Shea Weber

Shea Michael Weber (born August 14, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently serves as captain of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is an NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist.

Drafted in the second round, 49th overall by the Predators in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Weber has spent his entire NHL career with the Predators. He had previously played for the Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Weber has represented Canada at a number of International Ice Hockey Federation-sanctioned events, winning a World Junior Ice Hockey Championship gold medal in 2005, an Ice Hockey World Championships gold medal in 2007, and two Olympic gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Early life

Weber was born on August 14, 1985, in Sicamous, British Columbia. His mother, Tracy, was a hairdresser, and his father, James Weber, a sawmill worker. Weber first played organized ice hockey at the age of six. Growing up he played in the Sicamous and District Minor Hockey Association, a division of the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association (BCAHA), often switching between forward and defenceman positions. In Weber's second year of bantam, he permanently switched to defence. He credits his father for convincing him to make the switch because he thought Weber would "have a better shot at a pro career as a defenceman". Between the ages of fourteen and fifteen, Weber grew 5 inches, from 5-foot-9 (1.75 metres) to 6-foot-2 (1.87 metres).