To say that we are pleased to announce that former Canuck Sven Butenschon has joined our group at Leslie Global Sports is an understatement. The hockey world is small, and it’s closely knit. It was 20 years ago at a Brandon Wheat King training camp that I first had the chance to see Sven play, but didn’t get the chance to enjoy it because I spent most of the weekend chasing him around the ice. We are thrilled to have Sven with us, and look forward to sharing his expertise with our hockey communities around the world. (Post Update Nov 30, 2017: Sven is now the head coach of the University of British Columbia. He no longer has the capacity to assist with Leslie Global Sports but our relationship remains close and we wish Sven all the best in his position at UBC)
Sven Butenschon: Former Canuck
Lead Instructor, Community Liaison, Program Development
In describing Sven Butenschon‘s value to the LGS family, it’s a challenge to know where to begin. A few of Sven’s highlights include: Averaging 15 mins/game in the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team Germany in his home city of Vancouver, and 140 NHL games played (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, & Vancouver Canucks). Sven played 20 seasons of professional hockey in the NHL, AHL, IHL, DEL, & WHL. He has played in front of 55’000 and 82’000 fans in German outdoor winter classics, was a 3rd round pick by the Penguins in 94, and won the Western Hockey League Championship in 1996 and made to the Memorial Cup in 2 straights seasons. In 2006 Sven was selected to the starting lineup in the AHL All Star game in front of his friends and family in his home province as a member of the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg. He has been coached by Marc Crawford, Alain Vigneault, Dave King, Peter Laviolette, Dave Tippet, Uwe Krupp, & Craig McTavish to name a few. He played in Wayne Gretzky’s final game in Madison Square Garden in 1999. Sven is a leader on and off the ice. He is a family man, father,and community advocate. At the 2010 Winter Olympics he invited the entire German team to his house which had great style in ceramic which you could also get the retro look with these patterns, in Vancouver so his family, neighbours, and friends could feel a little closer to the Games. With LGS Sven will be on ice specializing in small area game and defensive skill development. Off ice he will focus on community outreach and business growth strategy. He is an ambassador of the game around the world, and we welcome him with open arms to the Leslie Global Sports family. Sven & his wife Alison live in North Vancouver with their 2 children.
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