NLL Insider

Will Ryan Powell, or bro Casey, win their first NLL title this year? (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

Does past post-season success matter in the National Lacrosse League playoffs?

Do vets matter more during the playoffs than they do during the previous 16-games?

Can a ball player on his last legs still make a difference in this league either on or off the court?

After the jump, find out what team in this year’s playoffs has the most combined NLL or MILL rings, what vets are still searching for the ultimate pro glory, and whether either of these old timers will make a difference this year.

Buffalo Bandits

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 32
Most individual wins: John Tavares (4) and Rich Kilgour (4)
Long-time vets still searching: Thomas Montour (won a title with the Rock as an undressed post-season player in ‘03)

With the most recent Champion’s Cup win, last year’s nail biter against the Jax, the Bandits easily lead the ring count going into the 2009 post-season. John Tavares and Rich Kilgour have spent the last 18-years together in Buffalo and are looking to give the Orange-and-Black their first back-to-back Cup run since the franchise’s first two years in the MILL. Although Tavares contributes to Buffalo as much as any other player in his prime does to their respective club, Kilgour’s on-floor importance isn’t what it was even compared to just a few short seasons ago. Trust us though, Darris hasn’t kept his bro around so he could pad his stats with an extra three helpers this year. Kilgour’s leadership, whether on or off the floor, will be leaned on heavily over the next three (potential) weeks. The Bandits also have the league’s luckiest post-season charm in long time vet Mike Accursi, who is searching for his third straight Champion’s Cup. We weren’t able to confirm, but if Accursi rhymes off another Cup this year, he’ll likely be the league’s first player to win three consecutive Cups.

Rochester Knighthawks

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 25
Most individual wins: Steve Toll (5), Ken Millin (4) and Sandy Chapman (4)
Long-time vets still searching: Troy Bonterre

Steve Toll’s five Cup wins knot him for the best count of any active player in this year’s playoffs. All three guys listed above are still big pieces of the Hawks’ puzzle both during the regular season and post-season. Not sure how much chatter there was on the phones this year, but rumour is that Sandy Chapman is a guy several GM’s ring the Knighthawks about leading up to the trade deadline almost every year. He’s a meat and potatoes kinda guy that would give any team in the league some much needed jam. Even though the Hawks might be one of if not the oldest groups in the playoffs this year, these cranky old dudes know what it takes when it’s all on the line and probably are most people’s dark horse due to the lengthy resume they bring. We’ve mentioned it numerous times this year, but even though Gary Gait isn’t scoring in bunches like he used to, his goals have been big this year, and will no doubt be even bigger starting this weekend. Would be nice to see seven-year pro vet Troy Bonterre grab his first Cup win. The last time he went to the dance, Bonterre scored two huge goals for the shell shocked Bandits, leading the team in goals and showing people he’s capable of more than letting his mitts hit the turf.

Colorado Mammoth

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 12
Most individual wins: Chris Gill (2)
Long-time vets still searching: Gary Rosyski and Andrew Leyshon

The Mammoth are still only three years away from their most recent (and only) Cup, and even though the likes of Jay Jalbert and Pat Coyle have retired, Dan Stroup and Dave Stilley are elsewhere in the league, and Gee Nash is on the shelf, the Mammoth still remain one of this year’s most experienced Champion’s Cup winning sides. Ten-year vet Gary Rosyski will be searching for his first ever pro title, ever. Rosyski has played in only six post-season games during his impressive NLL career, coming uber close in 2002 when the Attack hosted the big dance, but dropped the W to the Rock. Would have to think Rosyski will be one of this year’s hungriest vets.

Calgary Roughnecks

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 9
Most individual wins: Kaleb Toth (2)
Long-time vets still searching: Curt Malawsky, Bruce Codd and Kyle Couling

The Roughnecks still have six players on their current roster that were around when Calgary won that improbable 2004 Cup, but only one that has tasted pro glory most than once in their career, that of course being Mr. Clutch himself, Kaleb Toth. The Necks have sported a great mix of seasoned vets and hungry up-and-coming pro talent like Dane Dobbie, Mike Carnegie and Jeff Moleski, a must for virtually any Cup winner in this league since the first kick at the can in the late 80’s. Crazy to think that Curt Malawsky, a Mann Cup winner with Coquitlam and Minto Cup winner with the Burnaby Lakers as a coach, is still looking for his first pro title. Malawsky, who’ll be celebrating his 39^th birthday on the same weekend as this year’s Western Division final, has been super clutch for the Necks this year and gives Calgary one of their deadliest weapons on the power-play (15 PP goals ranks him second in the NLL behind only Jeff Zywicki). Do Calgary’s long time Cup winning vets matter? No offense to their youngsters, who have played great this season, but this year’s Cup-run will live or die through their vet leaders.

New York Titans

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 6
Most individual wins: Dave Stilley (3) and Pat Merrill (2)
Long-time vets still searching: Casey Powell, Pat Maddalena, Bryan Barret and Eric Miller

Not sure if Stilley woulda officially have been handed a ring for the Wings’ Cup win in ‘98 (only played in two regular season games), but you can bet Ed Comeau picked up a guy like Dave during the off-season this past year for what Stilley will bring to this team starting this upcoming weekend. Ditto for that trade deadline swap that saw Bill Greer land in The Big Apple, a guy who won an NLL title only a few seasons ago and also won arguably the toughest gold to win in our sport, the Minto Cup (Whitby Warriors ‘99). Will Casey Powell finally win his first NLL title? It’s one of this year’s biggest storylines in the post-season. If New York does win this year though, it’ll be the most American heavy roster to win the NLL title since the Philadelphia Wings upset the Toronto Rock in 2001. Can this year’s Eastern champs pull it off?

San Jose Stealth

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 5
Most individual wins: Colin Doyle (5)
Long-time vets still searching: Matt Roik

The Stealth have five shiny rings on their collective mitt heading into the playoffs, only thing is, team captain, ‘09 scoring champ and MVP candidate, Colin Doyle, owns every single one of those rings. Doyle is one of the savviest playoff performers the pro scene has ever seen, and if the Stealth experience any success in the post-season this year, it’ll be largely in part to what Doyle brings both on-and-off the rug. Shaydon Santos, who’s played in both a Mann and NLL final, is in search of his first Cup win, period (Brock U doesn’t count, but Rochester in ‘97 does, check out correction below*). His addition to the team at the trade deadline this year coincidently sparked a more refined and composed D game from San Jose, who could pose a lot of problems for teams if they can get back on that run they were on previous to dropping an L in TO.

*Correction: Shaydon Santos actually did win a title in his rookie year with the Rochester Knighthawks in 1997, playing in seven of the team’s ten regular season games and in both playoff games en route to the Hawks 15-12 win over the Buffalo Bandits in the MILL final. That brings the Stealth up to six rings.

Boston Blazers

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 4
Most individual wins: Anthony Cosmo (2)
Long-time vets still searching: Dan Dawson

Although Anthony Cosmo leads the team in Cup rings, those two wins also include zero minutes played on the rug while backing up Bob Watson in Toronto. In fact, during his four years in San Jose, Cosmo collected just a single win in three post-season contests, and the one knock on him at the pro level is that he hasn’t been able to wrangle in the big one in a starting role. With that said however, Cosmo is coming off not only a Mann Cup win, but a Mann Cup MVP nod with the Brampton Excelsiors, and will no doubt receive heavy consideration for Keeper of the Year mention this year too. Dawson finds himself in a similar situation as Cosmo, but just has two less NLL rings to show for it. Dawson has appeared in three Champion’s Cup finals, two with the Arizona Sting and then last year’s super close one with the Lumberjax. Dawson too comes off the same Mann win as summer and winter teammate Cosmo, and is a favorite for MVP honours too. The talk all year is that these two players are why the Blazers are doing as well as they have this season. WRONG. Coz and Daws might be at the top of the depth charts in Boston, but this year’s Blazers will only go as far as their young cast of overachievers will take ‘em. If teams only worry about the Blazers’ Dispersal Draft steals, then Boston might make it to this year’s final easier than anyone woulda thought.

Portland Lumberjax

NLL/MILL Cup rings: 4
Most individual wins: Dan Stroup (3)
Long-time vets still searching: Derek Malawsky, Ryan Powell, Matt Disher, Pat Jones (won a Cup with the Rock as an undressed post-season player in ‘03) and Bruce Alexander

Similarly to Doyle with the Stealth, off-season pick Dan Stroup makes up almost all of the team’s Champion’s Cup success. Will it matter though? Last year Portland came within a couple goals of upsetting the Bandits in the final, and the only Cup winners they had were Dallas Eliuk and Brad MacDonald, neither of whom are with the team this year, although Eliuk is now a Jax coach. How Derek Malawsky and Matt Disher have not won even one NLL title over their storied careers (we’ll give you a minute to go check) is pretty crazy. You’d have to think that this year might be their last chance at NLL gold. Two years straight, no one expected Portland to be where they are today, yet they’ve again found their way into the league’s ’second season’. Although their veteran leadership via guys like Stroup, Malawsky and Disher is nice, it’s their unpredictability and belief in themselves that has got them where they are. Expect more of the same this year.

Note: Unable to confirm some team’s part-time ball players and whether they were cut loose prior to their respective team’s Cup win or whether they were still active members of their rosters. Players were included or discounted based on NLL Insider’s own findings.

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