Alex Burrows

Alexandre Ménard-Burrows (born April 11, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Playing as left winger he spent the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators.

He was known for playing in the style of an agitator before developing into a skilled, top line fixture.

He is also regarded for his remarkable ascension to the NHL from being an undrafted player in the ECHL.

After a two-year career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he played in the minor leagues for three seasons.

As a youth, Burrows played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from La Presqu'île, near Montreal.

Burrows played two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Shawinigan Cataractes, beginning in 2000–01.

He recorded 16 goals and 30 points over 63 regular season games, then added three points over 10 post-season games.

The following season, he improved to 35 goals and 70 points over 64 games, third in team-scoring, behind Jonathan Bellemare and Jason Pominville.

He went on to lead his team in post-season scoring with nine goals and 21 points in 12 games as the Cataractes advanced to the Conference Finals, where they were eliminated in seven games by the Victoriaville Tigres.

Undrafted by a National Hockey League (NHL) club, Burrows went professional in 2002–03 with the Greenville Grrrowl of the ECHL, a third-tier minor league.

Late in his professional rookie season, he transferred to the Baton Rouge Kingfish and finished with a combined 32 points in 66 games between the two teams.

The following season, in 2003–04, he returned to the South Division, as he was signed by the Columbia Inferno.

Early in the season, he was signed by Columbia's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on October 21, 2003, having been scouted by Moose general manager Craig Heisinger.

He appeared in two AHL games for Manitoba before being sent back down to the ECHL.

Shortly after his return, he was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount by the league for abusing officials during a game on October 24 against the Greensboro Generals.

Later on in the season, he was named to the 2004 ECHL All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference and recorded one assist.

He went on to finish the season with 29 goals and 73 points, second in points among Columbia players to league-scoring champion Tim Smith.

In the subsequent off-season, Burrows was re-signed by the Moose on August 3, 2004.

He was initially sent back down to the ECHL after a training camp both he and head coach Randy Carlyle described as disappointing.

Following an injury to Wade Brookbank, he was recalled on October 29, 2004.

He scored his first AHL goal with the Moose five days later, a game-winning goal against goaltender David LeNeveu of the Utah Grizzlies in a 2–1 win.

He finished the 2004–05 season with Manitoba and posted 26 points over 72 games in a fourth-line role.

He was signed by the Vancouver Canucks in 2005 from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

In 2005, he was named the International Ball Hockey Player of the Year.

He has also been inducted into the Canadian and International Ball Hockey Hall of Fame.

Having worked his way up from the ECHL, Burrows' energetic play in the minors earned him a two-way contract with the Moose's NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks, on November 8, 2005.

He had appeared earlier in the Canucks' training camp for the 2005–06 season, but was sent back to the Moose.

After recording 30 points in 33 games with the Moose, he was recalled by the Canucks on January 2, 2006.

Eight days later, Burrows scored his first career NHL goal against Ed Belfour of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He also added an assist as the Canucks won the game 4–3.

Establishing himself on the Canucks roster, he added his first NHL career hat-trick on March 27, 2006, in a 7–4 win against the Los Angeles Kings.

He finished with seven goals and 12 points over 43 games in his NHL rookie campaign.

Burrows' ascension to the NHL has been attributed to his hard-working and abrasive style of play, generating momentum for his team and aggravating opposing players.

Burrows completed his first full campaign with the Canucks the following season in 2006–07.

He contributed primarily on the team's penalty kill, which ranked first in the league.

Burrows' average shorthanded ice time per game was second among team forwards, behind Ryan Kesler.

He struggled to produce offensively, however, and recorded a career-low three goals and nine points in 81 games.

Burrows established himself as a checking forward with the Canucks in his first three NHL seasons before emerging as a scorer with four consecutive 25-plus-goal seasons from 2008–09 to 2011–12.

Before making it to the NHL, Burrows also enjoyed a prolific ball hockey career, competing in national and international tournaments in the summers.