Vancouver Griffins
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.
| 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 |
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 18 exhibition games against Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) teams, British Columbia and Alberta provincial women's teams, 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 forward Julia Berg, a member of the Norway women's national ice hockey team.[3]
For the Griffins' 2001–02 season, 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. The team played 31 exhibition games against local, CIAU, British Columbia and Alberta provincial women's teams, and NWHL teams. 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]
The Griffins joined the Calgary Oval X-Treme and Edmonton Chimos as a fully scheduled three team division in the NWHL for the 2002-03 season. The Griffins disbanded at the end of that season.
Season-by-season
| 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[7] |
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 | Exhibition games only | |
| 2001-02 | Exhibition games only | |
| 2002-03 | 2rd, Western Division | no participation to playoff |
Inaugural Roster (2000-01)
| Player | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|
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Krista Cloutier | Pickardville, Alberta |
|
Chantal Cotton | Vancouver, British Columbia |
|
Jennifer Price | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Player | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kobi Kawamoto | Surrey, British Columbia |
|
Erin Leslie | Vancouver, British Columbia |
|
Patti Maskall | Richmond, British Columbia |
|
Tamara Pickford | Chilliwack, British Columbia |
|
Kira Sinow | Vancouver, British Columbia |
|
Renae Stevenson | Abbotsford, British Columbia |
| Player | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|
|
Debbie Beaudoin | Surrey, British Columbia |
|
Michelle McLeary | North Vancouver, British Columbia |
 |
Julia Berg | Randaberg, Norway |
|
Natalie Christensen | Abbotsford, British Columbia |
|
Alana Gray | Coquitlam, British Columbia |
|
Danielle Grundy | Kelowna, British Columbia |
|
Caroline Hall | Victoria, British Columbia |
|
Glenda Olson | Abbotsford, British Columbia |
|
Sherri Pitre | North Vancouver, British Columbia |
|
Sherri Schmidt | Lillooet, British Columbia |
|
Sonya Sneyd | Whistler, British Columbia |
|
Kelli Stephens | |
|
Elaine Topolnisky | Logan Lake, British Columbia |
|
Samantha Wong | Vancouver, British Columbia |
References
- http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/pre_van.html
- Vancouver Griffins 2000 Preview, SLAM! Sports, http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/pre_van.html
- Julia Berg stars with Vancouver Griffins, http://hockeyadventure.com/2007/08/12/julia-berg-stars-with-vancouver-griffins/
- Wilson was a certified level IV master coach and former assistant with the national women's under-22 squad.
- Cammi Granato signed in May 2002. Source:http://www.realwomeninsports.com/granato.php
- Dan Hilborn (November 21, 2002). "Olympic stars play for the NWHL Griffins". Burnaby Now. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.548, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
- http://www.canoe.ca/HockeyNWHL/ros_van.html