Below are some of the smaller items which made news in the National Lacrosse League between February 2004 and June 2004, including trades, rumors, odd facts and injury updates.

28 June 2004:
      The Toronto Rock wasted little time replacing Lindsay Sanderson on the staff. Sanderson, named coach/GM of the Philadelphia Wings five days ago, had been an assistant coach with the Rock since February, when older brother Terry was hired as head coach. In Lindsay's place comes Matt Sawyer, who is no stranger to NLL coaching or to Terry Sanderson, having been a Sanderson lieutenant with Montreal and Ottawa in this league, as well as with Brampton of the OLA Major circuit. He's also a product of the Orangeville Northmen (OLA) organization, where he was coached by both Lindsay and Terry Sanderson.

 

25 June 2004:
      Even with the National Lacrosse League showing no interest right now in expanding to Oklahoma City, the folks who run the Oklahoma City Blazers (Central Hockey League) are hot on the NLL. Asked by a local newspaper writer about the possibility of bringing indoor soccer to the 18,178-seat Ford Center, Express Sports CEO Brad Lund said, "Indoor lacrosse intrigues me more than that... I think it could be the next arena football." Geographically, Oklahoma City would fit well into a Midwestern division with fellow expansion ear-perkers Dallas, St. Louis, and Kansas City.

 

24 June 2004:
      In recent years, Philadelphia Wings fans have complained (loudly) about the team's strict offense-defense setup. If new coach Lindsay Sanderson is to believed, the peanut gallery may be seeking a new gripe. "Once I have the roster set, I'd like to change [the Wings'] overall game," Sanderson said in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. "I like players who are involved at both ends of the floor, players who are not one-dimensional."
      One of Lindsay Sanderson's first personnel decisions could be whether or not to like Blake Miller. The Anaheim Storm defenseman -- who is playing midfield for the MLL's Philadelphia Barrage this summer -- tells the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeffrey McLane that he'd like to play lacrosse year-round in the City of Brotherly Love. Miller is already seeking a trade back to the Eastern Division, where the Storm resided before moving to California from East Rutherford, N.J.

 

22 June 2004:
      The Rochester Knighthawks today sent defenseman Tim Burke to the Toronto Rock, completing a midseason trade in which Rochester acquired holdout forward Kim Squire from Toronto. Burke played four games for Rochester in his career, recording three loose balls and 34 penalty minutes, but sat out the entire 2004 season. Squire, whose notable spat with the Rock's coaches ended with the 10 February trade, tallied five goals and thirteen assists in ten games for Rochester. In addition to Burke, the Knighthawks also surrendered a conditional second-round pick in the 2004 NLL Entry Draft.

 

20 June 2004:
      It appears that the Philadelphia Wings have chosen Toronto assistant coach Lindsay Sanderson as their new general manager and head coach, replacing Marty O'Neill (GM) and Adam Mueller (coach). Sanderson has just eleven games of NLL head coaching experience, guiding the Ottawa Rebel to a 3-8 finish after replacing Marty Cooper (1-4) in January 2002, but is no stranger to the pro game -- he was GM of the Rebel in 2003, and has been an assistant coach on brother Terry's staff with the 2002 Montreal Express and 2004 Toronto Rock. He's also taken the Orangeville Northmen (OLA Junior A) to the Minto Cup final twice, in 2000 and 2003, but has never won the trophy.
      Elsewhere on the coaching carousel, Minnesota -- which isn't even officially in the league yet -- may have found itself a coach. Barry Powless, whose last coaching gig was in the MILL era, is the rumored front-runner to lead the former Montreal Express. If so, Powless would (unbelievably) become the first coach ever to sit out a complete NLL season and then return behind the bench (a feat Les Bartley may also accomplish), following a 1995-1997 stint as the head coach of the Rochester Knighthawks. Although Powless' career coaching record is a lukewarm 18-15, he went out a winner in Rochester, winning the 1997 North American Cup.

 

16 June 2004:
      The latest word blowing in off the Pacific Ocean -- former Toronto assistant coach (and briefly interim GM) Derek Keenan has been hired as head coach and general manager of the Anaheim Storm. Nothing official yet, but the deal appears done and could be announced within a few days. Stay tuned.
      The Vancouver Province reported today that Minnesota is set to join the league for the 2005 season, with the Montreal Express coming to the Twin Cities in lieu of an expansion franchise. The NHL's Minnesota Wild would own the team, with games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Express played one season, 2002, and has been in a suspension of operations since then.

 

11 May 2004:
      The NLL announced a 14.2 percent increase in attendance over last season, with an average crowd of 10,088 fans for the league's 86 games in 2004 (80 regular-season games, five playoff games, and the All Star Game). Colorado led the league with an average attendance of 17,618, followed closely by Toronto, at 16,907. In addition, the league announced that four of its ten best-attended games of all time happened this season, with the Saddledome crowd of 19,289 for Friday's championship game (Buffalo 11 at Calgary 14) ranking second overall. The 2001 Champion's Cup Final (Philadelphia 9 at Toronto 8) remains atop the list, at 19,409 spectators.

 

9 May 2004:
      The Buffalo News reported today that after recording three goals and three assists in Friday night's NLL Champion's Cup Final at Calgary, Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares is now the league's alltime leading scorer in both the postseason and in championship games. With 51 goals and 67 assists in nineteen career playoff games, Tavares is now one point ahead of Colorado's Gary Gait (65 goals, 52 assists in 21 games). In six title games, Tavares now has 19 goals and 20 assists, putting him three points ahead of both Gaits, Gary (seven games, 21 goals, 15 assists) and twin brother Paul (five games, 23 goals, 13 assists).

 

29 April 2004:

NLL Champion's Cup.

      The National Lacrosse League has commissioned a brand-new Champion's Cup, just in time for the championship game next Friday night at the Saddledome in Calgary (don't worry, there's very little visible difference in design between the old and new models). The new Cup, which is shinier and more durable than its predecessor, will be making the rounds in Cowtown over the next week, while the old one (which was first awarded in 1998, to the Philadelphia Wings) will be polished, fixed up a bit, and put on display at the league office in Manhattan. As for the long-ago North American Cup, given to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League champion for several years, no one admits to having seen it since it was retired seven years ago.

 

24 April 2004:
      Every year around this time, when the season ends for the Colorado Mammoth, speculation turns to the future of superstar forward Gary Gait, who turned 37 earlier this month. Twin brother Paul has been retired for two years, and many wonder when Gary will follow suit. After today's 13-11 loss to Calgary in the Western Division final, though, it won't be any time soon. "I'll be back next year, there's no question about that," he said. "It's tough to leave after a disappointing game like this." Just about the only thing left for Gait, the NLL's alltime leading scorer, to accomplish is to win the NLL Champion's Cup with the Mammoth, something he has failed at in six tries (including the team's stints in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington). He did win the North American Cup twice with Philadelphia, in 1994 and 1995.

 

17 April 2004:
      Tonight's Eastern Division semifinal loss to Buffalo probably spells the end of Rochester Knighthawks forward Jeremy Hollenbeck's career. The ten-year veteran, one of just three remaining original Knighthawks, had been planning to hang up his stick once Rochester was eliminated from the playoffs, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported Friday, in order to spend more time with wife Katrina and their eight-month-old triplets, Grace, Emma and Ryan. "It’s been non-stop since they were born [in August], with the feedings, the diapers, taking care of them, spending time with them," Hollenbeck said. "Everything else that was the focus of my life before, whether it was school or lacrosse or my career, whatever it was, it’s strictly focused on the kids and helping Katrina now."

 

15 April 2004:
      Philadelphia Wings owner Russ Cline had strong words in today's Philadelphia Daily News about the potential of his team, one day after firing GM Marty O'Neill and coach Adam Mueller. "The players just were not responsive enough to their leadership," Cline said. "We should have gotten better. Certainly some of our top players did not respond to the level they should have and had subpar years... We are not going to be a mediocre team. That is not going to be acceptable. We will find a way to put the fear back into the hearts of teams that come to play us." The paper also reported that Cline will try to hire one man to serve as both head coach and general manager.

 

10 April 2004:
      Heading into tonight's regular season finale (Arizona at San Jose), the champion in most major statistical categories has been determined. Colorado's Gary Gait finished with 55 goals, six ahead of John Tavares (Buffalo). Toronto's Jim Veltman, for the seventh straight season and twelfth in thirteen years, tops the league in loose balls, with 179, while Rock teammate Anthony Cosmo (10.39) claimed the title for goals against average. Colorado's Gord Nash (79.0 percent) is the save percentage champion. Only points and assists remain undecided -- and the former will require a small miracle to change. Tavares and Gait are tied for the league lead with 93 points, and the only player in the lineup tonight with a realistic shot of beating them out is San Jose's Josh Sanderson, who'll need eleven points to turn the trick. In better news for Sanderson, he's just one behind Gavin Prout of Colorado, 57 to 56, for the assist crown.

 

9 April 2004:
      The NLL will be featured in an upcoming episode of The Sharing Circle, a program airing on the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) in Canada. The episode will feature an interview with Arizona forward Cory Bomberry, the two-time defending winner of the NLL Native American Most Valuable Player award, and will include footage from the 31 January game between Arizona and Calgary. The program will air Saturday night on most of Canada's A-Channel affiliates (7:00 PM local time for each affiliate), and Wednesday, 12 May, on APTN.
      Last weekend, as part of their retro night against Philadelphia (in which they wore replica 1974 Rochester Griffins jerseys), the Rochester Knighthawks named their tenth anniversary team. Surprises? Not here. Forwards Paul Gait and John Grant headlined the five-forward, three-defenseman, two-goaltender squad, joined by Steve Dietrich, Mike Hasen, Duane Jacobs, Curt Malawsky, Pat O'Toole, Regy Thorpe, Andrew Turner, and Casey Zaph.

 

5 April 2004:
      The NLL held its Scoop n' Shoot national finals Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, prior to the Knighthawks' game against Philadelphia, with 10-year-old Connor Buczek of Buffalo and 12-year-old Cody Gibson of Calgary winning in their respective divisions. Connor finished in 15.58 seconds, beating Toronto's Kyle Jackson (17.89 sec) and Rochester's Edmund Cathers (18.84 sec) in the 9-to-11-year-old group. Cody (15.97 sec), meanwhile, edged out Buffalo's Pierce Abrams (16.25 sec) and Toronto's Mitch Durocher (16.44 sec) among those ages 12 to 14. Each NLL team sent one regional winner per age group to Rochester. Congratulations to all the participants.

 

22 March 2004:
      The Buffalo Bandits today traded forward Ryan Powell and a third-round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft to the Anaheim Storm for forward Roy Colsey, a ninth-year veteran who will be starting his second tour of duty with the Bandits (a six-game stint at the end of the 2002 season). "All year we've been lacking a big right-handed outside shot," Bandits GM Kurt Silcott said. "We've got a bunch of talented offensive righties but bringing Roy in gives us that big shot that should open up the middle for us." In eight games this season, Colsey scored eleven goals and dished out nine assists; for his career, "Rocket Roy" has 214 goals and 167 assists. Powell played one game this season for the Bandits, tallying one assist before leaving the team for a volunteer coaching position at Syracuse University. Older brother Casey leads the Storm with 45 points (14 goals, 31 assists).

 

20 March 2004:
      Colorado Mammoth forward Gary Gait may be closing in on his 37th birthday, but he insists that he's not ready to retire. "There are people spreading the rumor, I don't know who," the fourteen-year pro said yesterday "I haven't made any plans to retire. As far as I know, I plan on being back next year and playing." Gait, who has outlasted twin brother Paul by two seasons, is the NLL's alltime leading scorer (508 goals and 916 points) and is second only to Buffalo's John Tavares in career assists, with 408.

 

19 March 2004:
      The scramble for playoff position continues in Week Thirteen, with the Colorado Mammoth able to clinch the Western Division this weekend. Two wins (tonight at Arizona, Sunday at Calgary) and a San Jose loss to Vancouver tomorrow night would guarantee Colorado the top seed out of the West (Colorado would have twelve wins, and no one else would be able to get past eleven). The two Colorado wins by themselves would ensure Colorado of a home playoff game. In the East, the Buffalo Bandits can clinch a home playoff game by defeating Rochester tomorrow night. That would give Buffalo nine wins on the season, with neither Rochester nor Philadelphia able to do better than eight.

 

14 March 2004:
      As it turns out, the Colorado Mammoth was not the only team qualifying for the playoffs this weekend. By virtue of their own victories over the weekend and losses by Rochester (5-7) and Philadelphia (4-8), the Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock, both 8-4, will be dancing. The key is the upcoming home-and-home series between the Knighthawks and Wings -- if the Wings sweep the two games, Rochester can not finish better 7-9; otherwise, it's Philly which can't fare better than 7-9. All the Bandits and Rock need is for one team in the division to finish below .500, and that's now guaranteed to happen.
      For those who want to look ahead a bit, the Colorado Mammoth's magic number to clinch the Western Division title is a mere three, discounting any ties, but it's three squared. Any combination of three Mammoth (10-2) wins and Calgary (7-4) losses, as well as any combination of three Mammoth wins and San Jose (6-4) losses, will give Colorado the first-round bye in the West. Arizona (5-7) and Vancouver (4-8) still have a shot at the postseason but can not win the division, while Anaheim (1-10) is as good as done.

 

12 March 2004:
      Having finished his second season of collegiate hockey at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brian Kazarian signed earlier this week with the Buffalo Bandits. "When we lost Aime Caines, Kerry Susheski and Ryan Powell for the season, we knew we'd need some right-handed help," Bandits GM Kurt Silcott said. "We added Thomas Montour and realized that Bryan was a future option for us after he fulfilled his commitment to hockey. We expect Bryan to make an impact as soon as [coach] Darris [Kilgour] feels that he understands our system." Kazarian has scored six goals, dished out 12 assists and scooped up 43 loose balls in his two-year NLL career, exclusively with Albany.
      The Calgary Roughnecks and Toronto Rock appear to be the only teams bidding to host the 2005 NLL All Star Game. Not much has been reported about the Rock's bid, but the Roughnecks have wasted no time alerting the media. "I think we can do something special for our season ticket holders and maybe include this in," Roughnecks owner Brad Banister said; one Calgary paper, the Herald, reports that All Star Game tickets would be included, gratis, in season ticket packages. The Riggers would team with the NHL's Calgary Flames to host the game, to "put on the type of event [team owner Brad Banister] wants," as the Calgary Sun put it. What that entails, who knows. Expect the league to select a host by the end of the month.
      Stop us if you've heard this one before -- the Vancouver Ravens expect to run out of money within ten days. The Ravens missed payroll on 1 March and probably won't make Monday's pay day, which would allow the players to seek their immediate free agency. It's doubtful that many would elect for that, however, with the players united to stick together. "We are presently 100 percent united," captain Darren Reisig said. "A bunch of us have played way too many years without being paid so we can do that this weekend and revisit it next week." Reisig and his teammates will be playing for free this weekend (rumor is that they'll get a cut of the gate receipts, but it won't equal their usual pay). The Ravens' search for bridge financing continues; stay tuned.

 

9 March 2004:
      The league announced today that the 2004 Champion's Cup Final will be during the weekend of 7-9 May, two weeks after the Division Championship games and one week later than originally planned. "The two week period gives our teams more time to prepare and to heal any nagging player injuries," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said. "The Champion’s Cup Final is our showcase game, and both teams should be at full strength." The postseason begins during the weekend of 16-18 April, with the second-place team in each division hosting the third-place team in a divisional semifinal. The winners move on to play the first-place team in their respective divisions during the weekend of 23-25 April.
      Speaking of the playoffs, the Colorado Mammoth can clinch a berth this weekend, with a win at Rochester and an Arizona loss at Buffalo. Both games begin Saturday night at 7:30 PM. On the flip side of the playoff scene, no one can be eliminated this weekend, although it's getting very tight for both the 1-8 Anaheim Storm and the 2-8 Vancouver Ravens, one of whom could be down to tiebreakers after this weekend.
      In other Colorado Mammoth news, forward Nick Carlson is out for the season after tearing his ACL in last week's 13-12 win over Philadelphia, while defenseman Jamie Hanford is out at least one game with a broken finger (also suffered against the Wings). They join defenseman Jay Jalbert, who's out for a few weeks with a broken wrist, among the Mammoth's walking wounded. Tom Ethington has been promoted from the practice squad to replace Carlson, who was placed on injured reserve yesterday.

 

3 March 2004:
      Yesterday, the Anaheim Storm traded defenseman Darren Mutch to the Buffalo Bandits for a second-round pick in the 2004 NLL Entry Draft. "His addition will give us another option on defense and also allows us a bit more flexibility with some of our two-way players," Bandits GM Kurt Silcott said. "He is a strong player who hits like a truck. He should fit quite well into our defensive scheme." The much-travelled Mutch, who entered the league just four years ago, is already joining his sixth team, following stints in Albany (2000), Columbus (2001), Rochester (2001), New York (2002) and Anaheim (2004). In 29 career games, Mutch has recorded five assists, 84 loose ball recoveries and 91 penalty minutes.
      The Philadelphia Wings will be wearing retro jerseys when they take the floor against Toronto on Saturday, 13 March, at the Wachovia Center. Mitchell and Ness, the Philly-based sporting goods company which is at the center of the throwback jersey craze, will outfit the Wings in 1974-vintage jerseys, identical to the ones the original Wings wore that season and 1975. The jerseys will be hot orange with a white crested 'W' on the chest, with the player's name and number in white.

 

28 February 2004:
      Philadelphia Wings goaltender Dallas Eliuk left tonight's game late in the first quarter after being run into by Toronto Rock forward Colin Doyle, who received a double minor for roughing on the play. No word on what Eliuk injured or how severely. Although backup Nick Schroeder played well in relief, holding the Rock scoreless for almost fourteen minutes before settling into a 31-saves-on-41-shots evening, Eliuk was on the way to another of his legendary outings, having stopped eleven of Toronto's first twelve shots. The Wings lost, 11-10, finishing a weekend sweep by Toronto (the Rock won, 18-15, Friday at Air Canada Centre).

 

27 February 2004:
      After a long absence, Matt Green has returned to the Calgary Roughnecks, signing a contract just after team doctors cleared him to play. Green, who saw a lot of action in the Roughnecks' inaugural 2002 season, played sparingly in 2003 and hadn't been seen this year at all, while he recovered from a knee injury suffered last summer in a WLA game. "Matty Green is the spark we've been missing," Roughnecks owner Brad Banister said. "He is the NLL's reigning heavyweight champion, but more than that he is an inspirational leader, a guy who makes the most noise on our bench. He's a sparkplug, Mr. Excitement if you will."
      To open a roster spot for Matt Green, the Calgary Roughnecks released Neil Doddridge, whose subpar performances lately had earned him a benching this weekend. However, Doddridge's two-game suspension for accidentally hitting referee Bob Taylor last week's game against San Jose probably sealed the deal. Doddridge owns a couple of dubious distinctions, each of which can be expected to grow (since "Dodds" is still a decent player, even at age 34, and likely will garner attention from other teams) -- he's the NLL's alltime leader in penalty minutes and he's one of the league's most-travelled players, having dressed for six teams in a thirteen-year career.
      Philadelphia Wings defenseman Paul Cantabene is going out as an All Star -- literally. Just days after dishing out five assists for the Eastern Division in this year's NLL All Star Game, Cantabene is hanging up his stick, so that he can give more attention to his role as assistant men's lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland. Cantabene joined the Wings in September 2002, after nine seasons with Baltimore/Pittsburgh/Washington, and had recorded nineteen goals and 27 assists for the Silver and Black since then. The Wings filled Cantabene's roster spot by promoting defenseman Keevin Galbraith from the practice squad.
      Some guys, like Ed Comeau, just can't stay out of the business for long. Just ten days after the Toronto Rock dismissed him as interim head coach, Comeau has joined the rival Rochester Knighthawks as an assistant coach. "This is great news, picking up a quality assistant coach like Ed Comeau. He has won four championships in the last five years," Knighthawks GM Jody Gage said. "He is the best in lacrosse at preparing a team and dissecting game tape. He will also help us on the offensive side of the ball." Comeau joins Tom Cincebox and John Munroe on head coach Paul Day's staff.

 

26 February 2004:
      The Arizona Sting's four remaining home games will be televised live on Cox 9, a local cable channel offered by Cox Coimmunications. "This is a great step for the future of Arizona Sting professional lacrosse," Sting governor Doug Moss said. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to televise the sport of lacrosse and expose the state of Arizona to this great game." Cox 9 will televise the following games: Sunday 29 February, vs. Calgary; Saturday 6 March, vs. Rochester; Friday 19 March, vs. Colorado; and Saturday 3 April, vs. Vancouver. Barry Beutel, who called the Sting's home opener, will handle the play-by-play.
      The Colorado Mammoth has activated forward Brad Self from the holdout list, now that his collegiate hockey team (St. Mary's University of Halifax, Nova Scotia) has been eliminated from postseason play. Self appeared in one game early this season before suffering a back injury; once recovered, he went back to playing for St. Mary's. To create a roster spot for Self, the Mammoth waived defenseman Tom Ethington; he'll join the Mammoth practice squad upon clearing waivers.
      Jeff Dowling, older brother of the much-travelled Ted Dowling, has joined the Calgary Roughnecks as an assistant coach. Since being fired a month ago from his position as Anaheim's assistant coach, Dowling had been scouting for the Riggers the past few weeks. "I'm really excited for this opportunity," he said. "I'm looking forward to helping this team in any way I can." Last season, Dowling was an assistant coach with the Columbus Landsharks, and has done TV and radio commentary over the past few seasons.

 

18 February 2004:
      Last night's surprise sacking of Toronto Rock interim head coach Ed Comeau and interim general manager Derek Keenan raised almost as many questions as it answered, but the picture became a bit clearer today. A rundown... Who is the new GM? Terry Sanderson, also appointed as the head coach. Did Toronto receive advance permission to speak with Sanderson? Apparently not, but after the Buffalo Bandits (for whom Sanderson had been working as an assistant coach) filed a tampering claim, the Rock coughed up a 2005 first-round draft pick and an undisclosed amount of cash; the tampering charge could've cost Toronto $50,000 (US). Will Comeau and Keenan stay in the organization? Unlikely; Comeau turned down the chance to serve as Sanderson's assistant coach, and Keenan apparently has not been offered a new assignment. Where does this leave Les Bartley, who is away from his post as Rock coach/GM for medical reasons? Nobody knows, especially since Sanderson's contract runs through next season and, unlike Comeau and Keenan, he's not sporting the 'interim' tag.
      Back in Kilgour Kountry, the Buffalo Bandits filled their vacant defensive assistant coach position with its former occupant, Randy Chrysler. Time conflicts forced Chrysler to give up his spot on Darris Kilgour's staff after the 2003 season, but after checking his schedule for this spring, he decided to return. "We got really lucky," Bandits GM Kurt Silcott said. "Randy was our first choice all along. When we lost Terry [Sanderson], our first call was to see if he had the time to return to the bench... Randy is familiar with our players and brings that same motivational aspect that made our defense so tough last season. We feel like we’ve brought a family member back home."
      Somehow, the naming of All Star Game captains has fallen by the wayside this week, but there's really no surprise on the C's. Colorado forward Gary Gait will captain the Western Division All Stars, a fitting honor for the NLL's alltime leading scorer; it doesn't hurt that the game is on his home turf, Denver's Pepsi Center, this Sunday evening. Buffalo forward John Tavares will captain the Eastern Division squad, just a week after joining Gait as the only players ever to reach 900 career points. Jim Moss (San Jose) and Tracey Kelusky (Calgary) are the Western alternate captains, with Jim Veltman (Toronto) and Jake Bergey (Philadelphia) picking up the honors for the East.

 

14 February 2004:
      With forward Aime Caines expected to miss at least a few weeks due to a knee injury suffered last night, the Buffalo Bandits placed Caines on injured reserve and promoted forward Tom Montour to the active roster. "It’s always tough when one of your starters goes down," Bandits GM Kurt Silcott said. "Aime has been chipping in about a goal a game and was working well within our system." Caines twisted and buckled his left knee on the Air Canada Centre turf, and will undergo an MRI. Montour, who had been on the Bandits' practice roster, played for Toronto last season, scoring three goals and assisting on five others in six games.

 

7 February 2004:
      Toronto Rock forward Kim Squire, who walked out of practice after learning he would not dress for a game earlier this season, has called acting Rock coach Ed Comeau and is apparently ready to come back. The kicker -- it likely won't be with the Rock. "I'm actively trying to move him, but there is marginal interest," acting GM Derek Keenan tells the Toronto Sun. The Rochester Knighthawks are rumored to have some interest in "Kid Rock," but probably not enough to meet the Rock's trade demands. Stay tuned.
      The Vancouver Ravens yesterday acquired forward D'Arcy Berthiaume from the Arizona Sting for a conditional 2004 draft pick, in order to boost the team's transition game. Berthiaume, a former Pittsburgh CrosseFire, Montreal Express, and Calgary Roughneck, will cost the Ravens a third-round pick if he plays five or more games for the Black Birds, and a fourth-round pick otherwise. "D’Arcy is an accomplished athlete who can play both ends of the floor," Ravens GM Dave Evans said. "Berthiaume can certainly add offensive punch, but it’s his overall transitional game that will strengthen us." In 23 career NLL games, Berthiaume has scored ten goals and dished out thirteen assists.

 

6 February 2004:
      Nothing says "Valentine's Day sucks" like a black carnation for the first 5,000 women in attendance -- or at least that's what the Philadelphia Wings believe. On 14 February, the Wings will host "Love Stinks Night," during which fans can take a whack at the Heartbreak Piñata "while venting their romantic frustrations," sappy movie moments and testimonials from jilted lovers will play on the jumbotron, and (we kid you not) a divorce lawyer will be on hand, just in case your love life is beyond repair. In the interest of balance, though, a dating service will also be available.
      In other Philadelphia Wings news, the team announced today the signing of free agent forward Spencer Martin, brother of Wings defenseman Andrew Martin. Spencer Martin, who has scored eighteen goals in seventeen career games (all with Columbus), will join the Wings in time for tomorrow night's game at Toronto, marking the first time that brothers have played for the Wings at the same time since Gary and Paul Gait in 1993 and 1994. To make room on the active roster, forward Andrew Wasik has been released.
      Yes, there's even more from the Philadelphia Wings today -- look who finally got a respectable web site! After operating a heavily-criticized subpar web site a few years and bumming space on Comcast-Spectacor's site since then, the Wings have rolled out an appealing, highly professional site, wingslax.com. In addition to all the usual fare for a team web site (press releases, schedule, roster), visitors can check out the view from any section before buying tickets (which can be done through links to Ticketmaster).
      Speaking of new web sites, the Buffalo Bandits have redone theirs, with a sleeker look but, alas, a bit less information than before. We'll miss the online media guide, but if the site is now updated more frequently that it used to be, it's a trade we here at the Outsider's Guide can live with. The new design is heavy on dark blue, the Bandits' primary color, and eliminates the side-to-side blocks of white emptiness which detracted from previous layouts.