Headlines from the past is a recurring feature looking back at stories we've covered over the past 40+ years.
The end of the 2004-05 BC Hockey League season meant big changes were afoot for the Coquitlam Express.
The team’s loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs in the seventh game of their first round playoff series was the fourth straight such exit from the post season for the Express. A few months later, the team would no longer be based in Coquitlam, as a massive renovation project for the city’s sports centre on Poirier Street necessitated a move to Burnaby.
Express general manager and part-owner Darcy Rota said the team would be shedding its logo and blue, black and silver colours en route, although the nickname would make the trip down the Lougheed Highway to Burnaby's Copeland Arena.
“We want to keep some continuity in place,” Rota said of the new/old moniker, Burnaby Express.
Rota said the blue jerseys might make a comeback during special throw-back nights and the team would work to maintain its connection to fans and volunteers in Coquitlam.
In the meantime, the Express needed to get busy renovating its dressing room at Copeland and building a dedicated workout facility to help its recruiting efforts of new players.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
