Chris Gill is stepping down as head coach of the Maple Ridge Burrards for the coming Western Lacrosse Association season and will be replaced by his former assistant, Rob Williams.
GM Daren Fridge expects Williams to be a player’s coach.
“Not only has he played at every level, his greatest asset is his ability to connect with players,” Fridge said.
“He’s got a fiery presence about him, and he’s respected by the players,” Fridge added. “He knows what we have, he knows what we need, and he knows where we need to shore up.”
Williams is living in Pitt Meadows and is a good friend of Gill, who will be available to confer with.
“We’re confident the transition will be really smooth,” said Fridge.
Williams played with the Hamilton-based Ontario Raiders in 1998, the first Canadian team in the NLL, and also spent three years with the Vancouver Ravens – the hometown team for the Burnaby boy – from 2002 to 2004.
“That was a highlight for me,” Williams said.
He played in front of crowds of 15,000 in Colorado, and in storied venues like the Boston Gardens.
He played for Team Canada when it lost the gold-medal game to the U.S. in 1998, and also at the 1993 world juniors in New York with a team that finished third.
He also played 13 seasons in the WLA, split between the Burnaby Lakers and Maple Ridge Burrards.
Williams’ NLL career ended with the Edmonton Rush in 2008, and saw him play 106 regular season and three playoff games, scoring 60 points.
“I was not a superstar by any means, but I managed to stick with those teams,” he said.
And he still can’t wait to walk into the rink.
“I still love it. I love coaching – it’s gotten into my system.”
He has been the Burrards’ defensive coach for the past eight seasons.
Williams said most fans will see a similar Burrards team to what they have the past two seasons under Gill.
“We’ve had pretty good success, so I don’t see us changing much.”
He said the team has one of the best rosters in the WLA, and he likes the job Gill has done.
“He added a lot of little nuances. He pays attention to details.”
Gill got the Burrards into the WLA final for the first time in more than 20 years in his first year as head coach, and followed that up by making the playoffs again last season – something the Burrards have not been able to accomplish with consistency.
Fridge sees the organization as trending in the right direction, and said with a full season of Frankie Scigliano in net, the Burrards would likely have finished second in the league last year.
Gill will stay in the organization as the director of scouting.
He is stepping down because of commitments coaching both with the NLL Colorado Mammoth and his daughters’ minor lacrosse teams.
Assistant coaches for the upcoming WLA season have been named. Tyler Codron and Rob Dalzell will be joining Williams behind the bench.
Codron has been the Burrards captain for the last four seasons and has been a dominant defender. He is unable to play this season due to a knee injury he sustained in the NLL. He has been a Burrard since being drafted third overall in the 2008 draft.
“Tyler is respected by his peers and will be a huge addition to our coaching staff,” said Fridge.
Dalzell has been involved in lacrosse one way or another for the last 30 years. He was drafted first overall in the 1981 WLA draft, where he went on to win the rookie of the year award. He has been an assistant coach in the Jr. A league for the last five seasons, most recently with the junior Salmonbellies.
“Rob is a local Maple Ridge resident who will bring fire and passion to our team,” said Fridge.
The Burrards will begin practising in mid April.