Jamie Bourke Interview

Gracing our cover this week is Mustangs fan favourite, Jamie Bourke. He answered a few of our questions earlier in the week.

Jamie is obviously a very talented athlete. You can see it in the way he skates. Our first question was to ask him why he chose hockey over other sports. “It was a different sport to what most others choose and that interested me,” Jamie said, “And I always loved watching the physicality and speed that came with ice hockey.” We’re glad Jamie chose to be a little different

Jamie has a long history in Australian hockey and has seen a lot of changes over the years. We asked Jamie what improvements have most impressed him. “The depth of the Australian talent has improved over the years and now that we are gaining bigger and better venues, ice hockey will continue to grow and develop,” Jamie said. “Over the last few years I have definitely noticed a massive improvement in making our league more professional. Livestream is now available so fans can watch games on the internet if you can’t make it to the game. This has also been great for our imports’ family and friends wanting to support from another country. Foxtel now broadcast replays of games weekly which attracts any sports lover.”

Given Jamie’s history in the sport there are a lot of prominent events to fill a highlights reel. We asked Jamie what his proudest moment in hockey has been to date. “I would have to say that representing Australia has given me memories that will last forever and would never change a thing,” Jamie said, “but winning the Cup when a lot of people had their doubts in our club starting out has been the best moment in hockey for me. Being part of the year we won was incredible and I still watch the replays like it was yesterday.”

Prior to the Mustangs, Jamie did represent our cross town rivals Melbourne Ice. We asked him what differences he noticed when transferring across. “As soon as I transferred to the Mustangs it automatically felt like the right choice,” Jamie said, “Not only was I able to start fresh at a new club I also had the opportunity to play hockey with all the guys I had played with growing up. It is one thing being in a hockey team and another being in one that feels like family. At the Mustangs you have the support across the board and you are confident that whatever you come to them with that they’re there 100% to help.”

Jamie has recently become a dad. He was asked to reflect on how this has influenced his hockey. “Anyone that has a child knows that it is the best thing in the world and the most tiring,” Jamie said, “It has definitely been the most challenging thing while trying to be 100% committed to my hockey. I try to balance everything and make sure I am getting enough rest before my games.”

When not on the ice, Jamie stays fit chasing his little boy around. He lovingly refers to him as “Hurricane.”