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There was no draft party for Jeff Klodzen back in 1991. He wasn’t even a draft choice. All he did was make the right friends in the right places and when you’re playing in a lacrosse tournament in Syracuse that pits an All-Star team against a World team, that’s the right place. Especially when that place includes fellas like Ronny Klausner and Dave Pietramala, who convince you to move to Baltimore. That’s the story of Klodzen, whose pro box lacrosse career took him from Pittsburgh to Baltimore and then back home to Syracuse, where he lives today and looks back on his pro career with fondness. And no, we didn’t forsake a picture this week. We just got our hands on a gem and wanted to tease ya by making you click the “read more” button to see it.

1. How’d you hook up with Pittsburgh?

“Klausner and Pietramala convinced me to move to Baltimore and I was living with those guys. I was kind of an unknown but I tried out for the Pittsburgh team and made it. I had played hockey my whole life and at West Genesee, we’d played in a rink so I was used to the cross-checking and used to the bounces.”

2. So the adjustment to indoor wasn’t too tough for a three-time All-America defenseman out of SUNY Cortland?

“The biggest adjustment for me was getting ready for the level of competition. Everyone was so good.”

3. So how did a long-stick defenseman learn the indoor game so well?

“In Baltimore, we used to rent a facility, the Perring Athletic Club, and I’d just watch Gary Gait. I’d watch his shots, his moves and how he got himself open. I watched his whole bag of tricks.”

4. So you watched Gary and even played with him for a season. Were you tempted to join him when he came out of retirement last year?

“I could have done it. I talked with Regy Thorpe (then-GM of the Knighthawks) and he was telling me about the injuries they had and they were looking for some help on the right side. When I played, I played a lot of off-ball and I had the skills to finish, but the guys I played with were quicker and faster. They’d break down the defense and when the defense shifted, I’d find the open space to get passes.”

5. Take us back to your time in Pittsburgh.

“That first year, it was amazing. The guy I looked up to the most was Pietramala. We became good friends and he was such a force. We were a very physical team and I was the smallest of the bunch. I’d get the loose balls that these guys knocked out of sticks.”

6. So that’s your fondest memory with the Bulls?

“Well, there was that game I scored three goals on Dallas Eliuk. He was unbelievable. That was my second year in Pittsburgh. I’d played in the All-Star game the year (2000) before and was in the skills competition. And we had that one event where shooters got fives shots against a surprise goalie and, of course, I got Dallas. I think I hit the crossbar on my first shot and then he stuffed me on the next four shots.

7. You played with Baltimore and Syracuse, too, so you saw plenty of the league.

“Yeah, in Pittsburgh, we were the first team to play against the Blazers in the old Boston Garden so that was really neat to see all the banners there. Philly always had a great crowd and Toronto had great crowds, too. Fans were booing and calling you all kinds of names, but it was still great.”

8. You guys playing back then didn’t get rich, did you?

“My first check was about $64 after taxes and I had to use that toward my rent.”

9. Do we dare ask about your spandex?

“I have no idea where my spandex went, but I can tell you that a lot of the guys wore two pairs. That way, the ‘outline’ wasn’t as drastic.’ I remember John Tillman, the Harvard coach, once during warm-ups before a game with Baltimore and we were doing the three-man weave. Nothing fancy. The turf grabbed his foot and he slid on that turf and ended up mooning the entire crowd.”

10. You’re pretty fond of your time in pro lacrosse.

“At the time, we didn’t talk about being pioneers. We were just enjoying our situations. But looking back, seeing where the game has come with the different teams and teams out West, it’s such a thrill and everyone is like a kid in a candy store. It was a way to meet new friends and socialize and my time in the MILL and NLL was the time of my life.”

Klodzen played 10 seasons in the league with the Pittsburgh Bulls (1991-93), the Baltimore Thunder (1994-98) and the Syracuse Smash (1999-2000). He played for the 1998 league title with Baltimore, which lost the three-game series against Philadelphia. In 85 career games, he finished with 84 goals and 110 assists for 194 points, his best season coming in 1997, where his 22 goals earned him a spot on the NLL’s second team All-Pro. These days, he’s the owner of JK Permanence Consulting Services and he and his wife Kristin are expecting their first child.

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Brian Lemon
Gordon Purdie
Mike French
Toby Boucher

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