Alexandre Burrows - Ball Hockey Career

Ball Hockey Career

Burrows began playing organized ball hockey at the age of 19. In 2001, he won his first national championship with the Montreal Red Lites in Burnaby,British Columbia. Burrows went on to win the national championship in every year he played with the Red Lites. He was the tournament scoring leader in 2002 and 2003 and earned All-Star Team honours from 2002 to 2004. In 2005, Burrows scored two goals in a 5–2 win against the Toronto Midnight Express in the national final to capture his fifth consecutive Canadian title with the Red Lites. Burrows was named the Tournament MVP by the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA). He returned the following year to lead the Red Lites to a sixth consecutive title in 2006.

Burrows made his first appearance on the international stage in ball hockey when he was named to Canada's national ball hockey team for the 2003 World Championships in Sierre, Switzerland. He helped Canada beat the Czech Republic 6–1 in the final. Tying for the lead in tournament scoring with five goals and 10 points, Burrows was named the Most Valuable Forward. Two years later, in 2005, he won his second World Championship in as many appearances with Canada in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He capped the season off by being named the 2005 International Player of the Year by the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF). The following year, he was voted in a Canadian poll as the country's greatest ball hockey player.

Burrows has credited ball hockey for his fitness and discipline which has carried over to the NHL. Following his first full season with the Canucks in 2006–07, Burrows retired from his ball hockey career. In 2010, he was inducted into the CBHA Hall of Fame, along with national teammate and goaltender Michel Perodeau. He is also a member of the ISBHF Hall of Fame.