Through 50 years of Vancouver Canucks hockey characters. Here, I’m taking a look back on how Alexandre Burrows emerged as a franchise great.
Former Vancouver Canucks forward Burrows made a name for himself during his time with the Sedin twins.
Dubbed as the “third Sedin,” Burrows was the ideal player to complete the top line. At their peak, that trio was one of the most dominant in hockey, leading the Canucks to years of glory — including a trip to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
While his on-ice NHL journey is well documented, there were some things that were different about Burrows’ hockey story. Yes, he was one of the rare players to go undrafted, advance through the ECHL and make a name for himself in the NHL. But that is not what I am here to talk about.
The soon-to-be ring of honour member is considered one of the best ball hockey players in the history of the game. Burrows began playing ball hockey at 19 and went on to win multiple national and international championships. Like most Canadians, his affection for the casual game began on his local roads — it was after that did he and his friend form their team the “Montreal Red Lites.”
The team, which at the time featured only players from his neighbourhood competed in 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 tournaments, before realizing they could take their passion to the next level in competitive full 5-on-5 leagues.
Although 5-on-5 was an attractive option, it was not yet realistic for the boys. With the full game, they needed a full hockey roster. This led to the Red Lites joining up with another small-sided team to form the squad which would go down in Canadian ball hockey history.
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The conjoined team led Burrows to his first experiences in British Columbia. The national tournament of 2001 was held in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, a locale which has become famous in Canadian ball hockey.
That tournament was a coming-out party for burrows, who led his Red Lites team to their first national championship and earned himself tournament MVP in the process. That win was the first of a six-year run of national championships for the Red Lites, three tournaments of which Burrows was named MVP.
However, It was not just Burrows who stood out on the Red Lite team. His linemates, Benoit Gilbert and Ian Fontaine helped form one of the best lines ever to play the game. The trio for Pincourt, Quebec is regarded around the ball hockey world as the most dominant and skilled line ever to hit the floor.
With the success of their club team, Burrows and other teammates drew the eye of the Canadian Ball Hockey Association. They earned themselves call-ups to the Canadian national team for the ball hockey world championships. His first world’s brought him to Switzerland where he and his Red Lite teammates paved the gold medal road for Canada, who beat the Czech Republic in the final by a score of 6-1. He and team Canada would go on to win another championship, this time in Pittsburgh in 2005, the last world title he would win.
Keep in mind, Burrows had all of this ball hockey success while juggling a burgeoning professional ice hockey career. When he was not playing in the ECHL, he was playing ball hockey or working on his fitness. He continued to play ball hockey while in the AHL as well, as a member of the Manitoba Moose. It was only when he became a full-time NHL player in 2007 did Burrows retire from ball hockey.
While Burrows may have left ball hockey, the game certainly did not forget him. Many today still regard him as the best player to ever play, the Gretzky of ball hockey if you may. And he has been formally honoured as well. Today, he is a member of the Canadian Ball Hockey Association Hall of Fame as well as the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.
Should other NHL players consider playing the summer game competitively? It’s a question to be asked, seeing how it helped Burrows make it to the NHL.. There are two components it helps with exceptionally. Skill is the first one, as handling the bouncing orange ball is much more difficult from a puck. The other is fitness. A player simply has to be running, since he’s not gliding on skates.
Not many players have followed in the Canuck legends footsteps. But that doesn’t take anything away from the exceptional career Burrows had — both on and off the ice.