NLL Insider

NLL, The Beat

Knighthawks pursue Joe Walters

As if the Gary Gait buzz weren’t enough in Rochester, there’s talk now that the Knighthawks are hoping to sign hometown hero Joe Walters for the coming National Lacrosse League season.

Walters, who played his high school ball at nearby Irondequoit High, was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist at Maryland and is a current member of the U.S. National team. The left-hander with the slick shot helped lead the Rochester Rattlers to their first Major League Lacrosse title this past summer. “I think he’d fit in very well on our team and in his hometown,” Knighthawks general manager Regy Thorpe told the Democrat and Chronicle. More than one team is apparently chasing Walters, who is a free agent after being a second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bandits in 2007. He opted not to play, even after rights were traded to the Philadelphia Wings. Stay tuned to NLLInsider.com and we’ll keep ya posted on this development.

• Single-game Blazers tickets on sale Saturday: BlazersLacrosse.com
• Speaking of the Blazers, who are they? Examiner.com

NLL Insider

Fan Poll: Next years sophomore studs and duds

With all the talk of what Craig Point will do next year and the history lesson we had last weekend, looking at the best and worst ever sophomore years in the NLL, this week we asked you guys which of last year’s pretty impressive rookie class would keep treading water and which ones would flounder a bit.

Jordan Hall seems to be the odds on favorite to continue taking his game to the next level, especially after his impressive play for the Mann finalist New Westminster Salmonbellies this past summer.

Anyways, after the jump, we broke down last year’s rookie class and what they might be capable of this winter. Also make sure to hit up this link, to see how this week’s poll shook-out. READ MORE »

The Beat

Brett Queener: out of the net and into Boston’s free agent camp

There are considerable odds stacked against almost anyone who wants to make a go of it in the National Lacrosse League — Merrills and Zywickis and Sniders aside. So why not give an American field player a chance at a transition spot? Especially one who just won an NLL championship with the Rochester Rattlers. As the goaltender.

Ladies and gentlemen, Brett Queener.

“I’ve wanted to play indoor since I was a young kid. I used to have season tickets to the Rochester Knighthawks in their first year,” he says. “I like to say I’ve played American indoor. My hometown has box lacrosse and I grew up playing it but the style of game is obviously not the same. I think I have a high lacrosse IQ and I think I’m going to be able to pick it up.” READ MORE »

The Beat

Jim Veltman and family bring lacrosse way up North

This item was originally posted on the Toronto Rock website a few weeks ago, but as the saying sort of goes, no good deed should go unnoticed.

Jim Veltman and his wife Teresa have written up an account of their family’s summer trip to Attawapiskat, a First Nation community way up by James Bay. They were there to bring lacrosse equipment and instruction to a place that can only be reached by plane in the summer. This was how they celebrated Jim’s retirement.

Thanks in part to the $12,000 raised at Jim’s final Rock game, the Veltmans ran a three day camp with three sessions per day for different age groups, giving 50 Attawapiskat youth a hands-on introduction to lacrosse, providing equipment for many more, and helping to prove that Northern Ontario lacrosse isn’t limited to the Sault Ste. Marie police blotter.

• For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, the Boston Blazers have relaunched their website: blazerslacrosse.com
• For anyone in Colorado who’s itching to get the lacrosse season started, you’ll be able to buy tickets to the pre-season match-up with the Stealth starting tomorrow afternoon: coloradomammoth.com

NLL Insider

Championship Lacrosse : Czech Style…

October is the quietest month of the year for North American Box lacrosse but in the Czech Republic the Lacrosse is front and center with the National Box Lacrosse League at their season’s climax. READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Sean Pollock #37

Although some may initially think back to his alleged early season off-floor dustup with Toronto Rock Head Coach Glenn Clark when they reflect on Sean Pollock’s impact on the game in 2008, if that’s all they remember about the Minnesota Swarm forward, then they obviously weren’t paying enough attention to what Pollock brought to the table last year.

The fiery red head mighta sent Toronto fans into a tirade after getting tossed in the team’s opening game at the ACC last year, but it was everything Pollock did past that that made 2008 a pretty memorable one for him. READ MORE »

The Life

He Just Did What?

So there I sat, staring deep into my computer screen, working on finding the right words for my first magazine piece, when I started thinking about the greatest goal I have ever seen. Then, it crossed my mind that I’m sure other fans of the NLL could probably drum up memories of their favourite goals just as easily. Having always wanted to write a book about lacrosse and the players and fans personal experiences, I realized that gathering those memories is the first step.

The stories don’t have to be ground breaking, they don’t even have to be the greatest tales of all time, what I want is to paint a verbal picture of that moment that holds a special place in your heart; that always puts a smile on your face when you think about it.

READ MORE »

Inside Lacrosse Magazine

Voice of the Fan: The American Impact in 2009

This month Inside Lacrosse is checkin’ in with readers and getting their take on what this year’s influx of Americans on the NLL will do to the league.

Will the name guys like Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Matt Danowski be able to cut-it in pro indoor ball?

Will a team like San Jose win over more field fans with high profile NCAA studs on their roster?

How will the NLL’s newest American franchise, the Boston Blazers, do in their first year back into the bigs?

Will an American franchise keep the streak going and win a fourth consecutive Champion’s Cup this winter.

If you’ve got an opinion on anything American related heading into the 2009 season, hit up IL’s Voice of the Fan and find your way into a future issue of Inside Lacrosse.

NLL, The Beat

It’s official: Gait’s a Knighthawk

Well, it’s official. Gary Gait is a Rochester Knighthawk.

Our own Paul Tutka broke the news more than two weeks ago and yesterday, it became official as the Knighthawks announced they’ve signed Gait to a two-year contract. Of course, the Knighthawks are all giddy about the news and Gait’s even happier to be suitin’ up again. The great thing about all this, however, is the debate that’s rockin’ the message boards. Can Gait recapture the form we’ve come to expect from the six-time National Lacrosse League MVP? Is he washed up? Is this a publicity stunt? Some fans out there even have the ‘nads to suggest Gait’s coming back only because Athan Iannucci broke the scoring record last season and Gait’s out to reclaim it.

Whatever’s going on under that lid of yours, the fact is Gait’s back and it’s got people talking — and excited — about the 2009 season.

• Swarm’s Achenbach to help kids carve pumpkins: MNSwarm.com
• Blazers to host free agent tryout camp: OurSportsCentral.com

NLL Insider

Dan Stroup still officially a free agent

Although the Portland Lumberjax have been in talks with recently released Edmonton Rush vet forward Dan Stroup, it appears Stroup’s status is still up in the air and the former multiple Cup winner is still officially considered a unrostered free agent as of Thursday afternoon.

NLL Insider confirmed with Portland GM and head coach Derek Keenan earlier in the week that the Jax were planning on bringing Stroup aboard and a deal was imminent, since then however, the NLL has yet to receive anything official and has confirmed with NLL Insider that Stroup is still very much a free agent at this point, with the ability to sign elsewhere.

Keenan did confirm with NLL Insider this morning that a deal involving Stroup was pending.

It is unknown if any other teams are interested in Stroup’s services at this point, but if they are, Stroup is still technically on the market.

NLL Insider

NLL: The best job in Lacrosse

  A friend of mine had a son in the journalism course at one of the Toronto Colleges a  few years back when Joe Bowen, the 20-year play-by-play voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs came in as a guest lecturer.  READ MORE »

The Beat

Frank Resetarits in the IL Fan Zone

As you might expect from watching his video tutorial on how to achieve the perfect fu-manchu mustache, Frank Resetarits is a very busy man. Lucky for you Inside Lacrosse has him in the Fan Zone hot seat this month, answering any question you can think of about him and his career, be it with the San Jose Stealth, Long Island Lizards, his Tewaaraton finalist past in the NCAA, or even his decision to become the lone American in a very Canadian league when he opted to play Jr. A summer ball in Ontario. For extra credit, maybe find out if he’s gotten any better at fishing. Head here to begin the interrogation, and check back to see if your question makes it into a future issue of the magazine and a feature on insidelacrosse.com.

The Beat

Fans invited to Knighthawks training camp, Locker headed for HOF

The Rochester Knighthawks have announced the mid-November opening of their training camp, and the first two practices are free and open to the public. Saturday, November 15th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM and Sunday, November 16th from 9:00 AM to noon the 2009 Knighthawks players and hopefuls will take to the floor at the Rochester Sports Garden (1460 East Henrietta Road). Players and coaches will be available following work-outs for autographs.

In other news, San Jose Stealth assistant GM Doug Locker has been honoured for his role in growing lacrosse in California. Locker will be inducted into the Whittier College Purple & Gold Hall of Fame for not only founding the lacrosse program at the school, but for racking up a record of 293-72 in a 21-year coaching career with the team. He was named the NCAA Div III coach of the year in 2002 after helping his team to its first ever NCAA tournament berth. And speaking of west coast lacrosse, has anyone noticed that new Portland assistant coach Darren Fridge has a son named Jaxon?

NLL Insider

Dan Stroup lands in Portland

As first reported by NLL Insider’s Bob Chavez, 12 year vet and former Champion’s Cup and Mann Cup winner Dan Stroup has inked a deal with the Portland Lumberjax for the 2009 season.

Stroup had been released by the Edmonton Rush earlier this off-season after Rush GM and Coach Bob Hamley loaded up the team’s offense in a flurry of signings and trades that have completely changed the make-up of Edmonton versus just a year ago.

This’ll be Stroup’s sixth franchise stop in the NLL after having played in Baltimore, Toronto, Vancouver, Colorado and of course Edmonton and now Portland.

“He’s changed his game,” said Portland GM and Coach Derek Keenan. “He was a creator, but now he’s an off-ball guy. He can still get the job done, though.” READ MORE »

The Beat

Hall of Famer Cy Lemon passes away

The world of lacrosse has lost a dear friend in Cy Lemon, who died of a heart attack at an Owen Sound hospital late last week at the age of 78.

Elias McKerroll Lemon, a Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer, learned to throw and catch with the aid of the door on the family barn while growing up in the 1930s, which led to his adult career that started in the 1940s and eventually to a Mann Cup title with the Owen Sound Crescents in 1950. His son, Brian Lemon, is the National Lacrosse League’s vice president of operations and NLL referee Chet Couture is his son-in-law. “He was a lot of fun, and he taught a lot of life lessons as a teacher and as a coach,” Brian told The SunTimes of Owen Sound. “He had his own personality and his own style of how he would do things, and he treated everyone fairly.”

Check out the SunTimes story to read how much Mr. Lemon truly loved the game not only as a player, but as a coach and instructor at all levels of the Ontario Lacrosse Association. He will be missed, and sincere condolences are extended.

NLL

LumberJax cast an imposing shadow

So what do you call the players on a lacrosse team who stand 6-foot-10, 6-8, 6-6 and 6-5? Well, “sir” would be a safe start.

But for our purposes, we’ll call ‘em the Portland LumberJax and lest you’re fooled by that 6-10 record they sported during the regular season last year, you can’t be anymore. Sure, the 1-5 start to last season didn’t really open eyes, and even the 5-5 mark the rest of the season didn’t really scare anyone. But they did enough to get into the playoffs and when they did, they won a pair of games to land in the National Lacrosse League title game, where they came up just a bit short against the Buffalo Bandits. But you know what they say about success. Get a taste of it and you want it even more.

So that’s what’s on the mind of these LumberJax as they get ready for 2009, but they’re gonna have to chase down that success without the services of one of the game’s most dominant forces in Dan Dawson.

READ MORE »

NLL Top 50

NLL Insider Top 50: Brian Langtry #38

There’s few that can turn up the heat like Colorado Mammoth forward Brian Langtry.

Just ask the Portland Lumberjax, who almost found their name in the record book when Langtry posted nine goals and 13 points against them last winter.

In 2007, Langtry damaged Toronto for five goals, the same team he nailed for seven earlier in this career in one of the single best one game performances from downtown this league has ever seen.

When “on”, few can shoot the lights out like the former NLL rookie of the year, who just came off an insane summer playing for the Denver Outlaws in the MLL. READ MORE »

From the Stands

Fan Poll: This year’s best second year guys

In keeping with our recent theme of sophmores in the NLL, this week’s fan poll is gonna centre around just that, next year’s second year pros.

Will Craig Point and Jordan Hall continue to help dominate their team and league scoring charts?

Will defensive studs Tyler Codron and Mike Carnegie continue to be key ball players in their team’s own end?

Will Dane Dobbie finally find a spot on Calgary’s pretty deep O and produce like he did this past summer in the WLA?

Who will be this year’s soph studs and slumps? Let us know after the jump… READ MORE »

The Beat

Ladouceur re-inks with Rock, other off-season transactions you mighta missed

With some quiet off-season chatter that long time Toronto Rock defender Dan Ladouceur mighta been joining teammate Jim Veltman by hangin’ em up and a callin’ it a career, those rumours were put to rest on Friday afternoon, after it was announced that Laddy re-inked for at least another season in the NLL.

“I am excited to be returning to play another season”, said Ladouceur. “Management has worked hard in the off season to add pieces to our puzzle and I look forward to remaining active in the pursuit of another Championship.”

Other not as high profile off-season signings that have kinda gone under the radar but worth noting…

- Boston signs Buffalo’s third keeper, Dan Sams, who impressed many with his clutch showing against Chicago last year with both Mike Thompson and Kenny Montour suffering from post concussion syndrome. Sams posted a pretty unreal 68 saves, only allowing eight in a 13-8 Buffalo win. Sams is also a two time Minto Cup winner with both St. Catharines and Peterborough. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

Sophomore Slumps & Bumps

The inclusion of Rookie of the Year winner Craig Point in NLL Insider’s Top 50 ignited a flurry of emails and posts on the forum of where exactly the Minnesota Swarm snipe show should be penciled in in today’s NLL.

No one really chirped about the slick first year he threw down last winter, but many cited a “likely” sophomore slump in his upcoming second year in the bigs.

Will Point avoid “the slump” in 2009? Does it even matter if his numbers dip a bit this year when talking about what Point, or really any player, brings to the table?

After the jump, check out the worst stat drops by second year guys in the NLL (or MILL) and the best bumped up sophomore digits too. Try and make some guesses before hittin’ the link, cuz there are definitely some surprises in the rundown. READ MORE »