Shields awarded MBE

Photo: William Cherry

Congratulations to former Elite League player Colin Shields who has been awarded an MBE by King Charles III.

"I was just checking the post and happened to have a letter and I was very thrilled to open it up," Shields told BBC Northern Ireland Sport. "It was unexpected. I never thought that was something I was going to achieve or be honoured with. I had to keep it secret for probably about a month now. It was hard not to tell friends and close family."

"When I first came to Belfast, I never expected to stay as long as I did. I made my home here, I live here, it's a massive part of my life."

Shields retired in 2019 as, and still is, the Elite League's all-time leading points scorer. He Also won over 100 caps for Great Britain and is the national team's all-time leading goalscorer. 

Sheilds is one of only a handful of British players to have been drafted to the NHL, being selected 195th overall in the 2000 entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. During his time in the EIHL, Shields played 11 seasons in Belfast with a year each in Newcastle and Sheffield, icing in over 700 games. 

Many congratulations on receiving this honour!