON: Sheffield Steelers' forward and GB captain Jonathan Phillips is relishing the opportunity to mix it with the sport's elite at the World Championships in Slovakia. Picture: Dean Woolley.
BRING IT ON: Sheffield Steelers' forward and GB captain Jonathan Phillips is relishing the opportunity to mix it with the sport's elite at the World Championships in Slovakia. Picture: Dean Woolley.
JONATHAN PHILLIPS could no doubt pick any number of highlights from an international career with Great Britain that first began at junior level back in 1998. Tomorrow, however, is sure to eclipse all of those.

The 36-year-old Sheffield Steelers forward will captain the national team once more as they face-off against Germany in the opening game of their World Championship campaign in Slovakia.

By rights, nobody expected Phillips and his team-mates to be there. Ranked 22 in the world, GB are in many ways still punching above their weight as they take their place among the world’s top 16 nations that are gathered together in the cities of Bratislava and Kosice over the next two weeks or so.

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For all the trophies that he was won with the Steelers since joining them from hometown club Cardiff Devils in the summer of 2006 – four league and four play-off titles – the last couple of years playing in the red, white and blue have provided equally memorable moments.

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Two successive gold medal promotions have brought Phillips and his team-mates to where they are now, facing a hectic schedule of seven games in 11 days, tackling an endless procession of the world’s elite players.

A little over 24 hours after today’s opener against the 2018 Olympic silver medallists – placed 14 places above them in the world rankings – it gets even tougher for head coach Pete Russell’s team when they face-off against world No 1-ranked Canada who will be looking to add to their record 26 titles and desperate to reclaim the crown won by Sweden last year in Denmark.

SAME AGAIN PLEASE: Jonathan Phillips in action during last year's 1A tournament in Hungary, which saw Gb promoted to the top tier.SAME AGAIN PLEASE: Jonathan Phillips in action during last year's 1A tournament in Hungary, which saw Gb promoted to the top tier.
SAME AGAIN PLEASE: Jonathan Phillips in action during last year's 1A tournament in Hungary, which saw Gb promoted to the top tier.

Similarly daunting encounters against the likes of Finland and the USA follow, both, like Canada, packed with NHL superstars and also among those contenders for gold.