Below are some of the smaller items which made news in the National Lacrosse League between February 2002 and April 2002, including trades, rumors, odd facts and injury updates.

27 April 2002:
      The Turtle Island News, an aboriginal newspaper based at the Grand River Territory of the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, has named Rochester Knighthawks forward Cory Bomberry as its National Lacrosse League Native American Most Valuable Player. Bomberry posted 22 goals (half of those on the power play) and 45 assists in sixteen regular season games, finishing fifth on the K'Hawks in goals, third in assists, and fourth in points (67). He chipped in three goals and two assists in a pair of playoff games, an 11-10 overtime win over Vancouver in the quarterfinals and a 14-10 loss at Albany in the semifinals. Bomberry, whose older brother Cam led the New Jersey Storm in points this season, was also Rochester's leading faceoff man, winning 102 of 213 draws.

 

26 April 2002:
      The NLL All-Star Game wasn't the only lacrosse competition at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday -- the first-annual Scoop 'n Shoot national championships were held. In Scoop 'n Shoot, for children of ages six to fourteen, players scoop six balls off the turf and shoot on goal, racing against the clock. Four age classes were established for the competition, won by Trevor Rawlik (regional winner at a recent Philadelphia Wings game), Matt Hurran (Ottawa Rebel), Mark Collins (Rochester Knighthawks) and Troy Kachor (Calgary Roughnecks), respectively. All thirteen teams sent a representative from each age group to Mohegan Sun. Congratulations to the winners and to all the other young players who participated -- perhaps someday, some of them can show their stuff as NLL players.

 

25 April 2002:
      The International Lacrosse Federation has launched its web site for the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, located at www.worldindoorlacrosse.com. The tournament, to be held next spring in Ontario, will be preceded by the inaugural Heritage Cup, a US-Canada match scheduled for Saturday, 5 October in Mississauga, Ontario. The game, being played at the 5400-seat Hershey Centre, will air live on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, the World Indoor Games site reveals. American television plans remain to be announced.

 

18 April 2002:
      Jayson Williams, owner of the New Jersey Storm, today pleaded guilty in Branchburg (NJ) Municipal Court to a charge of obstruction of justice and was fined $300. The charge stemmed from an altercation outside a bar last November (see News and Notes, 23 November 2001), during which Williams pushed officer Roger Schneider. Williams remains of accused of manslaughter and various related obstruction charges in the shooting death of Costas Christofi in February (see special News and Notes section, listed at left, for more news in that case).

 

17 April 2002:
      The Ottawa Rebel has ditched the busy, orange-dominant web site used since the team moved from Syracuse a couple summers ago, to a cleaner, brighter design in the style of the Toronto Rock web site. Not a surprise, since both teams are part of the Brad Watters empire. One disappointment in the relaunch of ottawarebel.com -- the lead story on the home page is a preview of the Rebel's two-game weekend to end the season, games played nearly a month ago.

 

15 April 2002:
      The caged rats whose wheel power keeps this site up and running will need to take a short break tomorrow afternoon, so from around 2:00 to 2:30 PM Eastern, the Lacrosse-Network.com family of web sites (including the Outsider's Guide) will be offline. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. Please take out your frustrations on the rats.
      You just can't keep a retiring great down, can you? As Toronto Rock forward Colin Doyle was shooting his way to a hat trick and Championship Game MVP honors Saturday night at Toronto, he wasn't using his own stick. He was using the stick of Paul Gait, the Washington Power star whose NLL career is down to just one game, Sunday's All-Star Game at Mohegan Sun. When Gait learned that Doyle's stick had been broken in transit from Toronto to Albany, he offered to lend the young Rock star his own piece of lumber. "When Paul Gait offers you a stick, you take it -- end of story," Doyle told the Toronto Sun yesterday. So far, Gait hasn't asked for the stick back, not that he'd find it easy to pry it away from Doyle. "That would go right on my mantel," Doyle said.

 

5 April 2002:
      Could a retiring great miss the final game of his career? The Washington Power's Paul Gait, who will hang 'em up after the season due to a series of nagging injuries, is questionable for tonight's semifinal game at Toronto with a partially-torn hamstring. "I'd say I'm about 30/70," he said, noting that he will test the injury during pregame warmups before deciding whether to play. Missing this game would be far more painful if the Power loses -- Paul and twin brother Gary turn 35 years old today.

 

4 April 2002:
      Taking advantage of the relatively short distance to Albany for their semifinal match, the Rochester Knighthawks are sponsoring a bus trip to the game Saturday night at Pepsi Arena. The entire package -- round-trip transportation, a ticket to the game, and a "Bodine Tailgate Party" -- cost $70 ($60 per person for groups of at least ten). Busses leave Pittsford at noon on Saturday and return after the game. Those who would rather drive to Albany themselves can purchase game tickets for $11 at the Knighthawks' office at the Blue Cross Arena. Call the Knighthawks at 716.454.5335 for more information or to get on the bus.

 

30 March 2002:
      Just days after it became clear that Brad Watters wanted no part of running an NLL team in Quebec next season, speculation has reached a favered pitch over where the Montreal Express is headed. Insiders suggest that Edmonton has the strongest shot, but don't count out Winnipeg, where the CFL's Blue Bombers have, as the term always goes, "expressed an interest" in professional indoor lacrosse. "We're looking into all aspects and all other business opportunities," Lyle Bauer, president and CEO of the Bombers, said Thursday. "We want to diversify, whether it be concerts or lacrosse. There is nothing definitive in that (lacrosse) respect but it's not out of the realm of possibility. It is one of the things we will be investigating." An unnamed American city is also in the running for the team.

 

29 March 2002:
      The Philadelphia Wings are breathing a sigh of relief -- Jake Bergey won't be suspended for tomorrow's quarterfinal game against Washington. In a vaguely-worded statement, the league declared earlier this week that Bergey, who was ejected in the first quarter of Saturday's game against Toronto, did not deserve the one-game suspension originally meted out. In thirteen games this season, Bergey posted the fourth-most points on the team, sixty (30 goals, 30 assists).

 

23 March 2002:
      After further review of the tape, the NLL has awarded Albany Attack forward Josh Sanderson an additional two assists from the Attack's 9 March game against Columbus, giving him four for the night and 64 for the season, tying the record set a year ago by the Buffalo Bandits' John Tavares. However, while Sanderson needed fifteen games to tie the record and will need sixteen if he breaks it, Tavares reached 64 assists in a fourteen-game season. Sanderson goes for the record tomorrow night, when the Attack hosts the Montreal Express, with home-floor advantage throughout the playoffs on the line for Albany, and possibly a playoff berth for Montreal.

 

13 March 2002:
      In recent appeals hearings, two players had suspensions reversed and one saw a one-game suspension upheld by league arbitrators. Originally suspended a game and fined $500 for an incident on 26 January against Rochester, the Toronto Rock's Jim Veltman now must only pay the fine. Chris Prat of the Vancouver Ravens likewise had his $100 fine and one-game suspension, arising from an altercation on 8 February at New Jersey, reduced to just a fine (the associated game misconduct was erased). However, the Calgary Roughnecks' Rob Desormeaux lost his appeal of a one-game suspension for an incident against Ottawa (9 February) and will sit out Saturday's game at Vancouver.

 

9 March 2002:
      With the playoffs out of reach for this season, the Calgary Roughnecks have already started planning for next year. 2002-2003 season tickets are already on sale, and while the base rate has increased, the Roughnecks are offering an early-bird special of fifteen percent off, effectively keeping prices unchanged. Call the Roughnecks' office at 403.294.9244 or visit the team's web site for more information or to book your seats for next season.

 

6 March 2002:
      In another of Brad Watters' attempts to cross-promote the Ottawa Rebel and CFL's Ottawa Renegades, four of the expansion football team's players -- Val St-Germain, Jason Kralt, Kelly Wiltshire and Carl Coulter -- will be signing autographs at the Ottawa Civic Centre tomorrow night before the Rebel's game against Washington. The Renegades' mascot, Ruffy the Beaver, will also be on hand.
      The Philadelphia Wings today signed forward Tony Henderson. While his NLL experience consists of just two games, with the Syracuse Smash in 1998, Henderson is coming off a 53-point season (33 goals, 20 assists) with the Six Nations Chiefs of the OLA's Major division. "Tony Henderson adds the toughness and scoring touch we are looking for heading into the stretch-run of the regular season," Wings general manager Marty O'Neill said. At an impressive six-foot-four, 243 pounds, he brings added muscle to the table. In a related move, rookie forward Peter Janney was released. In two games this season, Janney scored one goal and scooped up fourteen loose balls.

 

5 March 2002:
      It's early March, so it's time for four things: spring training, March Madness, the NLL stretch drive, and the start of the annual expansion sweepstakes. Barely more than a year to the day after NLL commissioner Jim Jennings all but assured Calgary a spot in the league for this season, the Toronto Star is reporting that Los Angeles has been selected to join the NLL in 2003, and that Jennings, eager to meet his goal of sixteen teams by next season, has put Portland, Seattle and San Francisco on the fast track. Expansion requires a vote of the league's owners, and there is no indication that this has happened for any bid.
      The Rochester Knighthawks are holding "Kids Knight with the Knighthawks" Wednesday night at the Total Sports Experience in Gates, NY, from 7:45 to 9:00 PM. Among the attractions for the younger fans are cataching a pass from John Grant, shooting on the Knighthawks' goaltenders, and getting autographs from favorite players.
      The Vancouver Ravens announced today that if they are able to host a first-round playoff game, the game would be held on Friday, 29 March, at 7:30 PM local time (10:30 PM Eastern). However, the odds that the Ravens will move up in the standings enough to host an opening round game are small, and the chances of hosting in the semifinals are nearly zero, so Ravens fans looking forward to a playoff game in British Columbia should leave open on their schedules the weekend of 12-14 April (championship round) and hope for a pair of road wins for the Black Birds in the opening rounds.

 

1 March 2002:
      Just when you thought you'd never see Casey Powell in the NLL again, he's back. The Buffalo Bandits announced this evening that they have signed the longtime holdout to a one-year contract. Powell, whose last action in the box came with Rochester in 2000, famously left the league to focus on MLL, a summer field lacrosse league. No indications were made to suggest why Powell returned to indoor lacrosse.
      The Philadelphia Wings have traded forward Matt Ogelsby to the Calgary Roughnecks for the Roughnecks' fourth-round selection in the 2004 entry draft. Oglesby, now living on the west coast, had not appeared for the Wings in several seasons.

 

28 February 2002:
      The NLL's trade deadline is this Monday at 5:00 PM Eastern. Also, by that time, teams must submit their 23-man postseason rosters to the league; afterwards, roster changes are not allowed.
      The NLL is inviting youth teams to the All Star Game, on 21 April at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Four teams each in the 5-7, 8-12 and 13-16 age groups will play thirty-minute games on the arena floor prior to the main event at 2:00 PM. The first four teams in each age group to sell one hundred $10 tickets to the All Star Game will be eligible to compete. For more information, contact NLL lacrosse operations coordinator Ryan Wellner at 917.510.9200 or via email at rwellner@nationallacrosse.com.
      The Buffalo Bandits will have to do without two important players for the stretch drive and the playoffs. Ryan Powell will have surgery next week to repair a torn meniscus, while Andy Ogilvie has already been under the knife to fix a partially-torn MCL. Both are out for the rest of the season.
      The Ottawa Rebel's anemic offense has taken another hit. Forward Stephen Evans is doubtful for Saturday's game at Philadelphia, with a hip injury. With sixteen goals and 20 assists this season, Evans is the fourth-best scorer on the Rebel.
      Kevin Finneran of the Philadelphia Wings will be visiting Woodland Elementary School in Norristown, PA tomorrow to read to the fourth-grade class there, as part of the school's "Dr. Seuss Read Across America" Day, as well as to talk to the students about his career with the Wings. With eleven games under his belt this season, Finneran has extended his NLL-record consecutive-games streak to 132 games. His 58 points this season (31+27) places him second on the team in scoring.
      Efforts continue in the American capital to find a buyer for the Washington Power. Team owner Steve Comiskey, president and general manager Steve Govett, star player Gary Gait, and NLL commissioner Jim Jennings are scheduled to meet on Monday with Sam Kroenke, owner of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, NBA's Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center in Denver. It appears that the race for the Power is down to two contenders -- Denver and Edmonton.

 

27 February 2002:
      The NLL has suspended New Jersey Storm defenseman Derek Graham one game for an incident in the Storm's 16 February win at Philadelphia. The suspension has been appealed by the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association on Graham's behalf.
      Speaking of the PLPA, it's been busy getting NLL sanctions reduced or reversed. NLL arbitrator Ramona Gallagher has sustained the PLPA's appeals of one-game suspensions and fines for the Vancouver Ravens' Bruce Murray and the New Jersey Storm's Hanley Holcomb and of a fine levied against the Albany Attack's Steve Fannell for allegedly using an illegal stick. Also of interest, arbitrator Richard Gaba has declared Paul Sallie, drafted by the Rochester Knighthawks in August, a free agent. Sallie was not invited to the Knighthawks' training camp last fall because he was recovering from knee surgery and would not have been able to make the team's roster. No comment from Sallie on where he might like to play.
      The Calgary Roughnecks have signed defensemen Shaun Springett and Dave Bremner, and placed defenseman Quinn Smethurst on injured reserve. It's interesting to note that Bremner has also served as a assistant coach with the Roughnecks the entire season.
      The merry-go-round of stadium naming right has picked up the home arena of the Montreal Express. In September, the six-year-old Molson Centre will be rechristened the Bell Centre, in a deal between Bell, Molson, and the NHL's Montreal Canadiens believed to worth around $100 million (Canadian).
      The Philadelphia Wings, doing a little roster juggling after losing Tom Phair for the season due to an ACL tear, have placed Phair on injured reserve, activated Zach Burke from injured reserve, signed Kevin Galbraith to the practice squad, and released Matt Bailer from the practice squad. All four players are defensemen.

 

23 February 2002:
      Two NLL teams have announced the five players they are nominating for the All Star Game ballot, expected to be announced in total on Friday. The Montreal Express have tabbed forwards Ted Dowling and Tracey Kelusky, defensemen Bruce Codd and Peter Lough, goaltender Curtis Palidwor for consideration, while the New Jersey Storm has done likewise for forwards Cam Bomberry and Matt Panetta, defensemen Jamie Hanford and Shawn Nadelen, and goaltender Matt Roik. The All Star Game will be held on Sunday, 21 April at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
      The Calgary Roughnecks have named Kaleb Toth as their new captain, following this week's trade of Bruce Alexander to Montreal. Toth is the leading scorer for the Roughnecks, with 71 points in 13 games. His 34 goals are tied for second-best on the team, behind Ben Prepchuk.
      Arthur Griffiths, former owner of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and NBA's Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies, has joined the Vancouver Ravens ownership group. "I’m excited to be involved because I’m excited about what the Ravens have brought to Vancouver in sheer family entertainment value," Griffiths said. "It’s a great product that has tremendous upside the more people find out just how great this game is and how terrific the entertainment value is." In addition to his work with professional sports teams in British Columbia, Griffiths is also playing a leading role in bringing the 2010 Winter Olympics to Vancouver.

 

22 February 2002:
      The lengthy appeal of Derek Malawsky's two-game suspension has been settled -- the Rochester Knighthawks forward must sit out one game, and thus will not dress Saturday night against New York. The original suspension arose from an incident in January, in which he pushed referee Grant Spies. Malawsky's appeal, heard earlier this week, was rejected, but the league's arbitrator reduced the suspension by one game and reduced the fine levied as punishment. The amount of the fine was not disclosed.
      The Montreal Express has released forward Joe Hiltz after his season was ended with a torn ACL. In five games for the Express, Hiltz scored twelve goals and added eleven assists.
      The family of historical lacrosse sites has grown by one. After much anticipation, Dave Coleman has launched NLLLacrosse.com, a site dedicated to the 1970s-era National Lacrosse League. Admittedly still a work-in-progress, the site mixes full newspaper and magazine articles from the time with scores of pictures, stats, recollections, tidbits, and much more. Four stars!

 

20 February 2002:
      Reversing a preseason trade, the Calgary Roughnecks today traded forward Bruce Alexander to the Montreal Express for the two draft picks it surrended in November to acquire Alexander, a second-rounder in the 2002 entry draft and a first-rounder in 2003. Alexander requested a trade to a western team last fall because he couldn't take off enough time from his job to commute east from British Columbia each week. In twelve games for the Roughnecks, Alexander has scored three goals and assisted on seven others.
      Philadelphia Wings defenseman Tom Phair is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, suffered in Saturday night's 13-11 loss to New Jersey. Phair, who also served as the Wings' number-two faceoff man, leaves a hole in Philadelphia's young defense. Surgery to repair the tear was done today, and reportedly went well.

 

18 February 2002:
      The Ottawa Rebel has announced game times for its two remaining home games. As you might recall, the Rebel, in moving from Corel Centre to Civic Centre, had to change the dates of both games, due to scheduling conflicts, but did not announce start times. The game against the Washington Power, now scheduled for Thursday, 7 March, begins at 7:30 PM, while the home finale, against the New Jersey Storm on Sunday, 24 March, kicks off at 7:00 PM.

 

15 February 2002:
      The NLL has handed another two suspensions, plus some fines, for incidents in games last weekend. Calgary Roughnecks forward Rob Desormeaux and Ottawa Rebel defenseman Andrew Guindon will each sit a game for resuming a fight after the referees had broken up a brawl in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. New Jersey Storm defenseman Jamie Hanford and Vancouver Ravens forward Chris Prat were fined undisclosed amounts for a skirmish of their own last Friday at New Jersey.
      Following their pair of trades Tuesday, the Buffalo Bandits had a open roster spot, and filled it by bringing back a familiar face. Peter Tavares, released in late January, returns to the club, signed to a one-year contract. Tavares, younger brother of the legendary John Tavares, has never appeared in an NLL game.
      The Montreal Express made a pair of trades yesterday, sending defenseman Scott Forbes to the Calgary Roughnecks for forward D'Arcy Berthiaume and dispatching forward forward Brian Bendig to the New Jersey Storm for forward Travis Kilgour.
      The New Jersey Storm has activated forward Dallas Squire from injured reserve, releasing defenseman Kevin Dance to open up room on the 23-man roster.

 

8 February 2002:
      The fallout from Ron Roy's sudden departure as coach and GM of the Columbus Landsharks reached the mid-Ohio papers today. "Some of [Roy's] thoughts changed since he was hired and he was trying to make this team a champion now and we want to build for the future," 'Sharks vice president Chris Bandura said, explaining why Roy quietly was relieved of his duties as general manager last week. Roy, meanwhile, tells a slightly different tale. "I'm 65 years old, I'm not a kid," the ex-coach said. "I was verbally abused and I have a breaking point... I don't know why [co-owners Mike Gongas and Charlie Russo] hired me. I was a wimp and a pussycat and even had one of my players tell me that. I didn't stand up to them... I have too much pride and respect in myself and my players... I had to get out. I had enough."
      Amid a pair of coaching changes and the usual array of NLL news, several player transactions took place this week. The Albany Attack traded forward Chris Parkin to the New Jersey Storm for a fourth-round selection in the 2002 entry draft. The Columbus Landsharks signed forward Barrett Church to the active roster and defenseman Zach Gogel to the practice squad, released forward Matt McSweeney, and placed forward Tim Hamm on the holdout list. The Ottawa Rebel signed defenseman Doug Hill, released Clayton Barnes (acquired a week ago in a trade with the Storm), and placed forward Brad Self on the holdout list. Finally, the Vancouver Ravens, when they signed forward Mike Law, released forward Al Truant.

 

7 February 2002:
      The NLL has called a press conference for Tuesday, 12 February at 2:00, at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, CT, to announce details of the 2002 NLL All Star Game. The game will be held after the playoffs are complete, at Mohegan Sun's arena.

 

6 February 2002:
      The NLL handed out three suspensions as result of offenses during Week Eleven's (25-27 January) games, but all are under appeal. Derek Malawsky, the Rochester Knighthawk who pushed referee Grant Spies in a game at Toronto, has been tossed for two games; this is normally a five-game minimum, which suggests that Spies has been pushing his "I leaned into it" line. Jim Veltman of the Toronto Rock is out for one game for striking Ted Jenner, an undressed Knighthawk player was working the door to the Rochester bench. The Ottawa Rebel's Doug Noganash will sit one game, believed to be for leaving the bench during an altercation at Montreal. All three players will be allowed to play while in the appeals process.
      The Calgary Roughnecks will be holding a lacrosse campy for youth players in late March and early April. Players on the novice, peewee and bantam levels can attend a full session, for six hours of instruction with Roughneck players (spread over eight three evenings or four), for $100 (Canadian), while a two-hour introductory session for tyke, novice and peewee players run $25. All participants get a camp jersey. For more information or to register, visit the Calgary Roughnecks web site.

 

2 February 2002:
      File this under "NLL Curiosities:" If the season ended today, the Washington Power and the Albany Attack would go to a coin flip to determine which one would get home-floor advantage throughout the playoffs. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results; the Power and Attack have not met this year (their only scheduled tilt is 16 February, at Washington, so there can't be a coin flip between them at the season's true end). The second tiebreaker is record against common opponents played an equal number of times; each team beat New York twice and Calgary once (New Jersey and Rochester are other common oponents, but in unequal numbers). Third tiebreaker is head-to-head goals scored; 0-0, since they haven't played. Fourth tiebreaker, season-long goal differential; Washington is +30 (152-122), Albany is +30 (146-116). The fifth tiebreaker is the dreaded coin flip, which has never been needed in NLL history -- the closest in recent memory was the fourth tiebreaker, when Philadelphia advanced to the playoffs over New York. Imagine the fun if it ever does get as far as a game of chance! Interesting side note: if Montreal wins tomorrow at Toronto, the Express leaps past both Washington and Albany.

 

1 February 2002:
      The Albany Attack will be without the services of defensive standout Mark Cochrane for its next two games after sustaining an injury to his right ankle in Sunday's 12-7 win at Calgary. Rookie Doug Lawrence will step into the lineup for tomorrow night's game at New York.
      John Tavares tonight went where only one man has gone before -- the 700 club. When the original Buffalo Bandit assisted on Chris Driscoll's second quarter at Montreal, it was the seven-hundredth regular-season point of his illustrious eleven-year career. Only Gary Gait has amassed more.
      Mike Law, the field lacrosse standout who graduated from the University of Denver last spring, will make his debut tomorrow afternoon for the Vancouver Ravens, following an amazing series of perfectly-timed events. Not expected to ever report to the Ravens after being selected in the fourth round of August's entry draft, Law surprised team executives by announcing that he'd be in Vancouver by January. Turns out his father and uncles were buying an old theatre in Vancouver and wanted Law, whose degree is in business administration, to run it. "He certainly has a lot to learn and he's keen to do that," Ravens coach Paul Dal Monte says of the new Black Bird. "We want to take baby steps with him to make sure he gets into a comfort zone... but his athleticism and speed will overcome the lack of experience he has."