Minnesota Lacrosse yesterday selected Marty O'Neill to be its first general manager, putting the former goaltender in charge of an NLL team just five months after being fired from a similar post with the Philadelphia Wings.

O'Neill will oversee Minnesota's entire lacrosse operation, including player development, coaching and scouting, but unlike in Philadelphia, he'll be building the as-yet-unnamed team from scratch.

MSE purchased the dormant Montreal Express franchise last month and immediately moved it to Minnesota, where it will play at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

"Marty's background and knowledge of the National Lacrosse League makes him a great choice to build our franchise into an exciting and competitive team," Minnesota Sports and Entertainment (MSE) executive vice president Matt Majka said.

O'Neill spent the previous three seasons as the Wings' general manager, but he and head coach Adam Mueller were sacked in April after posting a cumulative 23-26 record and just one playoff appearance during their tenure.

Prior to that, O'Neill played eight seasons in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League and National Lacrosse as a goaltender for the Boston Blazers, Syracuse Smash, and Buffalo Bandits.

O'Neill recorded a 13.27 goals against average and a 71.6 save percentage in 66 career games.