IL Indoor

Looking back with … Gordon Purdie

What’s up with the National Lacrosse League being around long enough to officially have old-timers? Well, that’s where we’re at and Gordon Purdie even referred to himself as such, so we’re kicking off a series of profiles of former NLL ballers with none other than Purdie himself. Purdie’s NLL story is a good one, starting with him being the No. 5 overall draft pick in 1989 by the now-defunct New York Saints. The best part? He didn’t even know he’d been drafted. That’s the way it was back then, and Purdie was more than gracious to share his thoughts and memories. READ MORE »

NLL title: One game or a series?

It’s one of the oldest debates among fans of the National Lacrosse League, but it’s always fun to revisit the topic and hear everyone’s take on it. The question: Should the NLL decide its champion with a one-game, winner-take-all matchup as it currently does? Or should the league adopt an odd-game series, whether it be three, five or seven games? There’s plenty of fodder for both sides and it’s not like the NLL hasn’t tried the series approach. Philadelphia won its 1998 title by beating Baltimore in two games in a best-of-three series. But every other title in NLL history has been decided by a single game. READ MORE »

Lacrosse Links: Styres New GM of the Knighthawks

This story is buried in today’s Democrat & Chronicle — and it’s a great day for the links so make sure to check them out below — but this was too interesting to pass up: Rochester Knighthawks’ owner Curt Styres is the newest GM of his team, taking over for Regy Thorpe.

This is an interesting move on the heels of the K-Hawks’ rather large misstep on draft night. Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones are often criticized for being too involved in their teams — Styres is taking it to a whole other level.

I think this one needs to be taken to the NLLForums.
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Top NLL Prospects: Joel Dalgarno, Toronto Rock draft from the West

Although they will fall outside of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) Top 50, NLL Insider will continue to bring you in-depth coverage of the 2010 rookie class. Similar to our ‘Hello My Name is…’ series prior to the draft, this Fall the NLL Insider will interview the game’s next crop of top talent hoping to make an impact on the pro game.

Featured today in our Futures Report is Joel Dalgarno, the No. 7 overall pick in the ‘09 NLL Entry Draft. READ MORE »

Which coaches will be in the hot seat this year?

We were gonna phrase today’s Big Q, “Who will be the first coach fired in 2010?” but thought that might be a little harsh considering we’re still a good almost three months outside of the season and no coaches have even had a chance to step on a bench to lead their crew.

What we will do today though is check out each current NLL coach’s “working situation”, looking at how stable their gig might be depending on how things play out in 2010.

Don’t think anyone will get the axe this year? Only six coaches from last year’s season opener are running the same bench heading into 2010, which included three in-season offings. Not the greatest odds.

So after the jump, find out whose job is probably pretty safe next year and who’ll need some likely on-floor and standings success to remain coaching in their current city. READ MORE »

Bonus Lacrosse Links: Jamieson wearing No. 22 at Syracuse this fall

IL has learned an interesting tidbit coming out of Syracuse today, as SID Mike Morrison confirmed the Six Nations star Cody Jamieson is wearing the famed No. 22 for the fall. The number, which has been an symbolic gesture towards the top offensive player for the Orange – from Dan Hardy a year ago through the Powell Brothers and back to Gary Gait in 1988, is not officially given until spring, Morrison says, but is Jamieson’s for the time being.

Lacrosse Links: Calgary Roughneck Pat Campbell’s big year

The Niagara Falls Review has a feature story on goalie Pat Campbell, a Niagara Falls native who won both the Champion’s Cup with the Calgary Roughnecks and the Mann Cup with the Brampton Excelsiors earlier this month. Campbell missed the 2007 and part of the 2008 season while recovering from Crohn’s disease, but came back strong this year. You can read the story here.

Other news READ MORE »

NLL Insider Top 50: Nick Inch #50

Just like in ‘08, NLL Insider will be counting down our National Lacrosse League Top 50 this off-season, looking at who we deem to be the best 50 players in the NLL today leading into the 2010 season.

So just a quick rehash of some of the criteria… No one that missed the previous NLL season or is expected to miss the upcoming season will be included. Although we’ll definitely take into consideration what guys did during the summer, rankings will be weighted heavily on the ‘09 NLL season. Players won’t be ranked on reps or accomplishments previous to ‘09. This is about what they did this past year, not ten years before. 2010 rookies, so guys like Sid Smith or Ilija Gajic, will not be included. And finally, no hair pulling, fish-hooking, whining or crying (emphasis on crying), and that’s about it. So after the jump, check out our #50 baller, Minnesota Swarm pure defender, Nick Inch. READ MORE »

Johnny Mouradian Named GM of Team Canada Lacrosse

John Mouradian will be the general manager and David Huntley will be the head coach of Canada’s team for the 2010 world field lacrosse tournament in Manchester, England.
“Johnny and Dave give us the experience and expertise we need to retain the world championship,” says executive director Dean French.
Mouradian, from St. Catharines, Ont., and Huntley, a native of Toronto, were teammates on Canada’s victorious 1978 entry and in the ensuing years were on the coaching staff for the tournament, which is held every four years. Canada finally dethroned the United States to win back the title in 2006, when Huntley was an assistant coach. READ MORE »

Battle of the Sexes: Louisville Women and Bellarmine Men End In Tie

Julie “The Cat” said it in the Mighty Ducks 3: (widely considered the worst of the three movies but really, being asked to rank the Mighty Ducks movies from best to worst is more like being asked to rank your favorite candy – they’re all good) “I hate ties. It’s like kissing your brother.”

If that’s the case, then the Louisville women’s lacrosse team and the Bellarmine men’s team are the equivalent of one, big happy family as they played to a tie in a friendly fundraiser and demonstration scrimmage on Friday afternoon.
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