Vancouver Griffins

Vancouver Griffins
City Vancouver, Canada
League National Women's Hockey League
Division Western
Founded 2000
Home arena Queen's Park Arena
Colors Dark blue, red & blue grey
Owner(s) Phillip DeGrandpre
General manager Nancy Wilson
Head coach Sylvain Leone, Nancy Wilson
Captain Cammi Granato

The Vancouver Griffins were a professional women's ice hockey team in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). The team played its home games in Queen's Park Arena, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

History

The team was established in January 2000 by local businessman Phillip DeGrandpre. The Griffins were voted in by the NWHL in May 2000. The Griffins would become the first expansion team for the NWHL outside their traditional Ontario and Quebec base.[1]

In 2000-01, the Vancouver Griffins[2] played an exhibition schedule of local, CIAU and NWHL teams. The first head coach of the Griffins was Sylvain Leone. The club’s first roster was selected at a training camp in August 2000 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In the 2000-01 season, the only players that were not from British Columbia were goalie Krista Cloutier of Pickardville, Alberta, and Norwegian national team forward Julia Berg.[3]

For the second season (2001–02), the team was owned by British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame inductee Diane Nelson. The head coach was Nancy Wilson.[4] Olympians Nancy Drolet of Canada women's national ice hockey team, Cammi Granato[5]) and Shelley Looney of the United States women's national ice hockey team joined Vancouver Griffins. The Griffins' roster also included Burnaby's own 18-year-old Natashia Pellatt, a graduate of Moscrop Secondary School. Other younger players included 15-year-old Courtney Unrah. One of the highlights of the 2001-02 season was a victory over Hayley Wickenheiser and her Edmonton Chimos club by a 7-1 score. Nancy Drolet had a hat trick and Cammi Granato scored the other four goals against Edmonton.[6]

Season-by-season

Year by year
Year GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
2000-01 18 14 4 0 - 91 43 28
2001-02 31 27 4 0 - 84 14 54[7]
2002-03 24 10 13 0 1 82 92 21[8]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points.

Season standings

Year Regular Season Playoffs
2000-01 5rd, Western Division no participation to playoff
2001-02 First place Western Division eliminated in first round
2002-03 2rd, Western Division no participation to playoff

[9]

Inaugural Roster (2000-01)

Goalies
Player Former Team Hometown
Canada Krista Cloutier Pickardville, Alberta
Canada Chantal Cotton Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada Jennifer Price Victoria, British Columbia
Defense
Player Former Team Hometown
Canada Kobi Kawamoto Surrey, British Columbia
Canada Erin Leslie Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada Patti Maskall Richmond, British Columbia
Canada Tamara Pickford Chilliwack, British Columbia
Canada Kira Sinow Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada Renae Stevenson Abbotsford, British Columbia
Forwards
Player Former Team Hometown
Canada Debbie Beaudoin Surrey, British Columbia
Canada Michelle McLeary North Vancouver, British Columbia
Norway Julia Berg Norwegian women's national Team Randaberg, Norway
Canada Natalie Christensen Abbotsford, British Columbia
Canada Alana Gray Coquitlam, British Columbia
Canada Danielle Grundy Kelowna, British Columbia
Canada Caroline Hall Victoria, British Columbia
Canada Glenda Olson Abbotsford, British Columbia
Canada Sherri Pitre North Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada Sherri Schmidt Lillooet, British Columbia
Canada Sonya Sneyd Whistler, British Columbia
Canada Kelli Stephens
Canada Elaine Topolnisky Logan Lake, British Columbia
Canada Samantha Wong Vancouver, British Columbia

[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/pre_van.html
  2. ↑ Vancouver Griffins 2000 Preview, SLAM! Sports, http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/pre_van.html
  3. ↑ Julia Berg stars with Vancouver Griffins, http://hockeyadventure.com/2007/08/12/julia-berg-stars-with-vancouver-griffins/
  4. ↑ Wilson was a certified level IV master coach and former assistant with the national women's under-22 squad.
  5. ↑ Cammi Granato signed in May 2002. Source:http://www.realwomeninsports.com/granato.php
  6. ↑ Dan Hilborn (November 21, 2002). "Olympic stars play for the NWHL Griffins". Burnaby Now. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  7. ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.548, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  8. ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.549, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  9. ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.548, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  10. ↑ http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/ros_van.html
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