NLL Insider

And so the final man left standing after our season-long series of National Lacrosse League Dream Matchups? It’s none other than Jamie Hackel, who scored a 4,082-5,326 win over Andy Ogilvie. Can’t say it’s much of a surprise. Dude’s one tough hombre, but considering the fellas he “beat” en route to this title, it’s pretty impressive. Even better is Hackel’s humor about the whole thing. And how do we know of Hackel’s humor? We called the fella and chatted with him for a bit, that’s how.

“It was kinda cool,” Hackel said of learning about our Dream Matchups series. “Ogie’s one of my best friends.” Indeed, Hackel and Ogilivie still are pretty close. That’s gonna happen when Hackel’s still throwin’ down for the Langley Thunder and Ogilvie is head coach of the Coquitlam Adanacs.

As bad as these bruisers are, they never did face off during their playing days, says Hackel. But Hackel says he wouldn’t have hesitated had the chance presented itself.

“It’s a business,” he says. “It’d be just a couple of tough guys going at it. I’d hate to predict a fight between us … you never know. Could get a lucky punch, but I just couldn’t say. I hope I’d win, though.”

Much, if not most, of Hackel’s lacrosse legend was made with his fists. So he knew his role and never doubted it and when it came to strategy, his was to avoid it. “I like spur-of-the-moment fights,” he says. “I don’t like to fight when I’m cold and off the bench. I like the hot stuff.”

So if he never did throw down with Ogie, who was the toughest he ever fought? Nods go to Matt Green or Tim O’Brien.

Hackel’s fighting days aren’t done, of course. He’s got his job with the Thunder and he’s hoping for another run or two in the NLL. And in the interim, he’s got his job as a coordinator for a trucking company in Langley.

But before we offer final props to Hackel, we’ve gotta show some love to the people who let Hackel actually know he was involved with this whole Dream Matchups series. Ya see, dude doesn’t use a computer. That is correct. It’s 2009 and we found someone who doesn’t use a computer. In fact, he had no idea about the series until “people started to tell me about it,” he says. “I don’t use a computer. I get enough phone calls as it is. I just got voicemail on my phone last week. I told them I didn’t want it, but they told me it was free. I’m getting used to it.”

So there ya have it. Our 2009 Dream Matchups winner, Mr. Jamie Hackel. Congrats to you, sir, and best of luck for the summer of 2009.

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