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Between the two of them, Mark Steenhuis and Jordan Hall, Mann Cup rivals and Team Canada teammates, played 112 lacrosse games in 2010. (Photo: Vintage Lax)

When you factor in the various seasons of lacrosse that is played by today’s pro player, many ball players compete upwards of ten months over a full calendar year, a two month rest period far fewer than any other pro sport in North America.

Last year during a Minnesota Swarm home broadcast on the NLL Network, league commissioner George Daniel pondered what a lengthy schedule like today’s professional endures was healthy, the commish originally questioned about a rash of ACL related injuries to several of the sport’s marquee players. Although they do it for the love of the sport, are today’s pro players over worked? Find our what current pros put in the most high level minutes this past year and let us know if you think they should slow down.

So who played more high profile lacrosse in 2010 than any other player?

We looked at games played, both regular season and playoffs, in the NLL, MSL, WLA, MLL and even the pretty gruelling schedule at this year’s World Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England, players typically playing a seven game schedule crammed into the span of just ten days. (Note: Included Senior B and Junior A for any current pros playing at that level)

The player that leads the pack? Mark Steenhuis, who played for the Buffalo Bandits, Peterborough Lakers, Toronto Nationals and Team Canada over a nine month span, the Bandits 2011 training camp likely on deck in about six weeks time.

Second on this year’s most active rundown is John Grant, one of those names who fell into the previously mentioned ACL chatter above, Grant suiting up for the Rochester Knighthawks, Lakers, Nationals and again Canada. Just over a year ago at this time Grant was still recuperating and rehabbing after a complete rebuild of his knee that initially had some wondering if he’d ever be able to play the sport again. 365 days later Grant’s knee saw more lacrosse than anyone in the game outside of one. Not a bad comeback.

We haven’t even factored in any practices, training camps, tryouts, additional field tourneys like Lake Placid for field lacrosse or the Nations Cup for box, or exhibition friendlies like last weekend’s Bowhunter Cup. Is it too much, especially in a sport considered part-time?

John Tavares has been eating up schedules like this for over 20 years now, and although he missed time early in Buffalo’s season in 2010, he had one helluva busy summer winning a seventh Mann Cup with the Lakers. Tavares was one of 44 pros this year to play 40 high level games or more.

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Check out 2010’s most active professional lacrosse players, broken down by the four major league/tournaments we mentioned before, below.

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