Adanacs to Honour Les Wingrove on Friday

On Friday June 7 the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs will have a special ceremony prior to the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League game against the Langley Junior Thunder. A banner will be raised to the rafters to honour the life and service of Les Wingrove. The game will be played at 7:30pm at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Centre located at 633 Poirier Street in Coquitlam, BC. Les Wingrove is the founder of the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs and is an honoured member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and an inaugural member of the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in April 2018.

Les Wingrove was a cornerstone in the development of lacrosse in Coquitlam. Born in Winnipeg and raised in Port Coquitlam, Wingrove moved to Coquitlam in the late 1960s and began as a referee and coach. He became President of the Coquitlam Minor Lacrosse Association in 1976 and started the transformation of the CMLA into one of Canada’s largest and well-respected organizations. Wingrove won numerous awards including British Columbia’s Mr. Lacrosse Award in recognition of his contributions to the development of lacrosse at the minor level.

In 1979, Wingrove and David Zelmer established the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs. Wingrove held various positions (President, General Manager, and Coach) until 1986. The Coquitlam Junior Adanacs became one of the lacrosse’s premiere and most respected clubs and have won 3 Minto Cups since its formation. With the Coquitlam Senior Adanacs, Wingrove held the roles of General Manager and Coach. Wingrove was known for his legendary recruiting and the ability to draft players who would make lasting contributions. In 2001, Wingrove and the Adanacs won their first and only Mann Cup. Wingrove went on to work with the Langley Thunder of the Western Lacrosse Association where he was Director of Lacrosse Operations and Alternate Governor. He also re-joined the Junior Adanacs as a member of the executive and celebrated Minto Cup wins in 2016 and 2018. The 2018 Minto Cup rings bear the name “Les” on the side to recognize his role on the team.

Wingrove was a tireless volunteer outside of lacrosse. He was on many City of Coquitlam community groups and was a founding board member of the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. Wingrove is credited for the idea of creating a place to showcase Coquitlam’s rich contribution to local, provincial, national, and international teams and athletes. The Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame opened in 2010 and serves as a source of civic pride.

Les Wingrove’s new banner will be placed next to his son’s banner. Trevor Wingrove was a well-known lacrosse player and senior manager in the City of Coquitlam. The Coquitlam Junior Adanacs retired #23 on June 5, 2013. On June 6, the 9th Annual Trevor Wingrove Memorial Lacrosse Tournament will begin play at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre. It is one of Canada’s largest and most respected minor lacrosse tournaments that showcases the best PeeWee, Bantam, and Midget teams from across British Columbia, Alberta, and the United States. Tournament delegates are expected to be on hand for the banner raising ceremony.

Please join the community and the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs for this very special ceremony. While at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre, you may also see Coquitlam Heritage Society’s new “Lacrosse: A Truly Canadian Sport” exhibit which features Wingrove’s role in Coquitlam lacrosse.

We Stand Together!