ckey G N. Shore pair | bring women’s | hackey west | { Bob Mackin Sports Reporter A pair of North Shore hockey enthusiasts are bringing semi-profes- sional women’s hockey to Vancouver. The Vancouver Griffins will begia play in September in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). President Phil DeGrandpre says the team’s primary home will likely be Burnaby’s Bill, Copeland Arena, although he's hoping some games will be played at the Pacific Coliseum. DeGrandpre wants to lure atleast one maryguce, national team member to play for the Griffins. He's hoping to sign star forward Hayley Wickenheiser. Wickenheiser led Canada to a silver medal at the [998 Nagano Olympics. “Sd dove nothing more than to put hee in tront of the media slipping on a Griffins’ jersey.” DeGrandpre said. “1 think it’s a wonderful opportunity, especially with a tot of the local kids, one of the major emphasis’ behind doing this was to stem the flow of these tal- ented athletes that leave the province, to pursue opportunities like this that new exist at home.” The NWHIL is a nine-team circuit in Ontario and Quebec. DeGrandpre says he will be spearheading expansion elsewhere in western Canada and in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Griffins will play a 40-game schedule, with 20 home games on Saturdays and Sundays. ‘Ticket prices will be comparable with those charged at qunior hockey games. Recruiting has already begun and the team is accepting applications for coaching positions, DeGrandpre said. DeGrandpre, who played professionally in Finland, was the original general manager of the short-lived North Shore Griffins of the junior B Pacific International Junior Hockey League. DeGrandpee's partner in the reborn Griffins’ ven- ture is Diane Nelson, the principal of Cypress Park and West Bay clementary schools in West Vancouver. “TE love hockey and Pye always been an advocate for women's sport and the timing was there when [ had the opportunity te get invelved, saw it and grabbed the opportunity to get invelved and help this area,” Nelson said. Nelson said she’s a Canucks’ season-ticket holder who wishes she had had the opportunity to play Friday, January 28, 2000 — Norin ffins resurrected ey | | | | | PHIL DeGrandpre (left) and Diane Nelson show off the Vancouver Gritfins’ jersey. The team wiil begin play in the semi-professional National Women's Hockey League in September. hockey when she was vounger. DeGrandpre is on 4 year's leave of absence from his job in’ the special education department. at Sutherland secondary in North Vancouver. He hopes the Griffins can raise awareness of girls and women's hockey. He eventually wants to help implement a high school hockey program on the North Shore. DeGrandpre did not disclose the cost of the fran: chise nor its budget. Fle did say the team will rely on corporate sponsorship to pay for travel to Ontario and Quebec for road games. The NWHL’s first Millennium Cup will be con- tested in a two-game series in Brampton, Ont. in March. The games will be carried live on WIN, the Women's Television Newwark. Shore News ~ 3 Tool drop causes THE tool bag that dropped from the sky onto Enid Carter's car could have caused seri- ous injury, according to her hushand Bruce. The Horseshoe Bay resi- dent was driving home from downtown at lunchtime on Monday when -~ a5 reported in an carlier News story ~ two irenworkers on Lions Gate Bridge slid 60 feet (18 m) down a cable they were working on. As the pair shot down- ward, a bag of tools they were carrving fell from their main- tenance cart and smasied through the passenger side of Enid’s windshiehd. Enid) Carter continued driving after the tol bag lodged in her windshield, leaving shards of — glass throughout the cae’s interior. She went to the bridge office at the north end of Lions Gate te notify police. Bruce Carter said it took Vancouver Police an hour and a half to reach the scene because traffic had stopped on the Lions Gate Bridge, and they had to come over the Second Narrows instead. He said his wife handled the accident well at the time, but by the time she had beer driven home by someone from the construction office, she was “going into shock.” “TL was surprised they even See Firm page § NV teen to face trial in adult court A 17-year-old North Vancouver resident charged with attempted murder is slated to have a trial in adult court in Aprii. Konaam Shiread is charged with stab- bing a former friend, then aged 17, on July 14, 1999, outside the movie theatres at Park and Tilford Centre. Shirzad has been in custody since he was arrested the same night as the stab- bing. According to a previous News report, Shirzad's former acquaintance was walking with his girlfriend when he was stabbed cwice in the back with a butcher knife. Shirzad was originally charged with aggravated assault, bur Crown prosecutors upgraded the charge to attempted murder. Under the Young Offenders Act, a teenager charged with attempted murder, murder, manslaughter or aggravated sexu- al assault is subject to the same court pro- ceedings as an adult unless an application is made to have the case proceed in youth court. Shirzad’s lawyer made an application to have the case transferred to youth court. A transfer hearing started in November in North Vancouver provincial court. Judge Bill Rodgers concluded that the case be held in adult court. Among the issues the judge considered were the programs and treatment available for an offender in a youth detention centre compared with adult jails. On. Tuesday, a three-day trial was scheduled for April before a North Vancouver provincial court judge. —Anna Marie D'Angelo Civic centre opti Study group helping plan W. Van facility Michael Becker News Editor mbeckev@usnews.com RECREATION facili- ties planning is play for one West Vancouver advisory group. Consultants with Baker McGarva Hart are in’ the throes of working with a study group of about 30 people in a planning exercise to come up with possible development of the West) Vancouver Civic Centre, which is part of an overall $25 million Recreation Facilities Master Plan. The municipality held an open house on Tuesday and Thursday to share with the public some of the work of the group, Consultants and men’. of the civic site advisory group were on hand to discuss various proposals for development between 21st and 22ad Street on the north side of Marine Drive. The participants “represent a cross-section of community interests,” according to Paul Buitenhuis, a consultant with Baker MeGarva Hart. The advisory group is working with a prop called the Choices Game to attempt to determine the face of things to come at the West Vancouver Civic Centre. The game board is a large photograph depicting the West Vancouver neighbourhood home to facilities including the central community cen- tre, the seniors centre, the aquatic centre and the ice rink, Among the pieces to be moved on the board: an ice rink, tennis court and clubhouse, an aquatic centre, a new community centre, a seniors centre, a 40,000 sq. f. (3,716 sq. m) arts centre with theatre, program spaces and support facilities, 55,000 sq. ft. (5,169 sq. m) of parking space for 42+ cars, a health and wellness centre, a public square, retail space, bike storage, a cafe and food area, North Shore Board of Health the West Vancouver Civic Centre. GRAHAM McGarva shows the Choices Game, a pianning tool for offices, residential space, office space and gardens. The group is working with the assumptions that the amount of public land avail- able in the area will not decrease; the amount of hous- ing in the surrounding area will intensify; commercial land will remain valuable; none of the civic buildings construct- ed today will exist in 83 years. Said Buitenhuis regarding the Choices Game strategy as 2 tool to shape possible out- comes for the site, “It’s been a building block all ‘the way through. The board game was really two games. “One was looking at 2010 in which there are a number of buildings that are fixed, that aren’t going to move.” Ar 2010 there will be a new rec centre, the ice rink, the seniors centre, the aquatic centre and a_ parking facility on the 10.4-acre site. The rest of the pieces are up for discussion as potential options. Said Buitenhuis, “We asked, ‘So what would you do with the remain- der of the land given your wish list of things you want to accomplish on the site?’ And then we provided another game. board for 2088 that said if there is nothing on the land here, a clean state, what would you do based on what you know of the future? We got people making, decisions about where things would be and how much space they.had to work with, We had thein actively looking at options. “The group is going to come toa place where they will recognize that there’s only so much stuff they can put on the site without increasing the density. If that’s the case, what are the other options for putting some of, the things on the site or close to the site? [It raises the possibility of talk- ing with the school board, talking to the Kiwanis, talking to Wetmore to find out if there are some deals to be done there,” said Buirenhuis. Three more workshops are planned to narrow the plan co fwo or three land-use options that the group can agree to. On Feb. 9 the study group will review alternative scenarios and over- al! visions for the site. On April 1) and 13 the public will be presented with the study outcome. NEWS photo Julle iverson