Steinbach Pistons

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Steinbach Pistons
CitySteinbach, Manitoba
LeagueManitoba Junior Hockey League
DivisionEast
Founded1988
Home arenaHyLife Centre
ColoursNavy blue, blue, white
     
Owner(s)Steinbach Pistons, Inc.
General managerPaul Dyck
Head coachPaul Dyck
Mediawww.SteinbachOnline.com
AM Radio 1250
Mix 96.7 FM
Country 107.7 FM
Websitewww.steinbachpistons.ca
Franchise history
1988-1991Southeast Thunderbirds
1991-1992Southeast T-Birds
1992-2007Southeast Blades
2007-2009Beausejour Blades
2009-PresentSteinbach Pistons

The Steinbach Pistons are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, which is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

History[edit]

Southeast Thunderbirds/T-Birds/Blades[edit]

The MJHL granted an expansion team to the Southeast Tribal Council, a group of First Nation bands in southeastern Manitoba, to begin play in the 1988–89 season. The team was known as the Southeast Thunderbirds and played out of the Notre Dame Arena in Winnipeg. The team was renamed the Southeast Blades in 1992. After taking a leave of absence for the 1996–97 season, the Blades moved northeast of Winnipeg to Sagkeeng First Nation. The Blades played ten seasons in Sagkeeng, the most successful being the 2002–03 season when they advanced to the Turnbull Cup finals which they lost to the OCN Blizzard.

Beausejour Blades[edit]

The Beausejour Blades were formed in 2007 following the sale and relocation of the team to the Sun Gro Centre in Beausejour. The move did not improve the team's fortunes; the Blades managed to win only 13 games over the two seasons of their existence.[1]

Steinbach Pistons[edit]

During the 2009 Allan Cup in Steinbach, Manitoba, the City of Steinbach, together with Blades management, announced that the team would be relocating to the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach for the 2009–10 MJHL season.[2] The team was renamed the Steinbach Pistons, in recognition of the city's reputation as "The Automobile City".[3] Steinbach was previously home to a MJHL team called the Hawks from 1985 to 1988.[1][4]

Despite the team's improved record after the move to Steinbach, the Pistons failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of their first three seasons.[5] The team's continued poor performance and strained financial position spurred a group of investors from the local business community to purchase the Pistons in 2012 and convert it to a community-owned organization.[6][7] The next season, the Pistons ended the franchise's ten year playoff drought and captured their first Turnbull Cup.

The Pistons enjoyed their best season in 2017-2018 when the team won its second Turnbull Cup, defeated the Nipawin Hawks to win the ANAVET Cup, and qualified for the 2018 Royal Bank Cup.[4]

Season-by-season record[edit]

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1988-89 48 1 47 0 - 177 449 2 9th MJHL DNQ
1989-90 52 20 31 1 - 282 342 41 8th MJHL Lost Round 1
1990-91 48 8 38 2 - 216 347 18 9th MJHL DNQ
1991-92 48 2 46 0 0 106 453 4 9th MJHL DNQ
1992-93 48 16 29 3 0 224 307 35 9th MJHL DNQ
1993-94 56 10 34 1 1 -- -- 22 9th MJHL DNQ
1994-95 55 21 30 1 3 196 271 46 8th MJHL Lost Round 1
1995-96 56 5 49 2 0 144 404 12 9th MJHL Lost Round 1
1996-97 Did Not Participate
1997-98 62 20 38 2 2 231 300 44 10th MJHL DNQ
1998-99 61 21 38 2 0 234 265 44 8th MJHL DNQ
1999-00 64 29 26 - 9 282 285 67 8th MJHL DNQ
2000-01 64 7 55 - 2 160 405 16 12th MJHL DNQ
2001-02 64 23 36 - 5 202 286 51 10th MJHL DNQ
2002-03 63 40 18 - 5 265 210 85 5th MJHL Lost final
2003-04 64 12 50 0 2 184 389 26 11th MJHL DNQ
2004-05 63 7 50 2 4 165 331 20 11th MJHL DNQ
2005-06 63 18 34 5 6 198 293 47 9th MJHL DNQ
2006-07 63 9 46 5 3 181 356 26 11th MJHL DNQ
2007-08 62 7 50 - 5 165 400 19 11th MJHL DNQ
2008-09 62 6 52 - 4 147 424 16 11th MJHL DNQ
2009-10 62 13 43 - 6 185 308 32 11th MJHL DNQ
2010-11 62 19 40 - 3 203 277 41 11th MJHL DNQ
2011-12 62 15 41 - 6 188 319 36 10th MJHL DNQ
2012-13 60 31 25 - 4 224 211 66 5th MJHL Won League
2013-14 60 42 16 - 2 216 147 86 2nd MJHL Lost semi-final
2014-15 60 39 14 - 7 218 150 85 2nd MJHL Lost final
2015-16 60 45 10 - 5 251 138 95 2nd MJHL Lost final
2016-17 60 49 10 - 1 249 124 99 1st MJHL Lost semi-final
2017-18 60 48 8 - 4 296 130 100 1st MJHL Won League, won AC
2018-19 60 34 17 - 4 197 127 82 3rd MJHL Lost semi-final
2019-20 60 42 10 - 8 219 138 92 1st MJHL Won quarter-final
2020-21 7 5 1 - 1 29 12 11 3rd MJHL Cancelled
2021-22 54 42 9 - 3 239 122 87 1st MJHL Lost final
2022-23 58 42 15 - 1 227 139 85 2nd MJHL Won League

Playoffs[edit]

  • 1989 DNQ
  • 1990 Lost div semi-final
Kildonan North Stars defeated Southeast Thunderbirds 4-games-to-none
  • 1991 DNQ
  • 1992 DNQ
  • 1993 DNQ
  • 1994 Lost div semi-final
St. Boniface Saints defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-1
  • 1995 Lost div semi-final
St. Boniface Saints defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-none
  • 1996 DNQ
  • 1997 Did Not Participate
  • 1998 DNQ
  • 1999 DNQ
  • 2000 DNQ
  • 2001 DNQ
  • 2002 DNQ
  • 2003 Lost final
Southeast Blades defeated Winkler Flyers 4-games-to-3
Southeast Blades defeated Winnipeg South Blues 4-games-to-1
OCN Blizzard defeated Southeast Blades 4-games-to-none
  • 2004 DNQ
  • 2005 DNQ
  • 2006 DNQ
  • 2007 DNQ
  • 2008 DNQ
  • 2009 DNQ
  • 2010 DNQ
  • 2011 DNQ
  • 2012 DNQ
  • 2013 Won League, lost in 2013 Western Canada Cup round robin
Steinbach Pistons defeated Portage Terriers 4-games-to-3
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-2
Steinbach Pistons defeated Dauphin Kings 4-games-to-2 MJHL CHAMPIONS
Fifth and eliminated from 2013 Western Canada Cup round robin (0-4)
  • 2014 Lost division final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Portage Terriers 4-games-to-3
Winnipeg Blues defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-1
  • 2015 Lost final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Selkirk Steelers 4-games-to-0
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-1
Portage Terriers defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-0
  • 2016 Lost final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Swan Valley Stampeders 4-games-to-0
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winkler Flyers 4-games-to-3
Portage Terriers defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-1
  • 2017 Lost semi-final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Neepawa Natives 4-games-to-2
Portage Terriers defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-2
Steinbach Pistons defeated Swan Valley Stampeders 4-games-to-0
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-2
Steinbach Pistons defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-games-to-2 MJHL CHAMPIONS
Steinbach Pistons defeated Nipawin Hawks 4-games-to-2 ANAVET CUP CHAMPIONS
Fifth and eliminated from 2018 Royal Bank Cup round robin (0-2-2)
  • 2019 Lost semi-final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-2
Swan Valley Stampeders defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-2
  • 2020 Won quarter-final
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-0
Remainder of season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[8]
  • 2021 Playoffs cancelled[9]
  • 2022
Steinbach Pistons defeated Selkirk Steelers 4-games-to-1
Steinbach Pistons defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-games-to-2
Dauphin Kings defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-3
  • 2023 Won League
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winkler Flyers 4-games-to-3
Steinbach Pistons defeated Swan Valley Stampeders 4-games-to-2
Steinbach Pistons defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-games-to-1 MJHL CHAMPIONS

Head coaches[edit]

The following is a list of the franchise's head coaches:

  • Wayne Babych, 1988-90
  • Rick Buffie, 1990-91
  • Bob Cook, 1991-92
  • Gord Malinoski, 1992
  • Don MacGillivray, 1992-93
  • David Roulston, 1993-95
  • Dan Gregovski, 1995
  • Dan Bourbonnais, 1996
  • Bruce Schmidt, 1997-99
  • Heavy Evason, 1999-2000
  • Kelly Zacharias, 2000
  • Steve Brown, 2000-01
  • Jamie Leach, 2001-03
  • Troy Kennedy, 2003-04
  • Lyle Loewen, 2004-05
  • Ray Neufeld, 2005-07
  • Jamie Watts, 2007
  • Kurt Walsten, 2007-09
  • Rich Gosselin, 2009-11
  • Paul Dyck, 2011-present

Gallery[edit]

  • Beausejour Blades logo 2007-2009
    Beausejour Blades logo 2007-2009
  • Steinbach Pistons logo 2012-2020
    Steinbach Pistons logo 2012-2020

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Blades cut ties with Beausejour for Steinbach". Winnipeg Free Press. 15 April 2009.
  2. ^ "Steinbach welcomes MJHL". MJHL. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  3. ^ "MJHL welcomes the Steinbach Pistons". Hockey Manitoba. 1 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Steinbach Pistons pumped". Winnipeg Sun. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  5. ^ Jeremy St. Louis (15 Dec 2011). "Rich Gosselin Resigns From Pistons". SteinbachOnline.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  6. ^ "City Council Applauds Local Ownership Of Pistons". Steinbachonline.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  7. ^ "Steinbach Pistons Sold". Winnipeg Sun. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  8. ^ "MJHL COVID-19 Update: 2020 MJHL Playoffs". MJHL. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "MJHL cancels remainder for the 2020-21 season". Discover Westman. February 12, 2021.

External links[edit]

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