Edited 27 August 2003, to add Sombrotto quotes, McCabe quotes, and final paragraph.

Seventeen years of lacrosse in the New York metro area screeched to a halt on Friday when the New York Saints officially suspended operations.

After more than 185 hours of lacrosse, the Saints -- one of the "Original Four" Eagle League teams -- closed shop, leaving only the Philadelphia Wings as the lone survivor in their original market.

Fourteen years of history at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum went down the tubes. A total of 601,627 fans crossed the turnstiles for 82 home games, as a respectable average crowd of 7,337 fans witnessed the likes of Sal LoCascio, Gordon Purdie, Pat McCabe, Mikko Red Arrow, Vinnie Sombrotto and Steve Sombrotto, the weekend warriors who competed in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League for (at one time) as little as $90 per game.

"Between buying extra tickets for my family and spending money at the bar, we'd end up losing serious money playing," said Steve Sombrotto, who will play for the relocated New Jersey Storm in Anaheim's Arrowhead Pond this winter.

"You play because you want to prove yourself against the best in the world after college. It's a sad day when you lose one of your founding teams. It's just a shame that in a lacrosse community such as Long Island that you would actually lose the franchise. I don't understand how that's even possible. There must be a lot more issues other then fan support."

Last week I sat in The Crease, a small Long Island pub formerly owned by coach Seth Tierney. MILL memorabilia graced the walls. Detroit Turbos, Boston Blazers, and Washington Wave jerseys were draped everywhere in the small mecca of indoor lacrosse.

I reflected back to the first Saints game I was at, a 19-13 victory over the Philadelphia Wings on 19 January 1991. Two years later, I attended a 13-10 loss to Philadelphia, when a record 13,796 fans packed the Nassau Coliseum on a snowy Saturday night.

Every "Save, LoCascio!" shouted by the Saints snappy former public address announcer; every brawl involving the likes of Steve Kisslinger, Tom Naglieri or Randy Fraser; and the two banners hanging from the rafters of the Coliseum are all still too clear. Fast forward to 2003, and it's hard to picture this league without the New York Saints.

"It's a shame for the guys that spent their whole career there. I won't have the opportunity to try to impact the franchise off the field," Saints head coach Pat McCabe said. "It's the end of an era, with only Philly left from the original MILL."

McCabe, a Long Island native who currently resides in Oceanside, NY, with his wife, Angela, and two daughters, Christina and Sarah, played his entire 11-year career with the Saints before being named head coach prior to the 2003 season.

"I'm going to explore my options, to see if anyone is interested in having me around [as a player]," McCabe said. "It's geographically difficult for me to coach, and my real focus right now would be getting back on the field."

It hurts to lose a team, but nobody can ignore that it is a good move for the league. With all the franchise adjustments this offseason, the NLL has shed its five worst teams in attendance, pending the long rumored move of the Columbus Landsharks to Phoenix.

Only seven teams remain in the same markets; The Toronto Rock (16,733 fans per game), Colorado Mammoth (16,488), Philadelphia Wings (14,021), Calgary Roughnecks (11,562), Rochester Knighthawks (8,984), Vancouver Ravens (8,337), and Buffalo Bandits (7,002).

The seven survivors are the cream of the crop in NLL franchise stability and attendance, averaging 11,875 fans per game in 2003 with the five "weak links" gone.

Throw in three relocated franchises in Anaheim, San Jose and Phoenix under the new NHL marketing partnership model, and chances are the NLL will have ten strong teams, coast to coast across North America. For the first time since 1991, there is little doubt that the league will average over 10,000 fans per game leaguewide in 2004.

No longer a northeast and Canadian niche league, the NLL is on the brink of something big. With all of their struggling teams gone, and the top players in the world, the league will likely move towards the goal of becoming the fifth major sport in America.

The remaining players of the New York Saints will be dispersed in some way to the remaining ten teams over the next few weeks, and hopefully most of the players will still have a chance to play in a league with 46 less jobs. With a bit of luck, maybe we'll have Saints Lacrosse back in 2005.