Thirty years have gone by but little has changed for Braehead Clan goalie Kyle Jones.

"As soon as I could walk my parents had me in skating lessons. I was on ice from about a year old," he explained proudly.

An iconic and formidable sight, the Canadian has become a hero in the eyes of the Glasgow club's supporters with him now in his second term in purple.

It's a journey, which Jones admits himself, has been a long but consistent one. Brought up in Vancouver, the hockey-mad kid grew up obsessed with a burgeoning love affair for the sport that was first kindled at the tender age of six.

Even the prospect of being walloped with a puck of galvanised rubber coming at him like a speeding bullet did little to dissuade Jones of a career in the firing line.

"I got into competitive hockey in second grade when I was about six or seven. Nothing really threw me off it at the time and here I am," he said.

"Hockey is huge back in Vancouver where I from thanks to the Canucks. The city just rallies them and it's no different for me.

"I loved them as a kid. I also grew up watching my dad play in men's recreation leagues and he was a goalie, and I always wanted to be like him.

"That was my decision and I did pretty well on the first time, so I decided to roll with it."

Over 3000 Glasgow hockey fans are more than happy that he did.

Following a formidable first season with Clan, when he managed to save 90.2% of all 1500 shots, Jones returned in July as one of the handful of players kept on by coach Ryan Finnerty from last season's roster.

The goalie made a considerable contribution to Braehead's historic season - taking them to the play-off final weekend for the first time in their/Scottish hockey's history - and he admits the prospect of going one step further made returning a no-brainer.

Jones said: "Me and my wife Heidi had a great time here last year, both on and off the ice. We really love being in Glasgow.

"On ice we had a really great bunch and I knew Ryan was building a similarly strong team. He's replaced a lot of scoring that we lost and put together a stronger D core. It made it an easy decision."

Away from the rough and tumble of life on the ice, Jones told SportTimes he's more than just a shot-stopping machine.

He added: "Last year I was in school doing a Masters in Business Administration at the University of the West of Scotland, so that's all done.

"This year I'll have more free time and we're hoping to see a little more of the country. We got to a few cities last year but I'd like to go to the Isle of Skye."

With Jones in goal, Skye's the limit for Braehead.