Dane Byers (born February 21, 1986) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played for and captained Manchester Storm of the UK's EIHL . He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers 48th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft .
42-604: Byers began his junior hockey career with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL in 2002-03 , where he scored eight goals and 14 points in 49 games. Byers returned to the Raiders in 2003-04 , as he scored nine goals and 17 points in 51 games, then he added a goal and three points in six playoff games. Byers appeared in 65 games with the Raiders in 2004-05 , scoring 11 goals and 20 points, while accumulating 181 penalty minutes. Byers had
84-458: A 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins. Relegation: The 16th and 15th placed teams will play in the playout series to decide which team plays against the Mestis champion. Scheduling: The regular season begins around mid-September. It takes a one-and-half-week break around
126-896: A Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan . Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League , the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 1982. They play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference and host games at the Art Hauser Centre .The Raiders are two-time Ed Chynoweth Cup winners, and won the Memorial Cup as Canadian junior champions in 1985. The Raiders were founded as
168-467: A Liiga license. If granted, the club will be promoted to the league after a transition period of one season. The league changed its marketing name to just Liiga for the 2013–14 season , and introduced a new logo to match. The 2019–20 Liiga season was terminated on March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the decision, the final round of the regular season and the playoffs were not played, and
210-514: A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) club in 1971, playing out of the newly constructed Prince Albert Communiplex, later renamed the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders quickly established themselves as one of the most successful Tier II junior clubs in Canada. The team won seven consecutive Anavet Cups from 1976 to 1982, defeating Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions for the right to play for
252-707: A one-year, two-way contract. He was assigned to the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons , to begin the 2012–13 season . On April 2, 2013, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Garrett Stafford . On June 26, 2013, despite no contract extension with Washington, Byers signed a one-year contract to remain with the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. After two seasons as captain of
294-638: A result of the mid-season trades, Byers was able to set an AHL record for most games played in a season, with 85. But, on July 11, 2011, he was signed to go back to the Jackets. On January 16, 2012, Byers was given a three-game suspension by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Andrew Desjardins during a game against the San Jose Sharks on January 14, 2012. On July 5, 2012, the Edmonton Oilers signed Byers to
336-590: A seven-game championship series against the Vancouver Giants , a series in which they led 3 games to 1. The Raiders won their second WHL title with a 3–2 game 7 overtime win over the Giants, with Dante Hannoun scoring the overtime winner. The win sent the Raiders to their second Memorial Cup tournament, where they were knocked out in the preliminary round. Led by the team's first 18-year old captain in Kaiden Guhle ,
378-563: A strong playoff run, scoring four goals and 10 points in 17 games. Byers broke out offensively in the 2005-06 season, scoring 21 goals and 48 points in 71 games; however, the Raiders failed to qualify for the playoffs. After his junior season ended with the Prince Albert Raiders , the New York Rangers assigned Byers to the Hartford Wolf Pack to finish the 2005-06 season. Byers had two assists in five games with Hartford. He spent
420-449: A win by sudden death overtime two points, a loss by sudden death overtime one point and a loss in regulation time zero points. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by the greater number of wins in regulation. Playoffs: The four best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between fifth and twelfth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-five –
462-665: Is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland . The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mestis . The winner of the Liiga playoffs is awarded the Kanada-malja at the end of each season. Teams from the Liiga participate in the IIHF 's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on
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#1732901445595504-493: The New York Rangers . Byers missed most of the 2008–09 season due to a knee injury suffered during a game against the Worcester Sharks on October 31, 2008. In nine games, Byers had four goals and seven points, and he returned for the playoffs for Hartford, where Byers had three goals and four points in six games. Byers rebounded from his injury shortened season in 2009–10 , as he had 25 goals and 52 points in 74 games with
546-764: The President's Cup with a sweep of the Kamloops Blazers . The Raiders thus earned a spot in the 1985 Memorial Cup . The Memorial Cup tournament also featured the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , the Verdun Junior Canadiens , and the Shawinigan Cataractes . In an opening game that featured 108 minutes in penalties, Prince Albert lost 6–2 to Shawinigan. The second game saw the Raiders beat Verdun 5–3 with 2 goals from defenceman Dave Goertz . In their third game,
588-869: The Swedish Hockey League and behind the Kontinental Hockey League . Going into the 2024–25 CHL season , the Liiga was ranked the No. 3 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top four teams to compete in the CHL. The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. Oy and Ab are the abbreviations for limited company in Finnish and Swedish respectively. Regular season: All teams play 60 matches. Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in
630-723: The World Championships . The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja , the championship trophy of the Liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy ( Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto ) as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs. These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points These are
672-456: The 2008–09 season. However, as a condition for promotion, the Mestis team that cleared the qualifiers should have bought the shares of the losing Liiga team at the price determined by the league. Otherwise, the losing Liiga team would have continued playing in the league. Starting from the 2013–2014 season, the Liiga qualifiers were replaced by a license system where the winner of Mestis can apply for
714-402: The 2020 Finnish hockey championship was not awarded. For the 2024–25 season, Kiekko-Espoo were promoted to the Liiga as the league expanded to 16 teams. The league was opened for relegation and promotion between the Mestis for the first time since 2013. According to a 2023 article by The Hockey Writers , the SM-liiga is considered one of the best leagues in Europe and the world along with
756-400: The 2021–22 campaign began. The Raiders originally wore green and yellow uniforms with a logo featuring a skating hockey player. From 1985 until the mid-1990s, the team adopted imagery featuring an Arab mascot wielding a scimitar . Although the team moved away from this look in 1996—adopting black as its primary colour and a new logo featuring a pirate's head—the Raiders stirred controversy in
798-549: The Bears, Byers left North America and signed a try-out contract with Finnish Liiga club Ilves on September 22, 2015. In his first stint overseas, Byers recorded two goals in six games with Ilves before signing with rivals Lahti Pelicans for the remainder of the season on October 12, 2015. On May 23, 2016, Byers signed with Kölner Haie of the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). On 1 June 2017, Byers moved to
840-814: The Prince Albert Raiders of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL) who went on to play in the National Hockey League. Numbers retired by the Raiders: Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year) Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year) Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman) Del Wilson Trophy (WHL top goaltender) Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (WHL coach of
882-481: The Raiders defeated Sault Ste. Marie 8–6; Hodgson had 5 assists in the match. The Raiders and Greyhounds would play each other again in the semi-finals, and Prince Albert would prevail again by a score of 8–3. The Raiders became national champions by defeating the Cataractes 6–1 in the final. The Memorial Cup victory capped off a decade-long run in which the Raiders won five national championships. The following season,
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#1732901445595924-606: The Raiders finished second overall before losing the Division Final in seven games to the Medicine Hat Tigers . Simpson won his second coach-of-the-year award, and then left the team to coach the New York Islanders , marking the end of an era. Simpson would return for a single season in 1989–90 before leaving again for the NHL. The Raiders remained competitive for much of the next decade, including another four runs to
966-523: The Raiders had another strong season in 2019–20; however, with the team atop the East Division, the season was cut short and the playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , ending the Raiders' hopes of repeating. The team participated in a shortened 2020–21 campaign featuring only East Division opponents. Due to the modified campaigns, the Raiders were the last team to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup at when
1008-683: The Rangers traded Byers to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Chad Kolarik . The Blue Jackets assigned Byers to the AHL's Springfield Falcons , where he had nine goals and 25 points in 48 games. Byers was once again on the move, as on February 28, 2011, Byers and Rostislav Klesla were traded from the Blue Jackets to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepistö . As
1050-415: The SM-liiga. The league expanded to 12 teams in the 1988–89 season. In 2000, the SM-liiga was expanded by one team, after which the league was closed so that teams could not drop out of the league or move up from a lower league. For the 2005–2006 season, the Mestis winner KalPa was promoted to the series, which met the criteria required for a place in the league. The league qualifiers were brought back for
1092-768: The United Kingdom to sign for Elite Ice Hockey League club Manchester Storm . Byers played for two years in Manchester, the second as captain, before retiring in April 2019. Byers' brother Cole Byers was also a professional hockey player who played for the Hull Stingrays in the British Elite Ice Hockey League . The brothers are also cousins of former NHL enforcer -turned-radio host Lyndon Byers . Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are
1134-672: The Wolf Pack. Byers also appeared in five games with the Rangers, scoring his first NHL goal against Niklas Bäckström of the Minnesota Wild on October 30, 2009. Several days later, Byers was given an automatic one-game suspension by the NHL for instigating a fight with forward Tanner Glass in the final five minutes of a 4–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on November 3. Byers began the 2010–11 season with Hartford, where in 16 games he had three goals and nine points. On November 11, 2010,
1176-416: The division playoff final between 1990 and 1996. However, despite boasting future NHL players such as Mike Modano , Shane Hnidy , Scott Hartnell , Kyle Chipchura , and Josh Morrissey , the next 22 seasons would see the Raiders win only four playoff series—and none between 2005 and 2019—missing the playoffs altogether eleven times. Marc Habscheid joined the team as coach in 2014, and he worked to rebuild
1218-521: The end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland competes in Karjala Tournament . There is a one-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years, a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games . The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary playoffs ensue almost immediately. The playoffs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for
1260-432: The entire 2006-07 season with the Wolf Pack, where Byers had 17 goals and 47 points, along with 213 penalty minutes in 78 games. In seven playoff games, Byers scored two goals. Byers returned to Hartford for the 2007-08 season, where he had 23 goals and 46 points in 73 games. In five playoff games, Byers had a goal and three points. He also made his NHL debut during the 2007-08 NHL season , going pointless in one game with
1302-414: The event of a tie, the winner is decided by a three-on-three sudden death, 5-minute overtime . Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout , where each team has three shooters in the beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not. Scoring: A win in regulation time is worth three points,
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1344-421: The four winners take the last four slots to quarter-finals. All series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams get home advantage. Each playoff match consists of
1386-463: The league, boasting a defensive star in Manny Viveiros and future National Hockey League players such as Dave Manson and Ken Baumgartner . Hodgson, now captain, finished second in the league in scoring in 1984–85, and helped pace the Raiders to 58 wins and the league's best regular season record. In the playoffs, the Raiders lost only one game en route to their first league championship, securing
1428-646: The national championship. Prince Albert went on to win the national championship, the Centennial Cup , four times between 1977 and 1982. In this era, the Raiders competed against a number of future Ontario Hockey League teams, including the Guelph Platers and the Belleville Bulls . The team's early success came under manager and coach Terry Simpson —former player James Patrick called the coach "synonymous with winning and competing" —and he remained coach when
1470-943: The primary colour in 2013, and ditched the pirate logo in favour of a sword-and-shield logo featuring "PA" initials. A new third jersey introduced in 2022 paid homage to the pirate era. Like many junior teams, the Raiders frequently adopt limited-edition and special-event jerseys. In 2024, the team temporarily re-branded as the Cobra Chickens, unveiling a new jersey featuring a Canada goose logo. Memorial Cups Ed Chynoweth Cups Playoff Division/Conference Champions Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies Regular season Division Champions Centennial Cup Champions Abbott Cup Champions Anavet Cup Champions Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Champions Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against The following list includes alumni from
1512-610: The strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League ). The Liiga was established in 1975 to replace the former SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur competition. The Liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association , but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruus , "Finnish Champion". The SM-liiga
1554-438: The team into a contender. That work paid off by 2018, when the Raiders began their most successful season in more than two decades. Led by Brett Leason , Noah Gregor , and Ian Scott , 2018–19 saw the Raiders put together their first 100-point season since 1995–96 and their best since 1984–85, securing their second Scotty Munro Trophy as regular season champions. They had a longer road in the playoffs than in 1985, culminating in
1596-475: The team moved up to the top junior ranks by joining the WHL in 1982. The Raiders' first year in the WHL was a challenging one—the team finished last in the East Division and missed the playoffs. However, Dan Hodgson was named the league's rookie of the year, and the team rapidly improved under Simpson's guidance. The Raiders made the playoffs in their second season, and were a bona fide contender by their third year in
1638-435: The top-ten regular season point-scorers for import players in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points These are the top-ten most regular season games played by a goaltender in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. The following trophies are awarded by
1680-458: The twenty-first century by bringing back elements of branding from the era. In 2014, the team faced criticism for introducing a mascot that was a caricature of an Arab man; the team ultimately retired the mascot and would late introduce a parrot mascot in its place. In 2021, the team forced the WHL to apologize when it brought back its 1980s jerseys as a third-jersey; the move was called "insensitive and offensive". The Raiders re-adopted green as
1722-667: The year) Doc Seaman Trophy (WHL scholastic player of the year) WHL Playoff MVP (Awarded since 1992) Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP) Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup top goaltender) George Parsons Trophy (Memorial Cup sportsmanship) Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish,
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1764-515: Was established in 1975 to replace the amateur competition SM-sarja. Kalervo Kummola was elected to become the first chief executive officer of the SM-liiga, who served until 1987. The SM-liiga wasn't established unter the Finnish ice Hockey Association that oversees all the other leagues and cups in the country. The playoffs are introduced in Finnish ice hockey for the first time during the inaugural SM-liiga season. At first there were 10 clubs in
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