Burnaby Express
Encyclopedia
The Coquitlam Express are a Junior "A" ice hockey
team based in Coquitlam, British Columbia
, Canada
. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League
(BCHL). They play their home games at Coquitlam Sports Centre
.
Although the team had played in the neighbouring city of Burnaby for the previous five years, on 14 January 2010 it was announced that the BCHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the relocation of the franchise back to Coquitlam for the 2010/11 season.
The team's ownership group includes Darcy Rota
(President), Robert Clough, Pat Delasalle, Tim Delasalle, Brian Hannigan, Dave Lowry
, Ian Mansfield, Kirk McLean
, Bill Ranford
, and Robert Lambie (Treasurer).
. Due to unsatisfactory conditions at the Sports Centre (specifically a reduction of parking due to the construction of a new aquatic complex
next door), the team relocated to Burnaby for the 2005-2006 season.
Burnaby originally had a junior "A" team by the name of the Burnaby Bulldogs
, which played in that city for 4 seasons (1998–2001). That team relocated to the city of Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island
for the start of the 2002 season, and was renamed the Alberni Valley Bulldogs
.
The 2005-06 season saw the Express win the league championship (Fred Page Cup) and the Mowat Cup
by defeating Langley Hornets, 4 games to 0, Chilliwack Chiefs, 4 games to 1, Victoria Salsa, 4 games to 1 and the Penticton Vees, 4 games to 2. The team then defeated the Fort McMurray Oil Barons
, 4 games to 2, for the Doyle Cup
and enter the National Championship Tournament as Pacific Region winners.
The Express won the Royal Bank Cup 2006
(National Championship) by defeating the Yorkton Terries by a score of 8 - 2. In the Semi-Final they almost lost to the Fort William Northstars 3 - 2 in overtime and scored the tying goal with 12 seconds left in regulation time.
During the round-robin they had a record of 3 - 1, which seeded them 2nd in the Tournament, behind the hometown hosts Streetsville Derbys.
In 2006-07 the Express were highly touted as a top team in the CJAHL, with the likes of Kyle Turris
and Tyler McNeely. They set out to repeat as Royal Bank Cup champions again, but fell short. In the first rounds of playoffs the team beat the Langley Chiefs in 7 games and in the second round lost to the eventual BCHL league champions Nanaimo Clippers in 7 games.
In 2007-08 saw a coaching change from Rick Lanz (Colorado Avalanche Western Scout) to Dave McLellan. The team was not been very well-supported since the move from Coquitlam, and struggled in attendance for the 3rd straight year. Although the team enjoyed a little success in the regular season it was the Victoria Grizzlies that ended the careers of Carlo Finucci, Kevin Tipper, Todd Bowman, Brad Hunt, and Mike Rempel.
As of 17 October 2009, the Burnaby Express were averaging just 548 fans per game, which is the second lowest attendance of 17 teams in the BCHL. This is half the attendance the team averaged in their final season in Coquitlam (1,091 fans per game).
With the team in last place in the Coastal Conference, on 16 January 2010 the Express announced the firing of coach Dave McLellan. General Manager Darcy Rota took over the interim coaching duties, with Bill Zaharia and Tyler Kuntz named as Assistant Coaches for the remainder of the 2009/10 season. On 13 April 2010, the Express named Jon Calvano as their new head coach.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Coquitlam, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League
British Columbia Hockey League
The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
(BCHL). They play their home games at Coquitlam Sports Centre
Coquitlam Sports Centre
Coquitlam Sports Centre is a multi-purpose all-season recreation complex in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The facility is used by a wide variety of groups including hockey, lacrosse, and ringette teams, curlers, and figure skaters....
.
Although the team had played in the neighbouring city of Burnaby for the previous five years, on 14 January 2010 it was announced that the BCHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the relocation of the franchise back to Coquitlam for the 2010/11 season.
The team's ownership group includes Darcy Rota
Darcy Rota
Darcy Irwin Rota is a retired professional ice hockey player who spent eleven seasons in the National Hockey League...
(President), Robert Clough, Pat Delasalle, Tim Delasalle, Brian Hannigan, Dave Lowry
Dave Lowry
David John Lowry is a retired professional ice hockey player from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He played in the National Hockey League from 1985 to 2004...
, Ian Mansfield, Kirk McLean
Kirk McLean
Kirk Alan McLean is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers...
, Bill Ranford
Bill Ranford
William Edward Ranford is a former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltending coach for the Los Angeles Kings. He graduated from New Westminster Secondary School in 1985. He was selected in the third round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 52nd overall, by the Boston Bruins...
, and Robert Lambie (Treasurer).
History
The Coquitlam Express began play as a new franchise in the BCHL for the 2001-2002 hockey season, and played in the city for four seasons at the Coquitlam Sports CentreCoquitlam Sports Centre
Coquitlam Sports Centre is a multi-purpose all-season recreation complex in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The facility is used by a wide variety of groups including hockey, lacrosse, and ringette teams, curlers, and figure skaters....
. Due to unsatisfactory conditions at the Sports Centre (specifically a reduction of parking due to the construction of a new aquatic complex
Chimo Aquatic and Fitness Centre
The Chimo Aquatic and Fitness Centre is a indoor aquatic centre located in central Coquitlam, British Columbia, next to the Coquitlam Sports Centre. The building was designed by Hughes Condon Marler Architects, built at a cost of $12.4 million , and opened in the spring of 2008...
next door), the team relocated to Burnaby for the 2005-2006 season.
Burnaby originally had a junior "A" team by the name of the Burnaby Bulldogs
Alberni Valley Bulldogs
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League . They play their home games at Weyerhaeuser Arena.-History:...
, which played in that city for 4 seasons (1998–2001). That team relocated to the city of Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
for the start of the 2002 season, and was renamed the Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Alberni Valley Bulldogs
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League . They play their home games at Weyerhaeuser Arena.-History:...
.
The 2005-06 season saw the Express win the league championship (Fred Page Cup) and the Mowat Cup
Mowat Cup
The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia .The cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by Mr...
by defeating Langley Hornets, 4 games to 0, Chilliwack Chiefs, 4 games to 1, Victoria Salsa, 4 games to 1 and the Penticton Vees, 4 games to 2. The team then defeated the Fort McMurray Oil Barons
Fort McMurray Oil Barons
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons are an ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They play in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada at the Thickwood Heights Arena, capacity 2300....
, 4 games to 2, for the Doyle Cup
Doyle Cup
The Doyle Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won through a best-of-7 series, conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The series is played between the Fred Page Cup champions of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Enerflex Cup champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League...
and enter the National Championship Tournament as Pacific Region winners.
The Express won the Royal Bank Cup 2006
Royal Bank Cup
The Royal Bank Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held to determine the Canadian Junior A champion. The winner of the tournament wins the Royal Bank Cup...
(National Championship) by defeating the Yorkton Terries by a score of 8 - 2. In the Semi-Final they almost lost to the Fort William Northstars 3 - 2 in overtime and scored the tying goal with 12 seconds left in regulation time.
During the round-robin they had a record of 3 - 1, which seeded them 2nd in the Tournament, behind the hometown hosts Streetsville Derbys.
In 2006-07 the Express were highly touted as a top team in the CJAHL, with the likes of Kyle Turris
Kyle Turris
Kyle Turris is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre with the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League . He was selected third overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.-Playing career:...
and Tyler McNeely. They set out to repeat as Royal Bank Cup champions again, but fell short. In the first rounds of playoffs the team beat the Langley Chiefs in 7 games and in the second round lost to the eventual BCHL league champions Nanaimo Clippers in 7 games.
In 2007-08 saw a coaching change from Rick Lanz (Colorado Avalanche Western Scout) to Dave McLellan. The team was not been very well-supported since the move from Coquitlam, and struggled in attendance for the 3rd straight year. Although the team enjoyed a little success in the regular season it was the Victoria Grizzlies that ended the careers of Carlo Finucci, Kevin Tipper, Todd Bowman, Brad Hunt, and Mike Rempel.
As of 17 October 2009, the Burnaby Express were averaging just 548 fans per game, which is the second lowest attendance of 17 teams in the BCHL. This is half the attendance the team averaged in their final season in Coquitlam (1,091 fans per game).
With the team in last place in the Coastal Conference, on 16 January 2010 the Express announced the firing of coach Dave McLellan. General Manager Darcy Rota took over the interim coaching duties, with Bill Zaharia and Tyler Kuntz named as Assistant Coaches for the remainder of the 2009/10 season. On 13 April 2010, the Express named Jon Calvano as their new head coach.
Season-by-season record
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2001-02 | 60 | 20 | 32 | - | 8 | 230 | 305 | 48 | 4th, Mainland | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Chiefs) | |
| 2002-03 | 60 | 24 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 228 | 270 | 55 | 4th, Mainland | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Chiefs) | |
| 2003-04 | 60 | 32 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 254 | 212 | 66 | 2312 | 3rd, Mainland | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Chiefs) |
| 2004-05 | 60 | 25 | 31 | 1 | 3 | 211 | 258 | 54 | 1421 | 3rd, Mainland | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Chiefs) |
| 2005-06 | 60 | 34 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 231 | 202 | 74 | 589 | 2nd, Mainland | Fred Page Cup, Mowat Cup Mowat Cup The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia .The cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by Mr... , Doyle Cup Doyle Cup The Doyle Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won through a best-of-7 series, conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The series is played between the Fred Page Cup champions of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Enerflex Cup champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League... , Royal Bank Cup Royal Bank Cup The Royal Bank Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held to determine the Canadian Junior A champion. The winner of the tournament wins the Royal Bank Cup... Champions |
| 2006-07 | 60 | 34 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 260 | 198 | 69 | 1232 | 4th, Coastal | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Clippers Nanaimo Clippers The Nanaimo Clippers are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League... ) |
| 2007-08 | 60 | 33 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 218 | 219 | 69 | 922 | 4th, Coastal | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-3 (Grizzlies Victoria Grizzlies The Victoria Grizzlies are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League . They play their home games at Bear Mountain Arena.... ) |
| 2008-09 | 60 | 18 | 35 | 1 | 6 | 170 | 245 | 43 | 829 | 4th, Mainland | Did not qualify |
| 2009-10 | 60 | 18 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 175 | 256 | 42 | 878 | 8th, Coastal | Did not qualify |
| 2010-11 | 60 | 22 | 28 | 1 | 9 | 218 | 253 | 54 | 7th, Coastal | Lost Division Quarter-final |
NHL Alumni
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- David JonesDavid Jones (ice hockey)David Jones is a professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
- Andrew LaddAndrew LaddAndrew Ladd is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and captain of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League . He was originally drafted in 2004 by the Carolina Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2006...
- Milan LucicMilan LucicMilan Lucic is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger of Serbian origin currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League for three seasons and captured a Memorial Cup, while being named...
- Kyle TurrisKyle TurrisKyle Turris is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre with the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League . He was selected third overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.-Playing career:...
- Patrick WierciochPatrick WierciochPatrick Wiercioch is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Wiercioch is a member of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
- Brandon YipBrandon YipBrandon Yip is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. He is of 3/4 Chinese and 1/4 Irish descent.-Playing career:...