Feb. 22, 2006
Conventional wisdom says All-Star games are supposed to be a showcase of the game and the players who compete at its highest levels. However, All-Star games in major North American sports have devolved into bastardizations of the game they are designed to celebrate. All-Star games in the NFL, NHL and NBA provide fans more punch lines than punch.
This deterioration has give NLL fans a heightened appreciation of the showcase game they are provided on (nearly) a yearly basis. Saturday's game in Toronto should be another example of the pride and competitive nature of the players in the league.
Need an example of the pride taken by the players? Take Peter Lough as an example. A captain of the Arizona Sting, Lough travels to the desert to compete for the Arizona Sting every weekend in order to play the game he loves even though he works in Toronto's financial district during the work week. That's a commitment unlikely to be seen in any other sport.
While it will be a little closer to home, Lough will be a part of the festivities this weekend in hopes of proving the West Division is better than the East.
"Guys take pride in how they do and pride in their divisions because there is a big rivalry between the divisions," said Rochester head coach Ed Comeau, who will guide the East team. "It's more true in our sport than a lot of the other all-star games."
"Any time you can get on a stage like this it is important for us and our sports," said Sting skipper Bob Hamley, who will coach the West. "It gives everyone an opportunity to see players they don't normally see. The fans are going to be rewarded with play a high level."
The only drawback to the NLL All-Star game is a lot of the people who need to see it -- those sports fans dying for a fast-paced, physical and skilled game during the winter months -- won't be able to catch it because the game will only be aired in selected U.S. markets (it will be shown in all of Canada).
It takes just one game for the game of lacrosse to sink its teeth into the psyche of a sports fan, and that is especially true with the NLL All-Star game -- what a showcase is meant to be. Hopefully a couple of new fans will be attracted this year so others can enjoy what we already do.
What a Difference a Win Makes
It took to nearly the mid-point of the season, but the Edmonton Rush finally tossed the gorilla off their back by beating provincial foe Calgary by the smallest of margins with the smallest of time remaining in the game to earn its first triumph.
With just 0.1 showing on the game clock, Cam Bergman netted an unassisted tally to lift the Rush's record to 1-6 on the season with a 12-11 victory. It was probably harder than it should have been, considering Edmonton held a seemingly comfortable 11-7 lead with under six minutes left in the game and were riding the outstanding play of Rush goalie Pat Campbell, who turned away 54 Calgary shots.
The Roughnecks countered with four strikes -- including two with a pulled goalie -- in the waning minutes to make the final more dramatic than the players and coaches would have liked. At this point, however, the Rush will gladly take it. And it appears the win has brought out the optimists -- some might say dreamers -- in the Rush front office.
"That feels good, unbelievable," said Rush owner Bruce Urban to the Edmonton Sun. "I'm sticking with what I said all along. We're going to play .500 ball and we're going to make the playoffs. It's a huge climb, but there's been such improvement."
Edmonton is still 2.5 games out of playoff consideration with nine games to play. It is certainly not an insurmountable achievement, especially considering the state of the parity-driven West Division, but still a long shot.
A win is a win, and the Rush will look at this rare silver lining of the 2006 season. These guys have paid their dues and deserved a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel, even it is just a brief vision.
Skills Competition Highlights HOF Halftime
At halftime of the Hall of Fame game between Toronto and Philadelphia on Friday night in the Air Canada Centre some of the leagues top players from the East and West All-Star squads will compete in a skills competition featuring three different disciplines - accuracy, shot power and "breakaway creativity."
SHOOTING ACCURACY
Four balls are placed on the shooter's strong side. Each player will attempt to score all four balls into the goal. Toronto Rock practice goaltender Jay Preece will be defending in goal. The player with the most goals in the quickest time wins. The West Division will be represented by Gavin Prout of the Colorado Mammoth and Tracey Kelusky of the Calgary Roughnecks. The East Division will be represented by John Tavares of the Buffalo Bandits and Steve Toll of the Rochester Knighthawks.
HARDEST SHOT
Each player gets two shots on goal and the hardest overall shot wins. The speeds will be measured by Radar Gun and a shot must be scored into the net to count. The West Division will be represented by Kaleb Toth of the Calgary Roughnecks and Craig Conn of the Arizona Sting. The East Division will be represented by John Grant of the Rochester Knighthawks and Shawn Williams also of the Knighthawks. Grant is the defending champ after firing a shot at 102 MPH last year, Toth won in 2004 with a shot at 99 MPH.
BREAKAWAY CREATIVITY
Here is where players get creative. Each player gets two consecutive breakaway opportunities to show their stuff to the judges. The judges will award points based on creativity, style and accuracy. The player with the best total on their two shots wins. The West Division will be represented by Jonas Derks of the Arizona Sting, Brodie Merrill of the Portland LumberJax, and Dan Carey of the Colorado Mammoth. The East Division will be represented by Mark Steenhuis of the Buffalo Bandits, John Tavares of the Buffalo Bandits, and John Grant Jr. of the Rochester Knighthawks.
Eliuk Proves His Worth
Not only was Dallas Eliuk's return to Philadelphia a rousing success -- a convincing 15-12 victory with Eliuk turning away 34 shots -- but it also puts the LumberJax in the thick of the playoff race, just a half game behind the West-leading Mammoth. With four of the next five games at home, Portland is in a position to put itself in a great spot coming down the stretch -- and that's certainly the best they could have hoped for at the beginning of the season...Calgary took a step back from the brink of full-blown hysteria by following up the loss to Edmonton with a thorough victory over Arizona in the back end of the weekend double-dip. There are a lot of unhappy people in Calgary with the team's performance right now, but the `Necks are still well within the playoff picture...John Tavares managed to tie Gary Gait's all-time points record this past weekend, and will snap the record next week...Hamley, the West coach, joked that he will be truly enjoying the All-Star game, taking a week off from the mental grind of the NLL. "I think I take losses a little harder now than I used to, so I'm looking forward to just opening the door for some great players."
