- Coquitlam Express
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Coquitlam Express 
City Coquitlam, British Columbia League British Columbia Hockey League Division Coastal Conference Founded 2001 Home arena Coquitlam Sports Centre Colours Red, Black, White
General manager 
Darcy RotaHead coach Jon Calvano
Website
www.coquitlamexpress.caFranchise history 2001–2005 Coquitlam Express 2005–2010 Burnaby Express 2010–present Coquitlam Express 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.[1][2][3]
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).
Contents
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 Centre. 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).[4][5]
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.[6] On 13 April 2010, the Express named Jon Calvano as their new head coach.[7]
Season-by-season record
Original Coquitlam Express logo
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
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, Doyle Cup, Royal Bank Cup Champions 2006-07 60 34 25 0 1 260 198 69 1232 4th, Coastal Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Clippers) 2007-08 60 33 24 0 3 218 219 69 922 4th, Coastal Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-3 (Grizzlies) 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
- Mark Dekanich
- David Jones
- Andrew Ladd
- Milan Lucic
- Kyle Turris
- Patrick Wiercioch
- Brandon Yip
Awards and trophies
- 2006
- 2006
- 2006
- 2006
Cliff McNabb Memorial Trophy
Coastal Conference Champions- 2006
Bob Fenton Trophy
Most Sportsmanlike (Coastal)- Brock Bradford: 2004
Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy
Rookie Of The Year (Coastal)- Kyle Turris: 2006
- Brett Hemingway: 2002
Brett Hull Trophy
Top Scorer- Carlo Finucci: 2008
Vern Dye Memorial Trophy
Most Valuable Player (Coastal)- Carlo Finucci: 2008
- Kyle Turris: 2007
See also
References
- ^ BCHL: Express return to Coquitlam receives go-ahead by BCHL Governors 14 January 2010
- ^ Tri-City News: BCHL Express returning to Coquitlam from Burnaby 14 January 2010
- ^ Canada.com: BCHL OK's Express' ticket to Coquitlam 15 January 2010
- ^ BCHL: Current Attendance Retrieved on 17 October 2009
- ^ BCAHA: 2004-05 Annual Report Retrieved on 1 March 2009
- ^ Tri-City News: Express axe coach McLellan before they hit Coquitlam 19 January 2010
- ^ Coquitlam Express: Jon Calvano Named Coquitlam Express Head Coach 13 April 2010
External links
Preceded by
Weyburn Red WingsRoyal Bank Cup Champions
2006Succeeded by
Aurora TigersBritish Columbia Hockey League Interior Conference Coastal Conference Alberni Valley Bulldogs • Coquitlam Express • Cowichan Valley Capitals • Langley Rivermen • Nanaimo Clippers • Powell River Kings • Surrey Eagles • Victoria GrizzliesDefunct Teams Abbotsford Falcons · Abbotsford Flyers · Bellingham Blazers · Chilliwack Eagles · Coquitlam Comets · Delta Suns · Kelowna Buckaroos · Kelowna Spartans · Langley Thunder · Maple Ridge Bruins · Nor'Wes Caps · Royal City Outlaws · Quesnel Millionaires · Salmon Arm Tigers · Shuswap Blazers · Vancouver Villas · Williams Lake TimberWolvesCJHL: Mowat Cup · Abbott Cup · Doyle Cup · Royal Bank Cup Baseball 
Football Hockey NHL: Vancouver Canucks · WHL: Vancouver Giants · BCHL: Coquitlam Express · Langley Rivermen · Surrey EaglesLacrosse WLA: Burnaby Lakers · Coquitlam Adanacs · Langley Thunder · Maple Ridge Burrards · New Westminster SalmonbelliesRoller derby WFTDA: Terminal City Roller GirlsRugby RCNJC: Vancouver WaveSoccer University athletics Categories:- British Columbia Hockey League teams
- Ice hockey teams in British Columbia
- Sport in Coquitlam
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