SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
The Rock clinched the Championship their first season (1999), then again in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005. They ended regular season in first place in 1999, 2000, 2001 (where they also made it to the final round losing to Philadelphia), 2002, 2003, and 2005.
*Sunday will be Bob Watson's last appearance as a professional lacrosse player.
After 15 years as one of the most celebrated goalies in professional league lacrosse (12 of those wearing a Rock jersey), he will be retiring at the end of this season. Outside of lacrosse, Watson is a night shift duty officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
Guess he decided to quit his day job (the pay sucked anyway!) to protect more than a net.
Good Luck Bob! Your contribution to the game is an eternal legacy.
The National Lacrosse League's Championship Final takes place at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow afternoon at 2pm
...and hardly anyone will notice.
The Toronto Rock will take on the Washington Stealth in an avenging rematch of last year's heartbreaker 15-11 Stealth Championship win!
...and the game won't be on any non-subscription local TV channels.
That's right...a Toronto(!) sports franchise has made it to their championship final for two consecutive years! In
fact, except for 2008 and 2009 where staff and coaching changes
saw The Rock struggle, they've won the Championship 5 years out of 7 and
made it into the playoffs 9 years out of 11!
For over a decade The Rock has been Toronto's most impressive professional sports team .
For over a decade The Rock has been Toronto's most impressive professional sports team .
...and most Torontonians couldn't tell you what they play. (which also just happens to be Canada's National Sport!)
It should be noted that in the NLL only one team is eliminated per division, but even with that considered, The Rock have earned the right to call themselves a "Dynasty" team within their sport. (certainly more than The Leafs have for the past 44 years!)
In 2008, even though they were eliminated in regular season, veteran Rock goalie Bob Watson* still managed to be named Goaltender of the Year! (But check out the man's stats!)
Yes folks, this is a truly amazing franchise!
Yet Toronto sports fans largely ignore them, chosing to shower adoration (and money) on all the teams that couldn't win a championship if Tony Soprano paid them to. Of course MLSE DO pay them to, but I wasn't suggesting anything.
The near-total disinterest shown to this great sport is abysmal!
Now, I could understand this if Lacrosse was Cricket, or Lawn Bowling (or, god forbid, Curling)... For a sport to be successful, it's got to offer some excitement. Well, I can honestly not think of any team sport that is MORE exciting than Lacrosse.
In the high scoring games, tides can turn an instant - a 6 point lead can be lost within a minute or two (as the insanely stressful divisional final against Buffalo showed us last Sunday).
The shot clock forces aggressive play, while 15 minute quarters and short intermissions keeps play tight and attentions focused.
The league is the right size for real team rivalries rather than the manufactured ones seen in wealth-financed super-leagues. With only 5 teams per Division (East/West) and a 3 week playoff season, Lacrosse is perfectly positioned to be about the sport rather than the profit. (note to Jim Balsillie - why not invest in a sport that could use the influx of cash!)
Unfortunately this also means that no one is going to get rich playing lacrosse. NLL players make an average of only $25,000 a season (in the MLL it's closer to $10,000!!), and most have full-time jobs to support their lacrosse careers. Remember this is a U.S./Canada professional sports league playing games in world-class stadiums.
$10,000 - $25,000 average salaries! These guys WANT to play! And it is the fans who are the beneficiaries of both clearly superior sport and unparalleled entertainment value.
Treating your family to an NLL game is about the same price as taking them to Macdonald's for dinner!
Really! I'm not kidding! Live professional lacrosse is THAT affordable! Tickets for Sunday's Championship final start at $15!!! A pair of seasons tickets will cost you less than tickets to a single Leafs' game!!! My tickets for the 1st game of the playoffs were 6th row Platinums just off centre-field. They cost me $75 ea (including Ticketmaster fees - don't get me started on those!!). My Championship Final tickets (Golds this time) $63.
In my view, lacrosse is the best entertainment you can buy. It's a refreshing throwback to what sports used to be about, before the days of 7 figure contracts, megabuck media deals, and bloated leagues. When one factors in that Toronto is one of the best teams in the league, Lacrosse's near obscurity calls for a hearty "what the f..."
Planning on going to see a movie on Sunday? Why not opt to see a professional league championship final for about the same price? Thrill for thrill live lacrosse will beat any cinematic distraction!
And the 3D is REAL!
After 15 years as one of the most celebrated goalies in professional league lacrosse (12 of those wearing a Rock jersey), he will be retiring at the end of this season. Outside of lacrosse, Watson is a night shift duty officer with the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
Guess he decided to quit his day job (the pay sucked anyway!) to protect more than a net.
Good Luck Bob! Your contribution to the game is an eternal legacy.
1 comment:
Go Rock! Go!
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