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Come to think of it, it really hasn’t been that long since the National Lacrosse League glory days of the Toronto Rock. It was in 2005 when Colin Doyle had 5 goals and 3 assists to lead Toronto past Arizona for the Champion’s Cup. Problem is, it’s all about perspective. Because that 2005 title was the team’s fifth in seven seasons, so the bar had been set pretty high. Yet since that last title, the Rock have stumbled through the last four seasons with a combined record of 27-37 and just two playoff berths. Well, if new owner Jamie Dawick has any say in the matter, this playoff drought is about to end. Soon.

And since Dawick is the owner, ya gotta figure he’ll have a lot of say in how the Rock moves forward. This past week, Dawick talked publicly for the first time since buying the team last year, and he let us know he’s been a fan of the team since the 1999 title season. “I remember the good old days when the building was full and coming into Toronto was the toughest place to play,” he told The Toronto Star. “That’s what I’m looking to bring back.”

If the early moves are any indication, the Rock certainly is rolling. He’s brought in Terry Sanderson as general manager and this week, Troy Cordingley was officially named head coach. Cordingley certainly knows his way around during the playoffs, having won a pair of titles as a player with the Buffalo Bandits and then coaching the Calgary Roughnecks to the 2009 title. And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone else out there to lead the Rock back to the promised land. The Rock’s five titles are by far the most of any team in league history, and you get the feeling that Cordingley and his boys wish the NLL season started tomorrow.

Then again, Sanderson’s pretty amped too. He even mentioned a wish-list of players he’d like to see in Toronto, including the possible return of Doyle, who’s been with the Stealth organization the past three seasons. Sanderson stressed there’s no deal in place yet, and there are other players he’d like to obtain for Toronto as well.

“If you don’t ask the questions, you don’t find out who were going to be able to bring in,” Sanderson told The Canadian Press. “It doesn’t just have to be a Colin Doyle either. There are other guys out there I’m interested in. Having said that, there are some great guys here.”

Great guys doesn’t necessarily translate to great talent, and Cordingley is fine with that. The formula he pressed in Calgary was talent combined with leadership. “I’m very big on having leaders in the dressing room,” Cordingley told The American Chronicle. “I want players who have the passion and the work ethic, basically the way the Calgary Roughnecks played last year.”

So are the pieces in place for the Rock? Too early to tell, obviously, but you’ve got to think that if the enthusiasm of Cordingely and Sanderson is contagious, then the Rock are indeed on the right path. Right back to the glory days.

Loose balls: Lacrosse fans in Washington were out in force to meet Paul Rabil and catch a glimpse of his 111 mph shot … The Knighthawks are high on obtaining Peter Jacobs, a rising NLL star who isn’t even 20 years old … Brett Manney’s amped about his move to Washington with the Stealth …  Midget Lacrosse Championship will draw plenty of NLL scouts in Brampton, Ontario … Was that Kaleb Toth, Curt Malawsky, Dane Dobbie, Scott Ranger, Peter McFetridge and Joe Vetere in a Calgary parade? You bet … Major props to Mammoth assistant coach Dan Perrault, the newest member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame … Steve Toll’s newest blog is up and at ‘em for the Knighthawks … Bad news for the Swarm and Travis Hill … The Philadelphia Wings dance team is playing softball this weekend for a good cause … Lacrosse fans in Boston can find more information on the Blazers’ skills camp coming up in August … Don’t know who NLL prospect Dave Hodgins is? Now you do.

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