Manitoba ice hockey team
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
Southeast Thunderbirds/T-Birds/Blades
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
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
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
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
2023–24
58
47
8
-
3
224
103
97
1st of 7 East 1st of 13 MJHL
Won Div Semi 4-0 Niverville Nighthawks Won Semifinal 4-3 OCN Blizzard Lost Finals 0-4 Winkler Flyers
Playoffs
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
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)
Steinbach Pistons defeated Portage Terriers 4-games-to-3
Winnipeg Blues defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-1
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
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
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)
Steinbach Pistons defeated Winnipeg Blues 4-games-to-2
Swan Valley Stampeders defeated Steinbach Pistons 4-games-to-2
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
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
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
See also
References
Further reading
External links
East division West division Seasons History