Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 141,397 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metropolitan Vancouver. Abbotsford-Mission has the third highest proportion of visible minorities among census metropolitan areas in Canada, after the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver CMA. It is home to Tradex, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Abbotsford International Airport.
The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, they played in Denman Arena, the first artificial ice surface in Canada and the largest indoor ice rink in the world at the time it opened.
Pacific Coliseum, known to locals as "The Coliseum" or the "Rink on Renfrew," is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hockey teams.
Johnny Canuck is a Canadian cartoon hero and superhero who was created as a political cartoon in 1869 and was later re-invented as a Second World War action hero in 1942. The Vancouver Canucks, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), currently use a hockey playing "Johnny Canuck" logo as one of their team logos. In addition, the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, use it as their main logo.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment, previously known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, is a Canadian sports and entertainment company in Vancouver, British Columbia that owns and operates the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League, and their home arena, Rogers Arena.
The Peoria Rivermen were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Peoria, Illinois, at the Carver Arena. After the 2012–13 AHL season, the team relocated to Utica, New York, and became the Utica Comets.
Ryan William Walter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. He was also an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, head coach of the Canadian National Women's hockey team, a hockey broadcaster and president of the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League.
The Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL), formerly Pacific International Junior Hockey League, (PIJHL) until 2012 is a Canadian junior ice hockey league which operates in the Lower mainland of British Columbia. Although the PJHL has included American teams in the past, the league's twelve franchises all currently reside in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Several National Hockey League stars began their junior hockey careers in the PJHL, but the main focus of the league is player development and education with strong ties to the local hockey community. The PJHL Championship is awarded annually to the league playoff champion and the winner moves on to compete against the champions of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League for the British Columbia Provincial Title, the Cyclone Taylor Cup. The winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup moves on to compete for the Western Canada Junior "B" Crown, the Keystone Cup.
There have been a wide variety of sports in Vancouver since the city was founded. Team sports such as ice hockey, lacrosse, and Canadian football have extensive history in the area, while the city's relatively mild climate and geographical location facilitate a wide variety of other sports and recreational activities.
Dan S. Murphy is a Canadian sportscaster, who currently works for Rogers Sportsnet as host of Vancouver Canucks television broadcasts and occasionally as a rinkside reporter on NHL on Sportsnet or Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts. He graduated from MEI Secondary in Abbotsford in 1988. He is Roman Catholic.
The Abbotsford Centre, formerly Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The arena was expected to cost $64.7-million. Construction began on September 24, 2007. As of 2021, it is the home of the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL) after previously hosting AHL's Abbotsford Heat from 2009 to 2014.
James Cybulski is a Canadian broadcaster. He is currently the play by play voice for the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League and the NHL video game franchise from EA Sports. Cybulski also worked as host of The Starting Lineup on Sportsnet 650 Vancouver from 2017-2021. Prior to his role on Sportsnet 650 Vancouver, he hosted Cybulski and Company on TSN Radio 1050, and worked as a television sportscaster and reporter for SportsCentre on TSN and Sportsnet Central on Sportsnet Pacific.
The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. The franchise was the National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate of the Calgary Flames and arrived in Abbotsford in 2009 as a relocated franchise formerly known as the Quad City Flames. The team played five seasons in British Columbia before the Flames' lease agreement with the City of Abbotsford was terminated following the 2013–14 season.
The Abbotsford Flyers were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League and played in the Coastal Conference.
The BC Angels were a women's football team in the Lingerie Football League (LFL) and played in the 2012 LFL Canada season. Based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the Angels played their home games at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. The Angels won the Lingerie Bowl Canada I, the league championship in the only season it was contested.
The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey Devils. The team was established when the Vancouver Canucks relocated the AHL franchise to Utica for the 2013–14 season and remained until the 2020–21 season. The Devils then agreed to lease their franchise to the Comets after the Canucks moved their AHL franchise to Abbotsford.
Jacob Virtanen is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Virtanen was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. After his contract was bought out by the Canucks, he went on to play for Spartak Moscow in the KHL.
The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and members of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks. The team is a relocation of the franchise owned by the Canucks and known as the Utica Comets from 2013 to 2021. This is the second AHL team to play in Abbotsford after the Calgary Flames affiliate Abbotsford Heat from 2009 until 2014.
The 2021–22 AHL season is the 86th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 15, 2021, and is scheduled to end on April 30, 2022. The regular season is typically followed by the Calder Cup playoffs, which has not been held since 2019 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
