Burnaby, BC – Trevor Milner, who played three seasons as a student-athlete with the Simon Fraser University Men’s Hockey team, announced his retirement from the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League due to concussion-like symptoms on Thursday.
“I’m sad to leave a sport I love and have played for so long, most of all I miss the camaraderie amongst the guys on the team and going out every game competing together,” said Milner. “It’s frustrating to stop playing due to concussions because they are somewhat invisible injuries. However, I understand that the implications of further concussions could be drastic to my personal health and that it’s in my best interest to help out the team in other ways than playing.”
The 24-year-old from North Vancouver has been a mainstay on the Clan roster for three seasons.
“Trevor has been a big part of the SFU hockey program for several years and his service has been tremendous on and off the ice,” said SFU Men’s Hockey Head Coach Mark Coletta. “Dealing with concussion issues for a couple of years is a tough thing to go through. As an athlete at a high level, players are competitive by nature, and coming to grips with retiring from playing is difficult and emotional for Trevor.”
During his career with the Clan, Milner took the lead in organizing SFU’s annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation night. It’s a cause he’s supported since playing junior hockey with the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
“I still intend to be part of the team off the ice in helping organize events and making sure that SFU hockey is seen as a role model in the community. I intend on organizing a charity game for the third time this year and I hope to make it happen,” continued Milner. “Outside of hockey, I look forward to finishing school and taking part in activities that I haven’t had time for previously. I learned a lot about myself while playing and going through the ups and downs a player at this level does. I feel that all of those experiences will help me in my future endeavours.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Trevor before we recruited him to play at SFU – he is a great person, great hockey player and will succeed at whatever he chooses to do in the future,” added Coletta. “We’re glad that Trevor will be involved with the team in some capacity and continue the work with JDRF.”
Milner played in 55 games with the Clan over three seasons (2011-14), registering 25 goals and 20 assists (45 points). He finishes his career 13th overall in all-time points for the SFU Men’s Hockey team.
“Although it’s sad to stop playing, I am extremely grateful for the experiences I’ve had and for the life-long friends I’ve made along the way. Hockey has been such a huge part of my life since I was young and I would like to thank all of my coaches and teammates,” Milner concluded. “Most importantly I would like to thank my parents, Greg and Vicky, and my brother Scott, for tirelessly supporting me through everything.”
