A Canadian lacrosse era ended when superstar twins Paul and Gary Gait confirmed that they won't play in another Mann Cup series. The Gaits helped their hometown Victoria Shamrocks win the national senior title last weekend, sharing MVP honors in a sweep of the Brampton Excelsiors.

"We've decided to retire from the WLA (Western Lacrosse Association) and the CLA (Canadian Lacrosse Association) in general," Paul Gait, 32, said Thursday after returning to his home in Syracuse, N.Y., where he operates a lacrosse equipment and apparel company. "We've been in the sport for a long time, and it's tough on the body. We'll stay closer to home from now on."

"It was my decision as well," Gary Gait said from his University of Maryland coach's office in Baltimore.

The brothers will continue to play in the pro National Lacrosse League. Paul is with the Syracuse Smash. Gary will play out of Pittsburgh, the city to which the Baltimore Thunder was relocated earlier this summer.

"I'm thinking of retiring after the 2002 world (field) championships in Australia," says Paul Gait.

That would give him three more NLL seasons.

Gary Gait hasn't given retirement a thought.

"I'm still enjoying the game and as long as I enjoy it I'll keep playing," he said.

As for the amateur scene in Canada, the twins are history now. They've been lured back over the years, and they couldn't resist one more shot at winning the Mann Cup as teammates to cap a Shamrocks anniversary celebration. The Mann Cup title was their second as teammates, and they relished it.

"It was nice to go out like that, as winners, in front of good crowds - there were close to 5,000 for each of the last two games - in your home town," said Paul Gait.

It was a rough series.

"The CLA game hasn't progressed," said Paul Gait. "It hasn't become player-friendly.

"There are a lot of players who wouldn't retire as early as they do if the rules were enforced better. The rule book is not that much different than the pro league but it's a matter of having the officials make the calls. They end up with games that are pretty physical."

The twins will play their ninth pro seasons beginning in late December.

They are the all-time points leaders in the NLL and its Major Indoor Lacrosse League predecessor. Gary has 536 points in 84 pro games. That's an average of 6.4 points a game. Paul has 475 points in 83 games, which averages out to 5.7 a game. The twins also top the career pro goals list. Gary has 316 and Paul has 291.

"The league is making progress, which is nice," said Gary Gait. "It's up to eight teams now, which is the biggest pro league ever."

A new pro field lacrosse league in the eastern United States is planned for next summer, which is another reason for the Gaits to opt out of future commitments back home in British Columbia.

In a 17-8 Game 4 win last Sunday over Brampton, which earned Victoria its second national title in the last three years, Paul Gait had four goals and four assists and Gary Gait had a goal and three assists. They passed the 100-point Mann Cup plateau on successive goals.

Paul Gait played in four Mann Cup finals, 20 games in all, and amassed 102 points including 58 goals.

Gary played in five Mann Cup series, 24 games in all, and amassed 101 points including 60 goals.

While their Mann Cup days are over, the Gaits might yet play again in British Columbia - if the NLL adds a West Coast division. Commissioner John Livsey has said expansion to British Columbia is his goal for 2001.