Telford Tigers player-coach Tom Watkins touched by show of support
Telford Tigers player-coach Tom Watkins has thanked the UK ice hockey community after messages of good luck poured in for his son Sam, who underwent heart surgery last week.
The Tigers boss travelled from Birmingham Children's Hospital to take charge of Saturday's 4-1 win over Milton Keynes Lightning.
Ten-year-old Sam Watkins, who is a regular goalscorer for Telford Venom, was taken into hospital for a long-expected operation on his heart.
Tom Watkins said: "The messages from fans in Telford and beyond have been a massive help for my whole family.
"The support has been great and when we looked at them, it really touched us.
"Sam is progressing well and the messages from everybody in the sport have been so kind."
Watkins' arrival on the Tigers bench in Coventry appeared to galvanise his side, as they gained revenge for a 3-0 defeat at the same rink just ten days ago.
He added: "I haven't had much contact with the team over the last week, but my coaching team of Karl Creamer, Barry Hollyhead and of course Paul Thomason has done a brilliant job."
Adam Walker (2), Miika Kiviranta and Timo Kuuluvainen netted in the win. Tigers fell to a 5-2 reverse at home to Slough Jets yesterday.
