NLL News 98/99/2000
Dowling Leads NLL in Goals and Travel Miles
By NEIL STEVENS -- The Canadian Press
February 18, 2000
ALBANY -- Ted Dowling will be flying across the continent from Los
Angeles to play lacrosse this weekend, which is no big deal when one
considers he made it in from Honolulu last week.
At the age of 29, the Mississauga, Ont., product has the energy and
desire to be both the Seattle-based sales manager for Luminator, a
company that markets the destination signs that appear on the front of
buses, and a star forward for the Albany Attack of the National Lacrosse
League.
"A lot of travel and a forgiving wife," Dowling replies when asked how
he can be a successful businessman and a professional athlete at the
same time.
Dowling's 21 goals in five games are tops among all NLL shooters this
season. Tiffany, the forgiving wife, gets the biggest assist of all.
The Attack's next game is at home tonight against the Philadelphia
Wings, and Dowling will finish his day's meetings in southern
California, fly east, pull on his uniform and helmet, pick up his stick,
and try to put as many balls as he can behind Wings goaltender Dallas Eliuk.
"It's a game I love to play so I don't mind doing it," Dowling says over
a cell phone from the West Coast.
For the previous game, he flew six hours from a business trip to Hawaii,
sat in on morning meetings in Seattle, then took a nine-hour, red-eye
flight via Pittsburgh to get to Albany in time to help the Attack beat
Syracuse. He then left the arena at 11 p.m. and was on a 6:30 a.m.
flight back west.
Buses and lacrosse -- that's the Dowlings.
Ed Dowling played on the 1959 Canadian championship Brampton Excelsiors
junior club, was the general manager of Mississauga Transit for 25
years, and coached Ted on Streetsville minor lacrosse teams. At the same
time, Ted's mother Dee owned a school bus company that his two brothers
help run today. The family has been in the transport business since
grandfather Frank Dowling owned a Streetsville bus company.
This is Ted Dowling's eighth season of pro lacrosse. In 64 career games,
he has 231 points including 140 goals. The five-foot-10, 190-pound
attacker is difficult to stop.
"Teddie is one of the most natural goal scorers I've seen," says his
coach, Terry Sanderson. "He's got a gift that a lot of people don't have
and that is getting open. Not everybody is blessed with that ability."
Sanderson's appreciation of Dowling led him to swing a trade to get him
last summer. The Attack is an expansion team and Sanderson wanted to
build around quality veterans. Sanderson had also coached Dowling on the
summer amateur team, the Brampton Excelsiors, that won the national
senior title for the Mann Cup in 1998.
Dowling played for the NLL's Rochester Knighthawks in 1998 and 1999. He
previously played for pro teams in Buffalo, Detroit and Boston.
Dowling heaps praise on Sanderson for his big season.
"Our coaching system allows for goal scorers and offensive players to
get a lot of opportunities," he explains. "I was more than happy to join
Terry in Albany.
"He's a premier lacrosse coach, and the credit for my success this
season should go to our defensive players, the guys who do the hard work
to allow the rest of us to do our thing."
Veterans in the NLL receive $450 US a game, and Dowling's arrangement
with his team only covers travel expenses for road games. Thus, for
Albany's six home games, Dowling pays his own transportation costs. But
his involvement in the sport is not about money.
"I've been playing lacrosse since I was four," he explains. "I'm still
playing because I love the game.
"If the league were to fold tomorrow, which it won't, I'd consider I'd
had a pretty good career."
The Attack, 2-3, have had a respectable beginning.
"Don't count us out," Dowling warns. "We're going to throw some curves
at peoples plans, that's for sure."
The one game he looks forward to the most is the one his team will play
on April 8, a Saturday afternoon. That's when the Attack challenges the
defending-champion Toronto Rock at Maple Leaf Gardens.
He'll be the attacker hovering around the edge of goalie Bob Watson's
crease, leaning in to drop shots over Watson's shoulders. He has great
co-ordination, and the stamina to take the heavy hitting in the heart of
the opposition zone.
"To have accomplished so much in his business life and to still be
playing a sport at this high level is phenomenal," says NLL
vice-president Bruce Wawrzyniak. "You look at the success he's having
on the floor this season and you wonder what he could do if he stayed in
the same place for a day or two."
Pro Boxla League Set To Begin
By NEIL STEVENS --Canadian Press
Monday January 3, 2000
Leave it to the new man on the block to set things straight.
While most of the National Lacrosse League's coaches hum and haw when
asked to name the teams to beat this season, Terry Sanderson does not
hesitate.
"Rochester and Toronto, without a doubt, are the class of the league,"
Sanderson says from his Orangeville, Ont., sporting goods store.
Sanderson will commute to Albany, N.Y., to coach the expansion Attack in
the eight-team league, which kicks off its new season this weekend.
In the title game last April, the Toronto Rock beat the Rochester
Knighthawks in a sold-out Maple Leaf Gardens.
Also in the NLL are the Buffalo Bandits, the Syracuse Smash, the New
York Saints, the Philadelphia Wings and the Pittsburgh Crossefire, who
are the relocated and renamed Baltimore Thunder of last season.
Each team will play 12 games, with playoffs in April. Players earn from
$400 to $1,200 US a game, depending on seniority. Canadian roster
content last year was 52 per cent.
The Rock's success mushroomed off a perfect 8-0 record in the Gardens,
the leadership of captain Jim Veltman, the opportunistic scoring of
attackers such as Colin Doyle and Dan Stroup, a hard-rock defence
anchored by muscular towers Terry Bullen and Dan Ladouceur, and the
stingy goaltending of Bob Watson.
The Rock lost forward Shawn Williams, who was traded to Buffalo, and
backup goalie Rob Blaisdell, who was claimed by Albany in the expansion
draft, and veteran Rodd Squire says he might take the year off.
"He played a huge role for us last season," coach Les Bartley said from
his St. Catharines, Ont., home. "We're still talking to him.
"He may not be in our first couple of games, but I'm hoping to get him
back sometime during the winter."
General manager John Mouradian signed Anthony Cosmo as the backup to
Watson, and he has added high-scoring rookie Kaleb Toth, who will
commute from Calgary for games. Veterans Stroup, Chris Gill and Pat
Coyle will be among players commuting from Vancouver as was the case
last season. Mouradian's tap into the West Coast talent pool has paid
off, so there is no reason to alter strategy.
The Rock's season opener is Saturday night in Buffalo, N.Y. The home
opener is Jan. 21 against New York.
"We've adopted a theme of trying to raise the bar, taking things to
another level," said Bartley. "If you stand pat, you're going to be a
patsy.
"So, we're trying to raise the bar at every level of our organization
this year and see if we can win another championship."
Knighthawks coach Paul Day, who lives in Thorold, Ont., might be behind
the bench of the most improved NLL team.
Rochester has added dynamic shooter John Grant Jr., the No. 1 pick in
the entry draft last summer, and goaltender Steve Dietrich is healthy
again after missing most of last season because of surgery on both
knees. As well, field lacrosse specialist Casey Powell, the No. 1 draft
pick in 1998, will be entering his sophomore season more capable of
excelling at the box game.
"Grant has great hands and great eyes," Day says of the talented rookie
from Peterborough, Ont. "We're really excited to have him, especially on
our power play.
"Grant and Powell have been playing together and that's a nice
lefty-righty combination."
Add the always-productive Duane Jacobs, who is in his final year of law
studies at the University of Windsor, and the Knighthawks have plenty of
firepower. Day figures his team to be there at the end.
"As defending champions, Toronto is obviously a team everybody is
looking at," he reasons. "As for Pittsburgh, all of their young
Americans are a year older, and Gary Gait seems to get better with age.'
"I'd put us in the same group as Toronto and Pittsburgh."
Says Bartley: "(The Knighthawks) could very well be the team to beat."
The Crossefire has signed goaltender Devin Dalep from British Columbia.
Dalep helped the Victoria Shamrocks win the 1999 Canadian summer-league
senior title.
Paul Gait returns with the Smash, John Tavares is back with the Bandits,
and all-pro goalie Dallas Eliuk continues to make the Wings competitive.
Sanderson originally had the first entry draft selection, but traded it
to Rochester for veterans who could help his new team be instantly
credible. Ted Dowling is a veteran attacker, and Steve Fannell and John
Rosa are key defenders.
"Grant showed no interest in playing for us so we turned his rights into
a deal for five starters," Sanderson explained. "We're quite happy with
that deal because, although it might not make us a contender, it
certainly gives us respectability."
Orangeville's Increasing
Presence In Pro Lacrosse
By WAYNE BLACKMERE
Orangeville Citizen
Dec 14, 1999
ALBANY -- One of the major benefits of Terry Sanderson's new job in
Albany is that Orangeville lacrosse players have a direct link to the
big leagues.
With Sanderson acting as both coach and General Manager of the newest
expansion team in the National Lacrosse League, it looks like some of
the elite Orangeville players who have already learned the Sanderson
style are getting a shot at the pros.
This past week the team made their final cuts for their first ever
season, which will start on January 7, 1999 when the Albany Attack play
the Philadelphia Wings in the first NLL game of the season.
The Attack were in Philadelphia over the weekend playing in a pre-season
tournament to test out their new players, and they won a game and lost
two.
Sanderson explained that, "We're very happy with how it's going so far,
and we're down to our final cut-down. Hopefully we'll be done by this
weekend."
Gary Scott, Josh Sanderson, Bruce Codd, and Brandon Miller were the
local names who were at camp as players. Terry Sanderson and Bob McMahon
are coaching the team, and Tom Frater Jr. is the equipment manager
making Albany an impressively Orangeville team. Codd was drafted by the
Attack in the 9th round, 65th overall. Miller was drafted just behind
him at 69th overall.
But that is not to take anything away from the players. The Albany
Attack is a professional team and potential players will have to earn
their own way with talent and hard word. The only benefit they get is,
as Sanderson himself said in when he accepted the position last
September, "I'm very familiar with the players in this area."
And that can only help their chances as they make a run at joining the
professional ranks. Local lacrosse talent is already prevalent in the
NLL and includes such names as Chris Sanderson, Pat Coyle, and Rusty
Kruger.
One player Sanderson is especially familiar with is his son, Josh
Sanderson who played in the NLL last season but was left unprotected by
the Rochester Knighthawks. Not surprisingly he was scooped up by his
father in the expansion draft.
"There's going to be pressure on me to perform because if I don't, well,
it won't go over very well," Josh Sanderson said of playing for his
father in the pros.
Those who watched these players grow up and mature in Orangeville system
will likely end up die-hard fans of the new team and many are already
looking forward to the first Attack vs. Toronto Rock game which will
take place on March 11 in Albany. Unfortunately, the Attack will not
visit Toronto until the second-last game league game of the season, on
April 8, 2000.
As the sport of lacrosse is still growing in popularity, the players do
not yet make the big dollars like their peers in professional baseball,
basketball, and hockey.
Instead, the league is made up of hard working individuals and teams who
are not necessarily in it for the big bucks; it's more for the love of
the game.
Orangeville's Chris Sanderson, who played for Baltimore Thunder last
year will continue to play for the team now that it has moved and become
the Pittsburgh Crossfire. Pat Coyle will continue with the Toronto Rock
as they defend their championship status this year, Rusty Kruger will
stay with the Rochester Knighthawks.
Peter Veltman's uncle (they are actually from British Columbia but Peter
played for the Orangeville Jr. "A" Northmen last year, Jim Veltman will
continue as the captain of the Toronto Rock this year.
Expansion Team Listening To Offers
Thursday, September 16, 1999
TORONTO (CP) -- John Grant Jr. is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the
National Lacrosse League entry draft, but which team will get the
high-scoring Peterborough, Ont., junior is unclear.
The expansion Albany Attack has the first selection, and coach Terry
Sanderson is all ears. "We're entertaining thoughts both ways,"
Sanderson replied when asked if he'd take Grant or swap the top spot for
a package of veterans. "We've had some attractive offers. "We won't
finalize anything until Tuesday. As of now, nothing is etched in stone.
We're a new club and if the offers are good enough for us to move the
No. 1 pick, then we're open to that."
The annual entry draft will be held Tuesday at the Marine Midland Arena
in Buffalo, N.Y.
Grant appeared in 10 Peterborough Lakers OLA major series games this
summer and had 39 points including 18 goals. At the University of
Delaware last spring, the six-foot-two, 205-pound attacker amassed 110
points including 56 goals in 17 games and was named most outstanding
player in the U.S. college field game.
Albany obtained its first seven players in an Aug. 26 expansion draft.
Josh Sanderson, the coach's son, was picked up from the Rochester
Knighthawks. Other veterans selected: goalie Rob Blasdell from the
Toronto Rock; Troy Cordingley from the Buffalo Bandits; Steve Sombrotto
from the New York Saints; Owen Benedict from the Syracuse Smash; Todd
Evans from the Philadelphia Wings; and David Evans from Pittsburgh,
which has yet to announce a nickname following the move of the Baltimore
Thunder.
"If we draft properly next week and can work the free-agent market as
well as we hope to, I'm sure we can be competitive," said Terry
Sanderson, who will commute to the New York capital from his
Orangeville, Ont., home.
Each of the eight NLL teams will play 14 games beginning in late
December.
Other top-rated Canadian prospects available Tuesday:
John Olson, Burnaby Lakers (Jr.), 86 points including 43 goals in 25
games.
Adam Bysouth, Burnaby Lakers (Jr.), 64 points including 27 goals in 24
games.
Todd Luey, St. Catharines (Jr.), 47 points including 29 goals in 18
games.
Pat Maddalena, Burlington (Jr.), 84 points including 41 goals in 20
games.
Scott Stewart, Burlington (Jr.), 49 points including 21 goals in 13
games.
Order of selection: 1. Albany, 2. Rochester (from Syracuse); 3. Syracuse
(from Buffalo), 4. New York, 5. Philadelphia, 6. Buffalo(from
Rochester), 7. Philadelphia (from Baltimore), 8. Toronto.
Maple Leaf Gardens to be Sold
Sept 8,1999
The historic Maple Leaf Gardens is up for sale. Not the Toronto Rock,
not the Toronto Maple leafs, just the building. What effect an new
landlord would have on the Rock remains to be seen.
Team Protected Lists
Aug 18, 1999
BUFFALO BANDITS:
Protected (13/1) Unprotected
1. Mike Benedict 1. Ryan McDermott
2. Neil Doddridge 2. Brian Silcott
3. Chris Driscoll 3. Craig Stevenson
4. Steve Fannell 4. Bob Henry
5. John Fay 5. Jamie Batley
6. Rich Kilgour 6. Cam Bomberry
7. Travis Kilgour 7. Bob Fisher
8. Steve Kisslinger 8. Troy Cordingley
9. Andy Ogilvie 9. Marty O’Neill (G)
10. John Rosa
11. Brent Rothfuss
12. Shaydon Santos
13. John Tavares
14. Matt Disher (G)
NEW YORK SAINTS:
Protected (13/1) Unprotected
1. Roy Colsey 1. Joe Brock
2. John Gagliardi 2. Randy Fraser
3. Jon Hess 3. Steve Huff
4. Tim Langton 4. Jimmy Keenan
5. Darren Lowe 5. Tom Naglieri
6. Chris Massey 6. Steve Sombrotto
7. Pat McCabe 7. Vinnie Sombrotto
8. Blake Miller 8. Greg Cattrano (G)
9. Mark Millon 9. Jim Mulé (G)
10. Matt Panetta
11. Chris Panos
12. Gordon Purdie
13. Jason Wulder
14. Sal LoCascio (G)
PHILADELPHIA WINGS:
Protected (10/2) Unprotected
1. Jake Bergey 1. Chris Bates
2. Mike Busza 2. Todd Evans
3. Kevin Finneran 3. Chris Flynn
4. Jamie Hanford 4. Fred Jenner
5. Tom Marechek 5. Todd Katanchik
6. John McEvoy 6. Adam Mueller
7. Matt Ogelsby 7. Paul O’Grady
8. Dan Radebaugh 8. Jim Rogers
9. Sean Radebaugh 9. David Stilley
10. Tom Slate 10. Greg Traynor
11. Dallas Eliuk (G) 11. Ryan Traynor
12. Andy Piazza (G)
PITTSBURGH:
Protected (13/1) Unprotected
1. Paul Cantabene 1. Werner Krueger
2. Tom Ryan 2. Doug Knight
3. Dan Martin 3. David Evans
4. Kip Fulks 4. Rob Shek
5. Matt Shearer 5. Tim Hormes
6. Jesse Hubbard 6. John Tillman
7. Gary Gait 7. David Daniecki
8. Brian Reese 8. Quint Kessenich
9. Rodney Tapp 9. Erik Miller (G)
10. Joe Hiltz
11. Hugh Donovan
12. Eric Gervais
13. Matt Clune
14. Chris Sanderson (G)
ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS:
Protected (10/2) Unprotected
1. Cory Bomberry 1. Dean Cecconi
2. Ted Dowling 2. Kevin Dance
3. Mike Hasen 3. Rusty Kruger
4. Jeremy Hollenbeck 4. Brad MacArthur
5. Duane Jacobs 5. Pat McCready
6. Darris Kilgour 6. Randy Mearns
7. Curt Malawsky 7. Josh Sanderson
8. Casey Powell 8. Tim Soudan
9. Dean Teat 9. Casey Zaph
10. Regy Thorpe 10. Derek General (G)
11. Steve Dietrich (G) 11. Corey Quinn (G)
12. Pat O’Toole (G)
SYRACUSE SMASH:
Protected (13/1) Unprotected
1. Chris Prat 1. Mike Schattner
2. Ed Fay 2. Jim Morrissey
3. Paul Gait 3. Jamie Archer
4. Al Jones 4. Owen Benedict
5. Eric Seremet 5. Steve Scaramuzzino
6. Mike Accursi 6. Neal Powless
7. Tony Millon 7. Barry Thornton
8. Del Halladay 8. Jason Luke
9. Todd Oudemool 9. Jim Rankin (G)
10. Bruce Alexander
11. Jeff Klodzen
12. Charlie Lockwood
13. Matt Riter
14. Derek Collins (G)
TORONTO ROCK:
Protected (13/1) Unprotected
1. Pat Coyle 1. Terry Bullen
2. Colin Doyle 2. Glenn Clark
3. Chris Gill 3. Brad Dairon
4. Rory Graham 4. Matt Giles
5. Russ Heard 5. Dean Harrison
6. Chris Langdale 6. Pat Jones
7. Ryan O’Connor 7. Dan Ladouceur
8. Kim Squire 8. Ken Millin
9. Rodd Squire 9. Rob Blasdell (G)
10. Dan Stroup
11. Steve Toll
12. Jim Veltman
13. Shawn Williams
14. Bob Watson (G)
Free Agents
Aug 11, 1999
Veteran Player
A Veteran Player who has played for three (3) seasons and played or dressed
for at least twenty-three (23) scheduled Regular Season Games before the
beginning of a Season will be eligible for restricted free agency if:
1. The Veteran PLAYER does not agree to terms with the Club owning
the right to his services and sits out for one full year; or
2. The Club owning the right to the Veteran PLAYERS services offers
compensation in an amount less than such Veteran PLAYER's previous Season's
per game compensation (commencing with the 1998 Season); or
3. Veteran PLAYERS who are not offered game compensation at or above
the League Wide Average Game Compensation for the last season may seek
offers from other Clubs. The PLAYER will become a Free Agent who may sign
with another Club if the Club owning the right to the PLAYERS services does
not match the offer made by the other Club. The Club losing the PLAYER'S
services will not receive compensation for the veteran PLAYER so lost.
PLAYERS shall be informed of the League Wide Average Game
Compensation by May 1 of each year.
The Club owning the rights to the services of a PLAYER eligible for
restricted free agency may continue its ownership of those rights if it
meets the qualified offer of any Club competing for the Players services
within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of the offer at the League office.
Free Agents for the NLL 2000 Season!
Eligible Players For Free Agency
Prior To Start Of 1999/2000 Season |
| Player | Team Played For In 1999 |
| Mike Benedict | Buffalo Bandits |
| Cam Bomberry | Buffalo Bandits |
| Terry Bullen | Toronto Rock |
| Pat Coyle | Toronto Rock |
| Kevin Dance | Rochester Knighthawks |
| Chris Gill | Toronto Rock |
| Russ Heard | Toronto Rock |
| Todd Katanchuk | Philadelphia Wings |
| Charlie Lockwood | Syracuse Smash |
| Dan Stroup | Toronto Rock |
| Rodd Squire | Toronto Rock |
| Bob Watson | Toronto Rock |
| Pat McCready | Rochester Knighthawks |
|
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