Steelers Media
For the Grandview Steelers, Britannia Community Centre was more than just an arena. Tonight, the organization returns for a match up against the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers at 8:30pm with tickets available online and at the gate.
Long before the Steelers made the Burnaby Winter Club their permanent home, the club spent years building its identity in East Vancouver. And at the centre of that era were Louie and Yvonne Szendrei.
The Szendreis took over the running of the club for the 1980–81 season, with Louie becoming President and Governor of the Grandview Steelers. His connection to the organization went back even further, having previously served as President of the Grandview Minor Hockey Association.
For nearly three decades, Louie and Yvonne helped guide the Steelers through some of the most memorable years in club history.
The journey wasn’t always easy, but the successes were significant.
In 1993–94, the Steelers captured the Provincial Championship, giving the organization one of the proudest moments in its history. Six years later, the club returned to the Provincial Final, finishing second in the 1999–2000 season. That team was coached by Aldo Bruno, who was named Coach of the Year.
As the Steelers continued to grow, so did the need for a bigger home.
Trout Lake Arena had served the club well, but Louie recognized that the Steelers had outgrown the facility. The decision was made to move the team to Britannia Community Centre.
It proved to be an important turning point.
The larger ice surface gave the Steelers more room to play, while the improved accommodations provided fans with a better experience. Britannia quickly became a place where players wanted to play and fans wanted to be.
The atmosphere surrounding the Steelers grew with it.
Players became increasingly eager to come to East Vancouver and try out for the club, which had developed a reputation for strong coaching and management that genuinely cared about its players.
For the Szendreis, Britannia represented the continued growth of an organization they had spent years building.
And for the fans, it became home to countless memories.
Games. Rivalries. Big goals. Big saves. Championships. Heartbreak. And generations of hockey fans who made their way through the doors to watch the Steelers.
The 2007–08 season eventually brought the end of the Szendrei era. Ownership transitioned from Louie and Yvonne Szendrei to Mike and Sandy Moscone and Aldo Bruno, while the Steelers also made a permanent move to the Burnaby Winter Club.
The move marked the beginning of a new chapter.
But Britannia remained an important part of the story.
Now, years later, the Steelers are going back.
When the club returns to Britannia Community Centre for a preseason game, it will be more than another game on the schedule. It will be a return to a building that played a significant role in the history of the organization.
For those who remember the Steelers at Britannia, it will be a chance to walk back through the doors and relive a piece of the club’s past.
And for a new generation of Steelers players and fans, it will be an opportunity to experience a rink that helped shape the identity of the organization they represent today.
The jerseys may be different. The players may be different. The era may be different.
But for one night, the Steelers are going home. Re-live the last season in East Vancouver by clicking HERE.
