Jack Kilpatrick’s family emigrated from Liverpool to Saskatchewan, Canada shortly before his 4th birthday. In 1935 he was playing for the Prince Albert St Marks team when he was recruited to play for the Wembley Lions in the British League at a time when newly imposed restrictions on foreign players meant that British-born talent was at a premium. Kilpatrick spent only two winters in England but impressed enough to earn a place at the 1936 Winter Games. His Olympic experience was limited to a single appearance on the left-wing in the opening match against Sweden but he remains, as of 2013, the youngest Briton to have won an Olympic Winter gold medal.
On his return to Canada he began a long association with the Nelson Maple Leafs and was a mainstay of their team until 1952. His son, Gary, was also an ice hockey player and had a long career below NHL level which peaked with 5 seasons in Canada’s Western Hockey League
Great Britain