BRITISH COLUMBIA HOCKEY LEAGUE - 2000's
League Years 2000's
The British Columbia Hockey League enjoyed another decade of relative stableization in the 2000's. There was very little expansion, contraction or team relocation. The 2000's saw no teams leave, although one took a two year leave of absence, three were added and four teams relocated.
The League maintained another decade of regional and national exposure in the 2000's. It recieved ten Mowat Cups - Provincial and four Doyle Cups - British Columbia versus Alberta. The League also had six Royal Bank Cup Tournament - National Championships, appearances, which includes two Royal Bank Cups (National Championship),2006 & 2009.
The League acquired its ninth and tenth National titles in the 2000's with the Burnaby Express in 2006 and the Vernon Vipers in 2009. With the Vernon Vipers win it was their third Royal Bank Cup, 1996 & 1999, and the franchises fifth National title. This would set a new Canadian record of five National titles for one franchise surpassing the Prince Albert Raiders who had four.
The League also hosted the National Championship Tournament, for the third time, in 2007 by Prince George Spruce Kings and again in 2009 by the Victoria Grizzlies.
In 2003, the league opened a League Office for the first time and a new leadership group came aboard to further the progress built over the past decade. Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman John Grisdale was named the BCHL's Commissioner while former Powell River Kings General Manager David Sales became the league's Executive Director. Under the stewardship of Grisdale and Sales, the league leapt into the 21st century by establishing a presence on the internet, expanding the league's business operations, and setting in motion the audio and video broadcasting that now brings BCHL into homes all over the country.
To the dismay of some and the delight of most, the league got rid of its caveman drawing logo in 2005 in favour of the current BCHL mark that exists today.
The league also enjoyed a series of fantastic seasons on the ice. While the Chilliwack Chiefs and Nanaimo Clippers dominated on the ice, each winning a pair of Fred Page Cup Championships, players from all over the league were catching the attention of National Hockey League and NCAA scouts. In 2006, Burnaby Express forward Kyle Turris announced his presence on the hockey world's radar with a dominant performance during his team's RBC Royal Bank Cup-winning season.
A Moment of Parity
In contrast to what we saw in previous decades, the 2000s did not feature one or two teams dominating when it comes to league championships. There were no dynasties in the decade, which indicated parity within the league was on the horizon. This point was driven home when there was a six-year span with six different champions, which was something uncommon in years past.
To start off the decade, the Chilliwack Chiefs won their first title since moving from Richmond in 1990. The year after that, it was the Victoria Salsa who captured their first Fred Page Cup in franchise history.
A key part of that championship Salsa team was Kyle Greentree who played five seasons with the Salsa from 1999 to 2004 and ended up as the league's third all-time leading goal scorer and point producer.
"We had a lot of older guys," recalled Greentree. "As we went through the playoffs, it was pretty tough. We played Nanaimo, Burnaby and Merritt. I remember a lot of Game 7s. The Game 7 at home in the finals was pretty crazy when we won it. I'm from Victoria, so friends and family were there. It was something that we all worked pretty hard towards."
The Chiefs won it again in 2002, then it was the Vernon Vipers, Nanaimo Clippers, Surrey Eagles and Burnaby Express, who won in just their fifth year of existence and their first after moving to Burnaby. In 2007, the Clippers won for the second time in four years and the year after, the Penticton Vees won their first title in 22 seasons.
The Vernon Vipers would win it all in 2009, which was a signal of things to come in the following decade.
Expanding Again
As mentioned previously, the BCHL welcomed the Coquitlam Express into the fold in 2001. The team played there for four seasons before relocating to Burnaby in 2005. After winning the Fred Page Cup in their first year in Burnaby, the team was destined to return to Coquitlam a few year later, returning in 2010 where they have remained ever since.
That same season saw the addition of another current-day franchise in the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The BCHL had tried the Salmon Arm/Shuswap market in the past with the Totems/Blazers/Tigers franchise in the '80s, but this time they got it right with the Silverbacks who have been a league member ever since.
One other expansion team entered the fray during the decade. The Williams Lake TimberWolves began play in 2002, but their experience was short-lived. The team took a two-year hiatus from 2007 to 2009 before returning for one year and ultimately ceasing operations in 2010.
Several other teams relocated during the decade to become more familiar to current-day BCHL fans. The Chilliwack Chiefs moved to Langley to become the Langley Chiefs, who eventually turned into the Rivermen. That team replaced the Langley Hornets who moved to West Kelowna in 2006 to become the Westside Warriors and eventually the West Kelowna Warriors. The Burnaby Bulldogs, founded in 1998, moved to Port Alberni in 2002 to become the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Last, but not least, the Victoria Salsa ditched the muscular jalapeno pepper logo and rebranded as the Grizzlies in 2006.
A Broken Record
One significant league milestone was broken in the 2000s when Mike Di Stefano set the record for most games played with 297. Di Stefano played five seasons in the league from 2000 to 2004 and suited up for four different franchises, including the Burnaby Bulldogs, Quesnel Millionaires, Powell River Kings and Chilliwack Chiefs. He even returned to the Bulldogs for a period after they had moved to Port Alberni.
"It's quite a privilege to be able to say [I own the record]," said Di Stefano. "I think about the fun I had, the friendships I made. and the experiences I went through. It's a really cool thing to have. It's something that I'll be able to show my kids and talk to my friends about."
During the 2000s, the BCHL really established itself as a breeding ground for NHL teams to find talent. From 2000 to 2009, there were 59 players selected from BCHL teams at the NHL Draft, which is the most of any decade to date. The fact that there were nine rounds at the time helped these numbers, but in 2003 alone, there were 11 players taken and a year later, there were 10.
Although it did not quite match up with the numbers from 2003 and 2004, the '07 draft may well be the most significant of the decade. From 2005 to 2007, Kyle Turris established himself as a high-end NHL prospect after putting up 193 points in 110 regular-season games with the Burnaby Express, including his last year where he came second in league scoring with 121 points as a 17-year-old. He also helped lead the Express to a league an national title in 2006.
Turris would be selected third overall by the Phoenix Coyotes at the 2007 draft and became the highest-ever pick from the BCHL and the highest ever pick of a Junior A player, a mark that stands to this day. Turris remains an NHLer and is currently in his second season with the Edmonton Oilers.
That '07 draft featured another first-rounder from the BCHL in Riley Nash who also remains in the league and is currently a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
There was one more notable name that came from the same draft year, although he had to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called. Former Victoria Grizzlies forward Jamie Benn was selected by the Dallas Stars and became the most productive NHL player to come out of the league in the 2000s. Benn has played the entirety of his career in Dallas and is the 10th all-time leading scorer among BCHL alumni with 754 points and counting over a 13-year NHL career.
Source Material: 60th Anniversary Series PDF
2000's Highlights
In the 2000's the league achieved the following.
- 10 - Mowat Cups - BC Championship
- 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
- 4 - Doyle Cups - BC vs AB Championship
- 2002 2004 2006 2009
- Runners-up: 2000 2001 2003 2005 2007 2008
- 2 - Royal Bank Cups - National Championship
- 2006 2009
- Runners-up:
2007
Bronze Medalist: 2000
Semi-Finalist: 2002
Appearance: 2004
2000's Season by Season Overview
Below you will find a brief overview of the each season in the 2000's.
» 2000-01 » 2001-02 » 2002-03 » 2003-04 » 2004-05 » 2005-06 » 2006-07 » 2007-08 » 2008-09 » 2009-10
- 2000-01
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, Preliminary Round - Top 6 teams
- Highest Seed vs Lowest Seed (other Division)
- remaining teams in Division play each other
Remaining top seed "bye" to Semi-Final
- other teams play a best-of-five
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3
Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Victoria Salsa
- 2001-02
- Coquitlam Express added
Salmon Arm Silverbacks added - 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 Divisional
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5, 3 vs 4
- remaining top seed "bye" to Semi-Final
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals - best-of-five, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Chilliwack Chiefs
- 2002-03
- Williams Lake Timberwolves
added
Burnaby Bulldogs » Alberni Valley Bulldogs - 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 Divisional
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5, 3 vs 4
- remaining top seed "bye" to Semi-Final
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals - best-of-five, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Vernon Vipers
- 2003-04
- South Surrey Eagles » Surrey Eagles
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 Divisional
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5, 3 vs 4
- remaining top seed "bye" to Semi-Final
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals - best-of-five, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Naniamo Clippers
- 2004-05
- Penticton Panthers » Penticton Vees
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, top 8
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, top 6
- top 2 bye to quarter-finals
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Surrey Eagles
- 2005-06
- Coquitlam Express » Burnaby Express
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs:
Coastal Conference: Best-of-seven, top 8
Interior Conference: Best-of-seven, top 6
- top 2 bye to quarter-finals
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Burnaby Express
- 2006-07
- Victoria Salsa » Victoria
Grizzlies
Chilliwack Chiefs » Langley Chiefs
Langley Hornets » Westside Warriors - 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs: Best-of-seven, top 8
each Conference
1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5
Preliminary Round, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Naniamo Clippers
- 2007-08
- Williams Lake Timberwolves - suspended by league
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs: top 6 each
Conference
- top 2 each Conference "Bye" to Quarter-Finals
Preliminary Round - best-of-five, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Penticton Vees
- 2008-09
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference - Island Division & Mainland Division
Interior Conference - Playoffs: top 6 each
Conference
- 1st Island & Mainland Division "Bye" to Quarter-Finals
- Top 2 Interior Conference "Bye" to Quarter-Finals
Preliminary Round - best-of-five, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final - Champion - Vernon Vipers
- 2009-10
- Williams Lake Timberwolves - re-enter
- 60 game schedule
Coastal Conference & Interior Conference - Playoffs, Best-of-seven: 1st in
each Conference recieve "Bye"
Elimination Round: Each Conference - 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5
High Seed vs Low Seed : Quarter-Finals , Semi-Finals; Finals - Champion - Vernon Vipers