February 6, 2007
By Brian McNair 
WHITBY -- Respect and referee are words not often associated with each other.
Gerry Ravary, however, was one who brought them together with great ease.
Ravary, who died at 74 of a heart attack Friday, will be remembered fondly as one who officiated hockey and lacrosse games with integrity and who passed his vast knowledge onto so many others, most notably his son, Paul.
"I lost my best mentor in the sports world and fatherhood," says Paul, 49, who followed in his father's footsteps and officiated both sports. "He always went the extra yard to pursue your interests."
Ravary was doing something he loved, curling on Friday morning, when he suffered a massive heart attack.
But it was lacrosse that was his first passion in the sports world, which explains why he was still serving as an Ontario Lacrosse Association supervisor right to the end.
Prior to that, his resumé was so extensive it earned him induction into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
He officiated lacrosse from 1954 to 1976 at all levels imaginable, presiding over Mann, Minto, Founders and President Cup championships in addition to the first championship game of a new professional league in the early 1970s.
Ravary also served as commissioner of the OLA in 1984-85, held most executive positions with the Brooklin Redmen, and was president of the Brooklin Merchants Sr. B team.
"When he took on a task, he completely threw himself 100 per cent into it and he breathed it, lived it, talked it," says wife Lorna. "He just gave his whole life to sports."
Born in Cornwall, Ravary moved to Whitby in 1950 and immediately embraced the community. He also figured prominently in hockey, serving as referee-in-chief for seven years with the Whitby Minor Hockey Association, and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and Father Leo J. Austin Assembly 2287.
One of 12 children himself, Ravary leaves behind a large crew of loved ones, including seven children, two step children, 23 grand children and four great grand children.
"When it came to birthdays and everything in the family, he was like the postman," says Paul, a father of three. "You knew that something was coming from dad all the time. The grand kids really cherished him a lot.
"It's quite a loss for us all."
Gerry was a Member of the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, he was an active Member of the Ontario Lacrosse Association especially with the Brooklin Redmen and the Brooklin Merchants. He was an active Member of the Knights of Columbus 3rd and Fourth Degrees, Faithful Admiral of Father Leo J. Austin Assembly 2287.
Passed away suddenly on Friday February 2, 2007 in his 75th year. Gerry, beloved husband of Lorna. Dear father of Sandra, Gary and Leanne, Paul and Julie, Gail and Gary Edwards, Scott and Darlene, Terry and Valerie, Tracey Scott, and step-father of Jeff and Belinda Solly, and Janis and Kevin Antram. Loving grandfather of 23 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Fondly remembered by his sister Jacqueline Sullivan, and by his mother-in-law Elma McColm. He will be sadly missed by his dog, his great little friend “Chewy”.
The family will receive friends at the W.C. Town Funeral Chapel, 110 Dundas Street East , Whitby (905-668-3410) from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm Sunday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm Monday. Prayers on Monday evening at 8pm.
Mass of the Christian Burial will take place at Holy Family Parish, 91 Ribblesdale Drive , Whitby on Tuesday February 6, 2007 at 11am . Cremation to follow. Burial will be held at Groveside Cemetery , Brooklin at a later date.
In memoriam, donations may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to the charity of your choice.
by Ron Messer
Gerry Ravary was one of my best lacrosse friends. He was one of those rare characters that makes my association with this game one of the true pleasures of my life.
I got to know Gerry quite well last summer. In my capacity as the announcer for the Green Gaels and the Warriors Gerry would often sit with me as he rated the officials in his capacity as chief official.
He would often regale me with stories of his long association with sports, the places it took him and some of the situations he had to face .Ya know what? he was a really nice guy that I looked forward to seeing at the arena,I will remember him for a very long time.
by wamper23 (Larry Power)
It saddened me to hear of the sudden passing of Gerry.
I first met Getty several years ago when he was predident of the Brooklin Merchants.
At the time of our first meeting I was down on my luck with the heart attack, stroke and bypass. My finances were in bad shape and Gerry donated a refrigerator for me and the Gaylord Powless Lounge.
Gerry always had great stories to tell and was passionate about the game and most knowledgable. A sad thing for me is I kept wanting to interview him, specifically about the history of lacrosse in Brooklin and had intened to do it as soon as I got back from Texas. By procrastinating I'll miss a lot of good information and stories to record for lacrosse history. Gerry will be sadly missed by all those who knew him.
By Tristan Wazonek 
It's official! The Norwood lacrosse team will be known as the Norwood Nitro.
At a press conference early this morning, the executive announced that JJ Stewart Motors will be the major sponsor for the Nitro. "This will bring us instant credability and stability throughout Norwood and the surrounding communities. We are pleased to have a major sponsor who has been involved with this community for many years", said Ted Wazonek.
In other team news, John Martin will be joining the coaching staff along with Jim Johnston and Dalt Downer.
Tristan Wazonek, Ted's son says, "The knowledge and experience that John Martin brings to this club will greatly benefit the team. He has been involved with lacrosse from the minor system all the way to the Jr. A's and has coached many of these players before". The home opener for the JJ Stewart Norwood Nitro will take place on May 11th at 8:30pm against the Ajax-Pickering Rock at the Norwood-Norwood Community Centre.
Tristan Wazonek
TNT Lacrosse
By BOB FEAVER - Examiner Sports Editor
The Peterborough Examiner has denied permission to post this article on our website. The following email was received from Bob Feaver, Examiner sports editor.
Ron:
Our managing editor Ed Arnold has denied your request for permission to reprint our articles as it would conflict with our copyrighted publications and our own web site.
Hopefully you haven't gone ahead without hearing back from me.
Bob Feaver
Examiner sports editor
And this second email received February 5, 2007
Ron: Please remove our copyrighted logo from your web sites and cease and desist any further use on any of your web sites. Failure to do so immediately may result in action by our legal department.
Bob Feaver
Examiner sports editor
Of course, I'll take the high road. The Peterborough Examiner, including all the other Osprey newspapers, has my permission to use all stats, schedules, results, summaries and news not credited to other media sources.
The Peterborough Examiner is the only media to deny permission from over 50 contacted.
Jan 31, 2007
The Burlington Chiefs, winless in Jr. A lacrosse play last year, hope to contend for a playoff position in 2007.
With new general manager Glen Little and a re-affiliation with the 2006 Jr. B national champion Oakville Buzz, the Chiefs will have a different look when the Ontario Lacrosse Association season begins in the spring.
The Chiefs and Buzz are inviting prospective players to participate in pre-camps starting Feb. 10 that will be used for conditioning and skill assessment. It's an opportunity for players to see what parts of their game they need to work on before the main camps begin in April.
This year's Chiefs coaching staff will be familiar to both Burlington and Oakville lacrosse followers, as head coach Shawn Cardy moves over from his assistant coaching job with the Buzz. His assistants include Craig Hedley and Mark Baldini.
The Buzz staff includes head coach Stuart Brown, associate head coach Wayne Burke, assistant coach Craig Henderson and general manager Ken Gillies.
All players seriously considering playing for either team this season should attend the camp, to be held at the Hamilton Wentworth Triple Rinks on the following dates:
Saturday, Feb. 10 from 5-8 p.m.;
Saturday, Feb. 17, from 4-7 p.m.;
Saturday, Feb. 24 from 5-7 p.m.;
Saturday, March 3 from 5-7 p.m.;
Saturday, March 10 from 5-7 p.m. Players must sign forms when attending the camp, with those under 18 needing a parent present at the sign-in.
OLA registration/insurance rules are in effect. A $10 per player charge or $45 flat fee for all five sessions will be assessed at the door to off-set the cost of the facilities.
Following the pre-camp workouts, another training camp for both teams will be held at Lakemount Sportsworld in Grimsby.
Camp dates are Saturday, March 17, 24 and 31 from 8-11 p.m.
Coaches will decide which team players will be assigned to following this camp.
The cost is $5 per player.
February 1, 2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
Arizona Sting goaltender Rob Blasdell allowed only 8.5 goals per game in January and tallied a saves percentage of 82%.
Arizona Sting goaltender Rob Blasdell was named Overall Player of the Month and Philadelphia Wings rookie transition player Geoff Snider earned Rookie of the Month honors for the month of January, the National Lacrosse League announced today.
Rob Blasdell tallied a league best 8.50 goals against average playing four full games for the Sting, leading the club to a 3-1 record in January. Blasdell also turned away 155 shots and recorded a save percentage of 82.0% during the month. The veteran goaltender collected ten loose balls and tallied two assists during January and was the Week #4 Overall and Defensive Player of the Week.
Philadelphia Wings rookie transition player Geoff Snider earned January Rookie of the Month honors after helping Philadelphia to a 3-2 record during the first month of the season. Snider scored 13 points on six goals and seven assists including two game winning goals in five games during January. He also collected 53 loose balls and won 53 of 79 faceoff attempts for a face-off wins percentage of 67.1%. Snider was the Week #5 Transition Player of the Week.
January Weekly Awards Wrap-up
Week #1
Overall Player of the Week - Brian Langtry, Colorado
Offensive Player of the Week - Brian Langtry, Colorado
Defensive Player of the Week - Dallas Eliuk, Portland
Transition Player of the Week - Josh Sims, Colorado
Rookie of the Week - Jed Prossner, Portland
Week #2
Overall Player of the Week - Gee Nash, Colorado
Offensive Player of the Week - Chris Gill, Edmonton
Defensive Player of the Week - Gee Nash, Colorado
Transition Player of the Week - Josh Sims, Colorado
Rookie of the Week - Bill McGlone, Chicago
Week #3
Overall Player of the Week - Pat O'Toole, Rochester
Offensive Player of the Week - Jeff Zywicki, San Jose
Defensive Player of the Week - Pat O'Toole, Rochester
Transition Player of the Week - Brodie Merrill, Portland
Rookie of the Week - Kyle Wailes, Philadelphia
Week #4
Overall Player of the Week - Rob Blasdell, Arizona
Offensive Player of the Week - John Tavares, Buffalo
Defensive Player of the Week - Rob Blasdell, Arizona
Transition Player of the Week - Mark Steenhuis, Buffalo
Rookie of the Week - Ryan Benesch, Toronto
Week #5
Overall Player of the Week - John Grant, Rochester
Offensive Player of the Week - John Grant, Rochester
Defensive Player of the Week - Brandon Miller, Chicago
Transition Player of the Week - Geoff Snider, Philadelphia
Rookie of the Week - Athan Iannucci, Philadelphia
The Monthly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's thirteen member clubs. The January awards include all games played from December 30, 2006 to January 27, 2007.
January 31, 2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
Craig Johnson
John Grant recorded an NLL-record 15 points (9 goals, 6 assists) against New York on Saturday.
The National Lacrosse League has announced the Week number five player awards for the 2007 season. Rochester Knighthawks forward John Grant earned Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week honors. Chicago Shamrox goaltender Brandon Miller earned Defensive Player of the Week honors, Philadelphia's Geoff Snider was named Transition Player of the Week and Wings forward Athan Iannucci was named Rookie of the Week.
Rochester Knighthawks forward John Grant earned Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Knighthawks 22-18 win over the New York Titans on Saturday. Grant set a single game league record, scoring 15 points in the contest. Grant scored nine goals and assisted on six others for the 15 points and scored two of his goals on the power play. He also collected seven loose balls as the Knighhtawks improved to 4-2 with the win.
Chciago Shamrox goaltender Brandon Miller was named the Defensive Player of the Week for Week #5. Miller recorded 41 saves and allowed just ten goals as the Shamrox held on to beat the San Jose Stealth 11-10 on Friday. Miller also tallied two assists and collected four loose balls as Chicago improved to 3-1 with the win.
Philadelphia Wings rookie transition player Geoff Snider earned Week #5 Transition Player of the Week honors for his performance in a pair of Wings victories this weekend. On Friday Snider tallied an assist, collected 13 loose balls and won 19 of 30 faceoff attempts as the Wings beat the New York Titans 16-11. On Saturday Snider scored two goals and added an assist for three points and collected six loose balls in Philadelphia's 10-9 win over Toronto. The rookie scored both the game-tying and game winning goal as the Wings captured their third straight win. Snider also won seven of eleven faceoff attempts against Toronto.
Philadelphia Wings rookie forward Athan Iannucci earned Rookie of the Week honors after scoring 13 points in a pair of Wings victories in Week #5. On Friday, Iannucci scored eight points on five goals and three assists, collected six loose balls and scored one goal on the power play, helping the Wings to a 16-11 victory over the New York Titans. On Saturday he scored five points on three goals and two assists, including a power play goal, as the Wings defeated the Toronto Rock 10-9. Iannucci also collected nine loose balls in the win over Toronto.
Week Number Five Results
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Portland LumberJax at Colorado Mammoth: 15-11 COL
Friday, January 26, 2007
Philadelphia Wings at New York Titans: 16-11 PHI
Chicago Shamrox at San Jose Stealth: 11-10 CHI
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Toronto Rock at Philadelphia Wings: 10-9 PHI
New York Titans at Rochester Knighthawks: 22-18 ROC
Minnesota Swarm at Calgary Roughnecks: 15-14 CAL
The Weekly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's thirteen member clubs.
January 29, 2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
Craig Johnson
Athan Iannucci scored eight goals in two games for the Wings this weekend.
John Grant Jr. is the story of Week #5 as the Rochester Knighthawks veteran forward set an NLL single game points record. Grant broke out with 15 points on nine goals and six assists in Rochester's 22-18 win over New York. In his first four games of the season, Grant had 23 points and seven goals.
Grant set the record on a goal at 13:44 into the fourth quarter of the game and was assisted by Scott Evans and Shawn Williams.
The previous record was shared by three players; Derek Keenan, Gary Gait and Derek Malawsky. Derek Keenan originally set the record on March 13, 1992, scoring 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) for the Buffalo Bandits, playing against Baltimore. Gary Gait tied the record on January 9, 1999 playing for Baltimore, scoring 14 points on 10 goals and four assists against Buffalo. Most recently Derek Malawsky scored 14 points on four goals and 10 assists playing for Buffalo against Philadelphia on January 20, 2001.
Colorado Mammoth Rookie Jamie Shewchuk scored three goals in the fourth quarter of Colorado's victory over Portland on Thursday as the Mammoth improved to a league best 5-1 record. The victory was Colorado's first ever over Portland. With the loss, the LumberJax have now dropped three straight games and have not won since they defeated Philadelphia on January 13th. The Wings, who recorded victories over New York and Toronto this weekend, have won three in row since falling to Portland three weeks ago. Rookie Athan Iannucci scored eight goals and five assists this weekend for the Wings.
With the loss to Philadelphia, the Toronto Rock have now fallend to 0-3. However Rock fans shouldn't panic. Last season Toronto started 0-4 but then won six straight games on their way to an 8-8 record and into the 2006 playoffs. This weekend Toronto plays Buffalo in a home and home series.
The San Jose Stealth fell 11-10 to Chicago on Friday, recording their second consecutive one-point loss and their third straight loss overall. The expansion Chicago Shamrox squad improved to 3-1 with the win and currently sit atop the East Division.
The Calgary Roughnecks 15-14 win over Minnesota on Saturday lifted Calgary to their third straight win. On a club that boasts Lewis Ratcliff, Tracey Kelusky and Kaleb Toth it was Scott Ranger who emerged and led the team with three goals on Saturday. Ryan Ward scored ten points for Minnesota in the loss on four goals and six assists. Calgary scored four short-handed goals in five penalty kill situations on Saturday and currently leads the NLL with nine short handed tallies this season.
Roughnecks goaltender Ryan Avery replaced Andrew Leyshon in goal and allowed only seven goals in nearly 40 minutes of play. However he gave up no goals on even strength. Minnesota scored five of the seven goals against Avery on the power play and the other two with their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.
The New York Titans played their first game at Nassau Coliseum on Friday, falling 16-11 to the Philadelphia Wings.
Colorado, home to the defending champion Mammoth indoor franchise, is expected to be one of the at least six initial outdoor franchises, along with Toronto, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Boston. (Photo Michael Martin)
Steve Govett has been there from the beginning. The Colorado Mammoth president/GM is a member of the NLL’s Board of Directors and one of six such board members to serve on an ad-hoc committee created by NLL commissioner Jim Jennings to explore the viability of an NLL outdoor league.
The genesis of the outdoor idea, which was recently voted through unanimously by the board after serving as a hot topic of conversation among the league’s higher-ups for more than a year and a half, spawned from a question posed by a major NLL sponsor and gained strength on the league’s overriding belief in its current business model and ownership groups; a belief that the NLL has the potential to duplicate its indoor success on the outdoor stage.
“The NLL indoor has sold more tickets to pro lacrosse than any other outlet,” says Govett. “Certainly the NCAA Championships are a huge draw, but if they are drawing 2,500 or more for individual games [during the regular season] I’d be shocked…We feel that NLL indoor is starting to grow pretty rapidly. The Long Island Lizards don’t do 13,000 in their first game, but the [New York] Titans did. We feel that we know how to sell tickets.
“Are we experts? No, we’re not. But we have a pretty good handle on things, and I think we can get that to translate to outdoor success.”
One of the initial pushes for the NLL outdoor concept came in June of 2005, when league commissioner Jim Jennings was approached by Reebok. The league’s official outfitter was among a number of sponsors that came forth to express a desire to branch out into the outdoor game, citing increased commercial appeal.
According to league sources, other companies, including Nike, Harrow, deBeer and Fury Hockey, which is poised to enter the lacrosse market, have also signed on as sponsors of the new venture.
“[Reebok] said, ‘We love the indoor game, but the outdoor game is where we think we can sell merchandise,’” Jennings says. “So Reebok came to us and asked if the NLL would be interested in doing an outdoor league.”
And with the recent unanimous Board of Governors vote as its proof, the answer from the league came loud and clear.
“We’re more about the NLL brand and players and taking the game to the next level for the sponsors,” says Govett, the only NLL figure exempt from a Jennings-instituted gag order on the subject of the new venture. “We think we have all the ingredients to make this a viable product for outdoor.”
Creating consistency
While nothing is set in stone as of yet, Govett says that one major point of emphasis within the current discussion process among board members involves how players will be distributed among the participating teams.
According to league sources, expect Toronto, Colorado, Dallas, Philadelphia and Boston to be among the at least six initial teams when the league launches, most likely in 2008. Teams in North Carolina and South Carolina are possibilities for the inaugural season as well.
A press conference announcing the new franchises and locations is expected within the next two months, as well as an announcement about a new indoor franchise in Boston for 2008, which will play home games at the TD Banknorth Garden.
Each existing NLL team has been granted an outdoor franchise, which can either play home games in its current city or move elsewhere. For instance, according to sources, Calgary will own the Dallas franchise. Outside ownership groups will be welcome to buy in for an initial franchise fee of $1 million, compared with the NLL indoor expansion fee of $5 million.
According to Govett, cities that choose to activate their outdoor franchise will conceivably retain the rights to players that play on the indoor team within the same market.
There remain several areas in need of clarification, however, beginning with what to do with players that play indoor in cities that choose not to activate their outdoor franchise (all 13 are expected to within the next four years), or those that don’t play in the NLL indoor league but wish to play outdoor.
“We’re trying to create consistency between the indoor and outdoor league, but we still have some work to do for players that aren’t associated,” Govett says.
Sources say players wishing to play in the NLL outdoor league will not be permitted to play in the MLL. So, while scheduling would technically allow it because the MLL season starts in mid-May and ends in mid-August, no one will be playing in all three leagues.
Another step in building consistency, and another goal the league maintains in pulling the trigger on the move, is drawing more American players to the indoor game.
“It’s difficult to develop [American] players in the short amount of time under the current status quo,” Govett says. “You don’t get to know them or see them play unless you’re willing to take a risk and throw them in there. If there’s the opportunity to get a guy to play outdoor for you, to have him learn the players he’s playing with and the coaches, it gives you more time to understand a player and his strengths and weaknesses. That’s a hope of ours.”
But what about attracting players in the other direction, or those with a Canadian box background, to the field game?
The league acknowledges that it will be competing with the traditional Mann and Minto Cup Junior and Senior Championships in Canada, which finish in late August and early September. But the NLL is confident that the player pool is large enough for an outdoor league, regardless of potential overlaps.
“Would I be interested in pursuing an NLL outdoor career? I think I would like to see where I could potentially fit in with an outdoor team,” says Colorado Mammoth goalie Gee Nash, a native of Ajax, Ont. “I have played a little outdoor goal before but not for a few years.
“I think there would be a good number of guys that would like the opportunity to prove they can compete and excel in the outdoor game. Lacrosse players are very competitive so I’m sure they would love that shot.”
Extending that synergy between the two leagues to a union level, the Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association, which currently represents 360 NLL players, will naturally look to represent the participants in the outdoor league as well.
“The PLPA would grasp at the opportunity to be represented in a pro outdoor league, whether that be the NLL or the MLL,” says PLPA executive director and former Detroit Turbo Dave Succamore. “Last year we contacted [MLL commissioner] Dave Gross to get together to talk about it, because we had received some complaints from some of their players that they needed some representation, so we would be excited if the NLL outdoor body recognized the PLPA as the sole exclusive bargaining agent for the players.”
While the outdoor league is an extension of the current NLL brand and those franchises that choose to activate will operate under the same auspices, the outdoor league and the indoor league would be approached as two separate entities, says Succamore, citing the difference between the Arena Football League and the NFL as a loose comparison.
Another area in need of clarification, which would eventually fall under the bargaining jurisdiction of the PLPA should they be chosen to represent the NLL outdoor players, involves players that are under individual endorsement contracts with companies that could create conflicts of interest with their participation in NLL outdoor.
“I would like to see that they would get some type of exemption,” says Succamore. “With the Reebok deal, the players’ association obviously benefits, which in turn benefits the membership. On the other side of it, players under endorsement deals would like to benefit from that as well.”
Kicking it off
Another major point of discussion among league executives has involved the exploration of a start date for, and the duration of, the league’s inaugural season.
Govett explains that the league is currently looking at a fall time frame for the regular season (most likely a mid-August start and November finish), although they plan on holding some exhibition events in NLL cities this summer and fall to introduce their outdoor product.
Lacrosse fans that attend those preliminary events may bear witness to an outdoor game with several noticeable changes from both the traditional field and MLL versions, which remain only in the discussion phase as of right now.
According to Govett, the board and a committee led by Gary Gait, have talked about, among other changes: limiting the numbers of players on the field, reducing that number by two at either end, condensing the field of play to a smaller size and altering the mechanics permitted by players who take face-offs.
One change that has been discussed most prominently, Govett says, is the concept of a rebound net behind each goal to keep the ball in play and the action, “As explosive as you see in indoor,” he says. He also points out the rebound net concept has been influenced by the confusion that new lacrosse fans often experience when trying to understand why a team that throws the ball out of bounds can retain possession just because it was closer to the ball when it goes over the endline.
“We don’t want to change outdoor so significantly that it’s unrecognizable,” says Govett. “We want to try them [the changes] out and find out what works and what doesn’t work, whether that be with professionals, in club games, or even in pickup games. …We want to see what our fans think is crazy and what’s not.”
From the fan perspective, the league has heard preliminary rumblings that the NLL’s outdoor edition, if one or more of those changes were to be adopted, would be bastardizing the field game as people commonly know it.
In response to those criticisms, Govett is quick to point out other ways in which the modern game has evolved and adapted over time, such as the use of plastic heads and metal shafts instead of wooden sticks, and various rules changes that have taken effect over the years in the college game.
There are also those fans that subscribe to the notion that if the NLL wishes to generate more revenue to grow the game, it should simply extend the indoor schedule rather than branch off into the uncharted waters of an outdoor league. While it is a logical concept in theory, Govett says that the process of booking and scheduling events at arenas that share time with other sources of entertainment — including the NHL, NBA, Arena Football League and concert events — is sometimes, “astronomically difficult.”
“Getting dates is not as easy as just saying, ‘Let’s play longer,’” he says. “Playing after mid-May, according to our studies, kills our ticket sales. People want to be outside during that time. …And we’ve tried going earlier, and that was a financial disaster.”
Therefore, if the NLL indoor league can survive during the “noisiest” time of the year for professional sports, they reasoned, fans should be able to watch one game a week within their respective market during the fall, even if the league is forced to compete against the machines that are college and pro football within that time period, especially with NLL outdoor games being played primarily in the evening.
Player appeal
As fans have voiced their concerns over the need for another outdoor league and the product that the NLL could potentially put on the field, Govett says that the feedback league executives have heard from players with whom they’ve had discussions has been overwhelmingly positive.
Geoff Snider, a hard-nosed face-off man for Team Canada during last summer’s World Championships and a professional in
both the MLL (Denver Outlaws) and NLL (Philadelphia Wings), sees the value in putting a product on the outdoor field that has more of an indoor flavor to it.
“Personally, I would like to see field lacrosse be more, ‘in your face’ and a rougher sport,” he says. “I love the combativeness of the indoor game, and I would be interested in having the MLL or NLL outdoor be more physical in nature. I also think keeping the ball in play by potentially having a net behind the goal is something that would make the game more exciting because there would be fewer stoppages.”
As for any potential rules changes that may alter the mechanics involved in the NLL outdoor face-offs, especially ones designed to decrease the importance of having a top draw man, Snider believes that there will be ways to get around any changes to prevent that player from becoming dominant.
“Face-off players will just have to adjust to winning and dealing with pressure right away,” he says. “I think that the NLL face-off men will have an easier time making that adjustment.”
Beyond the list of proposed changes that the Board of Governors has discussed, Snider says that he would also like to see more picking in the field game, and the ability to defend more aggressively in off-ball situations.
“I think that a more aggressive defense and an opportunity to exploit defenses would make the game more exciting,” he says.
From an off-the-field perspective, while many have wondered if there is enough room in the professional lacrosse landscape for two outdoor leagues to co-exist, Snider sees this as a positive step for both parties, and for the growth of the game as an entity.
“I think this puts positive pressure on the both the NLL and the MLL,” Snider says. “The rapidly growing popularity of lacrosse is now reaching a capitalistic level here in the U.S. and in Canada. More and more individual entities are trying to become a part of the growing lacrosse market. I think the competition will create an even bigger demand for lacrosse in every aspect. The NLL and MLL have done an unbelievable job in promoting and growing the game, and it can only get better.”
Conceivably, the introduction of the NLL outdoor league could be another step in that growth, and further advancement toward a day when professional lacrosse players have the option of playing lacrosse on a full-time basis, for full-time salaries.
The way Govett sees it, while that day is still somewhere down the road, and the league must first continue generating revenue to allow salaries to rise to full-time status, the NLL’s latest move is playing a part in the creation of that opportunity.
“We know that we are not a full-time situation right now, but you can’t have it until you create the opportunity for players to live in that world,” Govett says. “That’s what we would like to see happen in the future. …In 10 years, could that be possible? Maybe.”
Today, they have a unanimous vote to press forward, a laundry list of ideas and some long hours of discussion ahead.
And lacrosse fans have another outdoor league.
Jan 23, 2007
DURHAM -- It's safe to say Durham Region talent will play a large role in how the Canadian U-19 Women's Field Lacrosse Team fares at the 2007 IFWLA U-19 World Championships in Peterborough this summer.
In fact, nearly half of the 20-player roster is comprised of players who hail from these parts.
Nine local players survived the latest rounds of cuts, as the Canadian team was selected following a successful international tour to Australia that just wrapped up.
Considering 11 Durham players were among the 26 who made the trip Down Under, it's hardly a surprising the roster has such strong local content.
Whitby leads the way with seven players on the team: Christine Comeau, Janaye Dzikewich, Katie Guy, Katie Ilott, Lisa McLaughlin, Kristen Millar and Sierra Hart-Smith.
Katelyn Mandville of Courtice and Jordie Loyst of Port Perry round out the local contingent.
Eight of the nine -- Hart-Smith being the exception -- also ply their trade with the Oshawa Lady Blue Knights program. The tour to Melbourne, Australia, included competition in the Southern Crosse Tournament against Australian and Japanese U-19 squads, in addition to four test matches with the Victoria State Squad. The 16-day tour began with two test matches within the first five days, followed by the tournament from Jan. 3-7, and concluded with the final two test matches over the last four days.
The Canadian team went two for four in its test matches and had a great opportunity to play against several Senior national players from Australia's 2005 World Cup Championship team.
In tournament play, both Team Canada and the Aussie squad played as two teams, who together with the Japan team comprised the five-team ladder. In round robin play, the Canadian teams ended with a combined four wins and four losses. Canada moved through to the final with Australia and treated the crowd to an exciting championship game where teams exchanged the lead at various points in the game but never by more than two goals. At the final whistle, Australia held a one goal advantage to win the tournament by a score of 10-9.
"The opportunity to play our key competitors under World Championship conditions was invaluable," head coach Jen Johnson, of Brooklin, said in a press release. "The players experienced the full range of physical and mental challenges that go along with playing at the highest level and have developed a new confidence in themselves.
"We used the tour and these ideal conditions to base our final selections on," she added. "We made some very positive progressions as a team during the tour and recognize what we need to work on for the World Championships."
The Canadian team's coaching staff also has a strong local presence, with assistants Jen Cassidy and Lynz Keys also from Whitby.
The IFWLA guidelines provide for each country to field an 18-member roster. Canada will announce its final 18-member team following a training camp and exhibition games on the May long weekend at Trent University in Peterborough.
The World Championships will run from Aug. 4-11 at Trent.
01/24/2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League has announced the Week number four player awards for the 2007 season. Arizona Sting goaltender Rob Blasdell earned Overall Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors, Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, Buffalo's Mark Steenhuis was named Transition Player of the Week and Toronto's Ryan Benesch was named Rookie of the Week.
Arizona Sting goaltender Rob Blasdell earned Overall Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in a weekend sweep of the Portland LumberJax. On Friday, Blasdell turned away 49 shots and allowed only four goals in an 11-4 victory over Portland at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The veteran goaltender held the previously unbeaten LumberJax squad scoreless for the first 38:43 seconds of the game. On Saturday, Blasdell recorded 27 saves and allowed nine goals in Arizona's 11-9 win over the LumberJax. Blasdell also recorded an assist in Saturday's victory at Rose Garden in Portland.
Buffalo Bandits veteran forward John Tavares was named the Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in a 22-13 home win over the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday. Tavares flirted with two NLL records as he recorded 10 assists and 13 points in the win, both are one shy of single game records. Tavares scored three goals, including one short-handed goal and one power play goal. The veteran also collected six loose balls in the win.
Mark Steenhuis of the Buffalo Bandits earned Transition Player of the Week honors. Steenhuis scored seven points on three goals and four assists and collected 10 loose balls in a 22-13 win over the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday. Steenhuis scored one of his goals on the Power Play in the win at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
Toronto Rock rookie forward Ryan Benesch earned Rookie of the Week Honors for Week Four. Benesch scored five points on four goals and an assist in Toronto's 19-15 home loss to Rochester on Saturday at Air Canada Centre. The first overall selection in the 2006 Entry Draft, Benesch also collected six loose balls and scored one of his goals on the power play.
Week Number Four Results
Friday, January 19, 2007
Rochester Knighthawks at Minnesota Swarm: 11-10 MIN
Colorado Mammoth at Edmonton Rush: 16-9 COL
Portland LumberJax at Arizona Sting: 11-4 ARZ
Saturday, January 20, 2007
San Jose Stealth at Philadelphia Wings: 9-8 PHI
Rochester Knighthawks at Toronto Rock: 19-15 ROC
Minnesota Swarm at Buffalo Bandits: 22-13 BUF
Chicago Shamrox at New York Titans: 11-9 NY
Colorado Mammoth at Calgary Roughnecks: 17-13 CAL
Arizona Sting at Portland LumberJax: 11-9 ARZ
The Weekly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's thirteen member clubs.
01/23/2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
Ryan Cousins represented the Minnesota Swarm in the 2006 All-Star Game. Vote now for your favorite players right here at NLL.com.
The National Lacrosse League has announced the start of fan balloting for the 2007 NLL All-Star Game. All ballots will be cast online via the league's official website, NLL.com. To vote now, click here. Fan balloting will remain open until February 20th, 2007. The 2007 All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, March 10th at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, home of the Portland LumberJax. Faceoff is at 10pm Eastern / 7pm Pacific Time.
Fans will be able to vote for the starting lineups for both the East and West Division teams. The East team will consist of All-Stars from the seven teams of the Eastern Division (Buffalo Bandits, Chicago Shamrox, Minnesota Swarm, New York Titans, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks and Toronto Rock). The West team will consist of All-Stars from the six teams of the Western Division (Arizona Sting, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Edmonton Rush, Portland LumberJax and San Jose Stealth).
The online ballot will include players from all 13 NLL clubs. The fan vote will combine with the vote of league media and votes of the team General Managers/Head Coaches to determine the starting lineups. Each will account for one-third of the total vote for the starting lineups.
The head coaches for the All-Star Game were determined by the finishing order of the 2006 Champion's Cup Playoffs. Colorado Mammoth Head Coach Gary Gait will coach the West Division squad and Arizona Sting Head Coach Bob Hamley will be the Assistant Coach. Buffalo Bandits Head Coach Darris Kilgour will coach the East Division squad and Rochester Knighthawks Head Coach Ed Comeau will serve as the Assistant Coach.
The head coaches and assistant coaches from each division will select the All-Star Game reserves. Each of the league's thirteen member clubs will be represented by at least one of their players in the All-Star Game.
Further information regarding the All-Star Game and surrounding events will be released shortly.
01/22/2007
Posted With Permission Of The National Lacrosse League
The Calgary Roughnecks unveiled their new black jerseys on Saturday and downed the Mammoth 17-13, bringing an end to Colorado's eight game win streak.
Three teams entered the weekend unbeaten and none of them remain. Colorado's eight game win streak has been halted, while Portland continued to struggle against Arizona. The Titans grabbed their first ever win as they downed the Shamrox in the first ever game at Madison Square Garden while the Toronto Rock dropped their fourth straight game, ALL to the Rochester Knighthawks.
Rochester Knighthawks at Minnesota Swarm, 11-10 MIN
After dropping all three contests against Rochester Knighthawks last season, the Minnesota Swarm rode a strong goaltending performance by Nick Patterson to an 11-10 win over their East Division rivals on Friday.
Minnesota Head Coach Duane Jacobs captured his first career win. Nick Patterson made 50 saves on 60 shots for a .833 save percentage to record the win. Knighthawks All-Pro forward John Grant took 20 shots, 14 on goal, and only beat Patterson twice. However his second goal briefly gave the Knighthawks their only lead of the game, a 10-9 advantage with 3:34 left to play.
That lead lasted only 15 seconds as Minnesota won the ensuing faceoff and Dean Hill drove to the net in transition and beat Pat O'Toole to tie the game.
Scott Stewart scored the game winner less than a minute later.
Colorado Mammoth at Edmonton Rush, 16-9 COL
Rookie forward Jamie Shewchuk made the most of his first trip to Edmonton, scoring five points (three goals, two assists) to help lift the Colorado Mammoth over the Edmonton Rush, 16-9 on Friday. Shewchuk, an Edmonton native, had the best game of his young pro career.
Mammoth forward Dan Carey continues to impress. The second year forward is currently ranked second in the league in points (28) and second in the league in goals (14). Carey scored five points on two goals and three assists against Edmonton on Friday.
Former Mammoth forwards Chris Gill and Dan Stroup led the Rush charge, combining for five goals. Four of the goals were on the power play. Edmonton was four for six on the power play total.
Colorado also dominated the face-off circle, winning 20 of 30 draws.
Portland LumberJax at Arizona Sting, 11-4 ARZ
Rob Blasdell flirted with history on Friday, allowing only four goals as the Sting knocked off the previously unbeaten Portland LumberJax, 11-4. Blasdell actually allowed the Portland offense to score only three times, as the final LumberJax goal came when Arizona defenseman Bruce Murray inadvertently knocked the ball into his team's own net.
The record low for goals allowed in a regular season game is three. On March 21, 1992, Detroit held Pittsburgh to three goals in a 13-3 win.
Despite scoring only four goals, the LumberJax actually out-shot the Sting 53-36. Derek Malawsky and Lindsay Plunkett scored three goals apiece to lead Arizona to the win
Blasdell kept the LumberJax from scoring for the game's first 38 minutes, registering 49 saves on the night, a franchise record.
Saturday
San Jose Stealth at Philadelphia Wings, 9-8 PHI
The Philadelphia Wings avoided falling to 0-3 for only the third time in 21 seasons by narrowly beating the San Jose Stealth 9-8 on Saturday. Geoff Snider (three goals), Jeff Ratcliff (three goals, one assist) and Sean Greenhalgh (two goals, two assists) led the Wings on offense while goaltender Matt Roik secured the win in his first start of the season.
San Jose was led offensively by Jeff Zywicki, who tallied four points on three goals and an assist. Anthony Cosmo recorded 44 saves and allowed only nine goals in the loss.
Five of the game's goals were scored by rookies and seven goals were scored by second year players.
Rookie Geoff Snider continues to dominate in the faceoff circle, winning seven of ten draws. He's not just winning faceoffs--he's winning them, scooping up the loose ball himself and scoring in a matter of seconds. His second goal of the game was score an amazing five seconds after the faceoff. His third goal was scored ten seconds after the faceoff. Look to see some of that action on the Plays of the Week powered by B2 Networks later this week.
Rochester Knighthawks at Toronto Rock, 19-15 ROC
The Toronto Rock will be happy to head to Philadelphia this week. Actually the Rock will be happy to see anyone other than the Rochester Knighthawks. Toronto's last four games were all against Rochester and they lost all four times.
Rochester beat Toronto 10-7 in the final week of the 2006 regular season and then again a week later in the East Divisional Semifinal, 16-8. Now this season, Toronto opened with two consecutive losses to Rochester, 10-6 last week and 19-15 this week.
The last time Toronto won it was 15-14 in overtime against the Wings last season. Toronto has now lost seven of their last eight and will look to rebound in Philadelphia.
Despite the loss, first overall draft pick Ryan Benesch scored five points on four goals and an assist for Toronto.
Rochester out gunned Toronto 8-6 in the final period at Air Canada Centre on Saturday to secure the 19-15 win. Scott Evans lead the Knighthawks with eight points (five goals, three assists) in the win.
Minnesota Swarm at Buffalo Bandits, 22-13 BUF
John Tavares came up one assist shy of tying two NLL records in Saturday's 22-13 win over Minnesota. The veteran tallied ten assists, one shy of the record held by Derek Malawsky (11 assists on 1/5/02). Tavares also scored three goals in the game, giving him 13 points on the night. JT's 13 points is one shy of the NLL single game points record, which was done three times.
Bandits goaltender Steve Dietrich, the reigning league MVP, still has yet to play this season while recovering from knee surgery.
Chicago Shamrox at New York Titans, 11-9 NY
The New York Titans captured their first ever win on Saturday, in the first ever lacrosse game at Madison Square Garden. Seven different Titans' players combined for 11 goals in front of 13,127 fans at the world's most famous arena. Rookie first round draft pick Brendan Mundorf made the first start of his career and scored three points on a goal and two assists for New York. Goaltender Curtis Palidwor recorded 51 saves to lead the Titans to their first win.
Colorado Mammoth at Calgary Roughnecks, 17-13 CAL
The 1993 Buffalo Bandits can pop the cork on the champagne as they will remain the only team to go unbeaten for an entire season. All three remaining unbeaten teams from this season, fell this weekend, most notably the Colorado Mammoth. The Mammoth entered Saturday's contest against the Calgary Roughnecks with a 4-0 record and on an eight game win streak, a win streak that started with three consecutive wins over the Roughnecks at the end of last season.
With the game tied at 12 heading into the final period, the Roughnecks outscored Colorado 5-1 in the final frame to take home the victory. Lewis Ratcliff scored nine points on six goals and three assists in the game.
The game was Roughnecks captain Tracey Kelusky's 100th career game.
Arizona Sting at Portland LumberJax, 12-9 ARZ
The Arizona Sting completed a weekend sweep of the Portland LumberJax with a 12-9 victory on Saturday at Rose Garden in Portland. The Sting continue to have the LumberJax number, leading the all-time series 4-1, including the West Divisional Semi-final last season. Portland has an all-time record of 13-8 and half of their losses are to Arizona.
On Saturday Dan Dawson scored six points on three goals and three assists to lead the Sting to the victory.
January 21 2007
Scarborough, ON
All seven teams in Major Series Lacrosse gathered in Whitby this afternoon for a business meeting as well as the 2007 Major draft. The teams, in preparation for the draft, were permitted to protect up to four graduating juniors and the Redmen announced earlier this week that Shane Sargent, Colin Baker and Kurtis Wagar had been protected.
The Redmen drafted as follows:
Round 1
(4th Pick)
David Lomas, Six Nations Arrows (16 GP, 8 Goals, 25 Assists, 33 Points, 23 PIM, 2006 season)
Round 2
(13th Pick)
Wesley MacDonald, Toronto Beaches (11 Games, 4 Goals, 6 Assists, 10 Points, 47 PIM, 2006 season)
Round 4
(25th Pick)
Troy Heaselgrave, Barrie Tornado (1st overall on team – 19 Games, 37 Goals, 48 Assists, 85 Points, 2006 season)
Round 5
(32nd Pick)
Kyle Harris, Scarborough Saints (3rd overall on team – 19 Games, 19 Goals, 44 Assists, 63 Points, 2006 season)
The Redmen also announced a trade made at the draft session when they gave up their 6th overall pick in the opening round and received Callum Crawford in return from the Akwesasne/St. Regis Indians. He was third overall in team scoring behind John Tavares and Kevin Dostie with 16 goals, 27 assists for 43 points in 17 games played.
The balance of the 2007 draft results are available at www.majorserieslacrosse.com.
www.brooklinredmenlacrosse.com
Contact: Mark Stehlin 416.525.5624
January, 21, 2007 - Today in the first round of the 2007 Major Series Lacrosse Draft the Brampton Excelsiors selected Ian Llord from the St. Catharines Junior Athletics. Last season with the Athletics he recorded 13 points (5G-8A) in 22 games with 91 penalty minutes.
Toronto Beaches had three players taken in the first round with Geoff Griffiths (2nd pick -Brampton), Mac Allen (3rd Pick - Peterborough) and Kevin Ross (5th pick - Six Nations).
Brooklin selected David Lomas from Six Nations 4th overall while trading the 6th pick overall to St. Regis in return for Callum Crawford.
St. Catharines Frank Resetaritis was chosen 6th overall by St. Regis with Brampton closing out the first round selecting Eric Martin from the KW Braves.
ROUND 1
1 BRAMPTON IAN LLORD ST. CATHARINES JR. A
2 BRAMPTON GEOFF GRIFFITHS TORONTO BEACHES JR. A
3 PETERBOROUGH MAC ALLEN TORONTO BEACHES JR. A
4 BROOKLIN DAVID LOMAS SIX NATIONS JR. A
5 SIX NATIONS KEVIN ROSS TORONTO BEACHES JR. A
6 ST. REGIS FRANK RESETARITS ST. CATHARINES JR. A
7 BRAMPTON ERIC MARTIN KW BRAVES JR. A
ROUND 2
8 KW MIKE FLEMING KW BRAVES JR. A
9 BRAMPTON KYLE HAGEL OAKVILLE JR. B
10 ST. REGIS JOSH SMYTH OAKVILLE JR. B
11 SIX NATIONS KYLE GOERTZ SPARTAN JR. B
12 PETERBOROUGH SEAN THOMPSON OAKVILLE JR. B
13 BROOKLIN WESLEY MCDONALD TORONTO BEACHES JR. A
14 BRAMPTON ROBERT DEBRONE OAKVILLE JR. B
ROUND 3
15 SIX NATIONS DAVE ELLIS SIX NATIONS JR. A
16 KW ALAN DOWNEY KW BRAVES JR. A
17 ST. REGIS KYLE SCHMELZLE SIX NATIONS JR. A
18 KW JAMIE KIRK ORANGEVILLE JR. A
19 BARRIE DANIEL RANSOM MARKHAM JR. B
20 PETERBOROUGH AARON BOLD PETERBOROUGH JR. A
21 KW NATHAN CLAYTON KW BRAVES JR. A
ROUND 4
22 SIX NATIONS KEVIN CROSWELL PETERBOROUGH JR. A
23 KW JOEL WILSON KW BRAVES JR. A
24 ST. REGIS HUGHIE JOHNSON SIX NATIONS JR. A
25 BROOKLIN TROY HEASELGRAVE BARRIE JR. B
26 BARRIE NEIL MAYERHOFER BARRIE JR. B
27 PETERBOROUGH CHAD EVANS PETERBOROUGH JR. A
28 BRAMPTON DREW PETKOFF OAKVILLE JR. B
ROUND 5
29 SIX NATIONS BRENT MILLAR NIAGARA JR. B
30 KW STEVEN CORMACK KW BRAVES JR. A
31 ST. REGIS MIKE DOMINELLI TORONTO BEACHES JR. A
32 BROOKLIN KYLE HARRIS SCARBOROUGH JR. B
33 BARRIE RON REED MARKHAM JR. B
34 PETERBOROUGH NICK MASTINE ORANGEVILLE JR. A
35 BRAMPTON MARK BIAMONTE ST. CATHARINES JR. A
GRADUATING JUNIORS ON PROTECTED LISTS
1 ST. REGIS SIMON ROBILLARD
1 SIX NATIONS CODY JACOBS
2 SIX NATIONS KEVIN BUCKTOOTH
3 SIX NATIONS ISAIAH KICKNOSWAY
4 SIX NATIONS GRANT CRAWLEY
1 BRAMPTON PAUL DAWSON
2 BRAMPTON SEAN FELSTED
3 BRAMPTON SCOTT CARNEGIE
1 BROOKLIN K WAGAR
2 BROOKLIN S SARGANT
3 BROOKLIN C BAKER
1 PETERBOROUGH CORY VITARELLI
2 PETERBOROUGH MAT CURRIE
3 PETERBOROUGH KYLE DUPONT
1 BARRIE NATE SANDERSON
2 BARRIE DARRYL VELTMAN
3 BARRIE ANTHONEY LACKEY
4 BARRIE BRAD TROTTIER
1 KW RYAN BENESCH
2 KW CAM MONROE
3 KW MIKE POULIN
4 KW LUKE PINDER
By Claude Scilly - THE KINGSTON WHIG-STANDARD
Friday, January 12, 2007
In many ways, journalism is all about decision making: What to cover, to what extent, in what way. What to leave in, what to leave out. We learn to make decisions almost from the time we pick up a notepad.
Bob Joseph
Photo: Whig-Standard
One of the earliest decisions one young reporter had to make was what to do when he dropped in to the little storefront at 501 Princess St., just looking for a little information about the local junior lacrosse team.
“Ya got time for a coffee?”
It might not sound like a tough question, but to understand its delicate nature is to understand that nobody ever had enough time to have a cup of coffee with Bob Joseph.
At first, it seemed like an innocent way to conduct a 15-minute interview, but the walk two doors up to the old Cathay Cafe at the corner of Chatham Street never led to anything that succinct. An hour would pass, maybe two.
The thing was, having experienced it once, you simply couldn’t resist. While you doubtless didn’t have enough time, neither was it wise to pass the opportunity by. To do so risked missing out on some truly fabulous yarns.
Bob had a million of them.
Those stories are what those of us who knew him will miss. Bob died Monday and he will be buried today.
A raconteur of the first order, on a good day Bob could make a story last close to 90 minutes – or roughly the time it takes to travel from Kingston to the Swiss Chalet in Port Hope, a customary pit stop during the weekly summer pilgrimage to a Peterborough Lakers lacrosse game.
The first time you heard a Bob story you could never really be sure if it was tall tale, folklore, urban legend or some combination thereof, but even in the retelling, you’d be spellbound, and the more you’d hear the same one, the more convinced you’d become that it had to be true, because nobody could retell fiction the same way every time.
Make no mistake, nobody ever complained about hearing the same tale for the second or third time. It was like watching an old episode of your favourite television show: You came to look forward to the twists and gags, anticipate when Bob’s face would start to go expressionless as he set up the punch line. As the story drew to a climax, he’d start to emphasize single syllables, then the corners of his eyes would crinkle. He’d start to shake and then he couldn’t hold it back anymore:
“Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee.”
Bob was a scamp, a scoundrel, a rascal, no stranger to pulling a stunt, but he was a generous man. The quickest way to annoy him was to try to pick up a cheque. He was never known to turn down a request for a trophy or help sponsoring a team. Sometimes the name of his arcade would be prominent. Mostly it wasn’t. “Sure, I’ll get you a trophy,” he’d say. “Just don’t tell anyone where it came from.”
Bob will be forever remembered by some for the beige Ford pickup into which a rag-tag group of mid-town teenagers would routinely pile on their way to or from lacrosse practice at Cook Brothers Youth Centre. One of those kids, Harold Cowie, retold a story a year or so ago, on the occasion of Bob being named a life member of the Ontario Lacrosse Association.
Cowie had broken his stick – over somebody’s arm, he recalled – and he worried what might become of the remainder of his season.
“I wasn’t in a position to go out and buy a new stick,” he said. “We were teenagers and in those days money was a little tough to come by in the north end.”
Cowie was coaching peewees at the time and a couple of nights later, Bob arrived at the Wally Elmer Arena.
“He had a sack with him, with a handle sticking out,” Cowie recalled, “and he said, ‘I need your help.’ He gave me the stick and he said, ‘Listen, this was given to me by the manufacturer. I need you to test it for me, give me a report. You broke your stick. You’d be a good candidate for this so, here, you take it.’
“I thanked him. It looked pretty broken in for a manufacturer’s new stick. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was probably one of his own sticks. That kept me playing. I felt pretty fortunate.”
In his coaching days, Bob was magic for a quote. Proclaiming one year that his team would win a best-of-five playoff series “in three straight,” he was asked what he thought after the opponent, perhaps inspired by his bravado, won the first two games of the series.
“I said we’d win three straight,” he cackled. “I didn’t say which three.”
Oh, yeah. Kingston came back to win the series.
Bob knew in which closet lots of important people kept their skeletons, but he was never above telling a story where the soup ended up in his own lap.
He loved to tell the one about the night he had the Kingston Kings in Brockville for a game. One of his players got involved in a scrap, and let’s just say the fellow did not get the best of it. He was bleeding around the mouth and went to the dressing room.
The referee noticed that the young man’s front teeth were missing and he went to Bob at the bench and implored him to look for the teeth, in case something could be done to repair them.
Bob scoffed. “If he can’t fight any better than that, to heck with him,” he said, or words to that effect.
The official was apoplectic. “I’m reporting you! I’m reporting you!” he screamed, outraged that a coach could be so callous.
“You go right ahead,” said Bob, never one to let go when he had someone by the leg.
It wasn’t until very much later that Bob revealed that the player in question had a plate, and his front teeth were in a glass in the dressing room all along.
Bob was no angel. He did his share of sparring with authorities, winning some, losing some. It was his way: Tweak the regulators, stretch the boundaries, be irreverent.
In about 1972, Bob was managing the juvenile team in Kingston. Nepean was the scourge of the eastern league that year and easily disposed of the local team in the opening round. Two rules were in effect at the time: Teams could add players at the end of the year from teams that didn’t make the playoffs and when a team was eliminated, it could drop down and contest a Tier II round.
After being waxed by Nepean, the Kingston club availed itself of both rules. Bob added four or five players from the Belleville team and went on to defeat teams from central and western Ontario to win the Tier II title.
With that honour came the right to challenge the first-tier champion, which turned out to be Nepean. When Bob showed up with the best of the Belleville club in his lineup, the Nepean folks took notice. They were sufficiently confident they could still win that it didn’t become an issue until the Kings actually won the series.
Now the folks in Nepean were furious because Belleville had actually qualified for the playoffs, but declined the opportunity to be trounced in the first round, so the team withdrew. Bob pounced on the language in the rule book that said players from “eliminated” teams were not eligible to be picked up by other clubs. Belleville, Bob figured, hadn’t been eliminated. They’d folded.
Nepean made the appeal and it was upheld. Kingston was ordered to replay the series without the Belleville players. Bob said no. If that’s your decision, he told the OLA, fine. We’ll start over. We play everybody because if it wasn’t fair to Nepean, it wasn’t fair to the other teams Kingston beat out, either.
It was now September and the impracticality of that – with most arenas already having ice installed, or about to – was apparent to the board of directors. They reconvened, reconsidered and relented. The outcome stood.
The rule was promptly changed.
Bob loved to tell that story to his friends, but he was reluctant to share it publicly because he wondered what people might think of him, and he didn’t want the championship to appear tainted. What he never understood was this story was the perfect metaphor for his life: Find the advantage, take a chance, deal with the consequences. Even if he got his hand slapped, he’d win, because at the end of the day all Bob wanted was fair treatment for all, and sometimes “fair” wasn’t necessarily what other people said it should be.
Make no mistake. Bob was as competitive as they come. You don’t get the respect of your peers – membership in the Ontario Lacrosse and Kingston Sports halls of fame, and a Mann Cup ring as a devoted supporter of the Peterborough club – by not being steadfast. Bob would be all about the outcome during a game, but there was always more to it than that.
Sports was a place for people to interact, to do brilliant things and brutal things, funny things and dramatic things. Sport, Bob taught me, was about the experience, not the score. He truly believed it was about the people, and doubtless that was why the stories remained so vivid over the years.
Bob was a character, and while good athletes come and go, we don’t seem to have enough characters anymore.
That, perhaps, is why I’ll miss Bob the most.
Claude Scilley is the Whig-Standard’s sports editor. He can be reached via
e-mail at cscilley@thewhig.com
By Peter Niemczak - From the OLA Fan Forum
Eastern Ontario lacrosse lost a great supporter of the game and a man with a passion for the sport that ran very deep. Robert (Bob) Joseph passed away yesterday after a lengthy illness. He will be missed dearly by his family, friends and all lacrosse enthusiasts.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in Bob's memory to the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum. Contact: Mr. Tom Succamore, 18 Ixworth Road, Etobicoke, Ontario. M9W 4R8. Telephone: (416) 742-8630. Confirmation of donations, by receipt, will be acknowledged.
For those of you unfamiliar with Bob’s contribution to the game, please see the following:
During his youth in his hometown of Orillia Ontario, Bob Joseph participated in baseball and hockey, but his passion was lacrosse. And lacrosse in Ontario benefited from his passion. Bob Joseph’s reputation in lacrosse was built on his continued commitment and involvement, serving at the club, league, district and provincial levels. His significant contributions include coaching, managing, sponsoring, fund-raising and holding executive member positions for minor, junior and major teams.
Bob Joseph unselfishly gave of himself, his time and financial resources, contributing in whatever way he could. He was an outstanding lacrosse person who had a long-term commitment. His contributions were significant in Kingston and the entire eastern Ontario region. In addition, he contributed to lacrosse in the cities of Orillia and Peterborough.
At the time of his induction into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame, Cam Devine, then coach of the Orillia Junior “A” lacrosse team noted that “Bob Joseph is held in the highest regard in lacrosse circles – One thing that stands alone about Mr. Joseph is that he has a genuine love of the game of lacrosse”.
Bob was active in the development, promotion and management of lacrosse at minor, junior and major levels of the game since 1970. He was an active franchise owner, coach, manager, executive member and sponsor at all levels of the game during the past thirty-six years.
Bob Joseph was the driving force for Kingston lacrosse in the 1970’s. He served in various executive positions including President, sponsor, coach, and manager.
Bob’s direct involvement included managing the 1972 Ontario championship Juvenile team from Kingston.
He founded the Kingston Kings Junior team that won the Ontario championship in 1973. He was the Kings’ general manager and coach.
Bob served as an executive member of the Ontario-Quebec Interprovincial Junior Lacrosse League as well as coaching and managing the Kingston Junior Lacrosse Club.
Bob’s passion, dedication and commitment to lacrosse led to his involvement at the provincial level. He served as a member of the Ontario Lacrosse Association’s Board of Governors in 1981 and 1982 and he was second Vice-President in 1983.
In the 1980’s while still living in Kingston, Bob Joseph opened a business in his hometown of Orillia. Mr. Joseph sponsored and sat on the board of the Orillia Junior “B” lacrosse club, which named the team the “Kings” in honour of him. This team was very successful becoming Ontario champions three times between 1990 and 1995 and Canadian champions twice in 1994 and 1995.
Co-sponsor and Honourary Vice- President of the Peterborough Lakers Major club since 1995. Bob Joseph served as a special advisor and co-sponsor of the Lakers Lacrosse club. The Lakers won the Mann Cup in 2004 and 2006. Lakers president Ted Higgins credits Joseph with helping to keep the team afloat.
“Bob had always followed our junior team,” said Higgins. “He started coming to the odd one of our games and he was a small sponsor at one time but we got really down and out there for a time. Bob made some pretty hefty payments for three years in a row to help me keep this thing going and I’m deeply indebted to him for that.”
“We became Canadian champs and we can thank Bob for helping to keep it alive. I was telling him a while ago, I said, Bob, if you hadn’t been around I think I might have just let it go. It was too much for me.”
In 1999 Mr. Joseph was inducted into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame in recognition for his 30 years of service to lacrosse.
In the year 2000 Mr. Joseph was inducted in the Builder category into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
In the year 2002, Mr. Joseph was inducted as a Life Member into the Orillia Minor Lacrosse Association.
In the year 2005, Mr. Joseph was inducted as a Life Member into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame. As many of you know, this award has only been bestowed a few dozen times in the history of the game. As Dean McLeod once stated “I’m a life member, I’ve been elected to the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and also the Ontario one, but it’s a higher honour to be elected Life Member.”
Although too ill to attend many of their games, Mr. Joseph was an avid supporter of the Ottawa Titans Junior 'A' team. He
found tremendous satisfaction in knowing that the best junior age lacrosse players in Eastern Ontario finally had a team they
could play for.And that lacrosse fans across Eastern Ontario had their own team to cheer on.
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