IL Indoor

Chris McElroy's days with the Rush are done. (Photo: Edmonton Rush)

He’s been there since Day 1 of the Edmonton Rush, but those days are now over for Chris McElroy. The transition man and team captain who’s struggled through injury the past couple of seasons has been released by the team, it was announced Thursday. “This was a difficult decision mainly because of the prominent role that Chris had in the community representing the Rush and what a tremendous person he is but this is a business as well and at this time it is best for the team to move forward,” coach Derek Keenan said in a statement. Cap Mac was acquired by the Rush in a 2005 trade with the Arizona Sting and his energetic and aggressive approach to the game made him a fan favorite.

He also was active in the community, at one point sporting pink hair to help raise funds for the Stolley Children’s Hospital in Edmonton as well as participating in numerous lacrosse clinics at area schools. On the floor, he was a loose ball machine for the Rush, scooping 233 loosies in his first 3 seasons, including a career-high 101 in 2008. In the 2 seasons since, though, injuries limited him to just 19 games and 71 loosies.

And the real bummer part of his release is the fact that he never got to play in an NLL playoff game. He paid his dues with the Rush as it and the fans suffered through some long, long seasons. He scrapped and scraped and fought and absorbed elbows and fists, but the aforementioned injuries kept the Orilia, Ontario, native on the bench this past season as the Rush qualified for its first playoff berth and advanced to the Western Division final.

McElroy leaves a solid rep behind in Edmonton. Not as a flashy scorer who drops jaws with his doges and stick skills. But as a fella who wan’t afraid of the dirty work, setting picks and dropping the gloves to set up teammates and defend them. That’s the sort of game that doesn’t get much love on the stat sheet, but it gets plenty from the fans and that, ultimately, is the reason these fellas play.

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