Jonathan Phillips lifted his last trophy as GB captain in Nottingham, leading his squad back to the top division of World ice hockey, and declared “It doesn’t get any better than this!”
With the arena still jumping following the 5-3 win over Italy, Phillips said: “Honestly I’m just overjoyed. After last year when we got relegated, we were making such good progress, and still are, and our goal was to get this team back up there.
“We have such great kids coming up at the moment and we put pressure on ourselves to get promoted back to the top group. These players will be unreal next year.
With family and friends on the ice among the celebrations making the home-ice success extra special, Phillips added: “It doesn’t get any better than this, it really doesn’t.
“The nice thing about a home tournament is that your family can be here, I’ve been able to play my final game with all of those people watching. It’s memories made, and something that can never be beaten.
“I think the future of this team is very big, and it’s why we put such pressure on ourselves to get back up there. I think these players deserve to be seen. GB hockey has been gaining respect, and we deserve to keep that going.”