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Gabby Roe played defense for the Wings, but is known for his check on John Tavares. (Photo: Mary Pat Dorr)

Gabby Roe didn’t score a lot of goals in his 4 years in the National Lacrosse League. Didn’t set up a bunch, either. Loose balls? Yeah, there were a few of those. Yet if you ask any Philadelphia Wings fan who’s worth his salt who Gabby Roe is, that fan is gonna look you in the eye and go silent for a moment before he mentions “the hit.” It’s a simple phrase, really, but if ever a player in the NLL were to carry a defining moment with him through his career and into life after lacrosse, it’s Gabby Roe and the hit he put on Buffalo’s John Tavares back in the mid-1990s. Turn the page to read what Gabby thinks of “the hit” as well as other thoughts from his time spent in Philly.

1. You finished at Virginia in 1991, how did it all get started with the Wings?
First, I lived in California for 3 years before I played for the Wings. I moved out here for business but I’m orginally from Philadelphia and I grew up rooting for the team. So when I was moving back to Philly, I was thinking I can give this Wings thing a go. I was already great friends with Chris Flynn and Billy Miller.

2. So it worked out pretty well.
I’d been playing California club lacrosse and there’s nothing more mellow. I found my game was more suited for the indoor game. I didn’t have unbelievable stick skills or great speed. I was more of a grinder. I’d win a faceoff, get a few loose balls, push some people around and get the ball to Gary Gait or Tommy Marechek.

3. So here’s a grinder on a team with guys like Gaits and Marecheks.
I was mostly a grinder, but I did happen to have a pretty good outside shot, so they put me on the first extra-man team. At times, I would find myself watching all the stickwork (of Gait and Marechek) and I’d forget. They’d pass the ball to me and it’d hit me right in the facemask.

4. So not only was Marechek a teammate, he’s now a relative?
Yes. He’s married to my wife’s twin sister.

5. Most intense teammate from that Wings period of the 1990s?
Chris Flynn. There’s not a more intense guy in the world. We used to joke that he slept in his gear the night before games.

6. So you played from 1995 to 1998, but you had to wait a year after making the team, right?
I didn’t suit up for a single game that first year, but to give you an idea of how crazy and great the Philadelphia fans are, there was this one group called the Goop Troop. Goop was my nickname and these fans would show up to our practices so there we were at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday somewhere in New Jersey. No one’s there except for the team, the janitor and 8 people wearing “Suit The Goop” t-shirts. It was hilarious and embarrassing all at the same time, but I loved it.

7. So you finally suited up in 1995.
I remember after the first couple of games, I’d look back and think I played well enough, but it was as if I wasn’t myself. It was like watching myself in a movie and I was not in the moment at all. I then told myself that I have to put myself in the moment, I have to look fans in the eyes, I have to have a conversation with referees. I have to soak it all in and not be overwhelmed by it all. And after that, I had more fun playing in these NLL games than in any other sporting even I’ve ever done in my life.

8. Gotta ask about “the hit.”
That was the most defining moment of my lacrosse career. It was an unbelievable buildup to the game because at that point, whoever won the game would be in first place (between Philadelphia and Buffalo). I was a defensive guy and our coaches had told me to take care of Johnny Tavares, to touch him up a bit. Lean on him, cross-check him and if you get a shot at him, take it. The more we touch him, the better.

Well, I was already in the box for a hit on Johnny but as it was releasing, the box was on the farther end from the defensive end. So I saw Gary Gait had John tied up in a wrap check and he didn’t see me coming. I had about a 40-yard dead run out of the box. And if there were 18,500 people in the building, 18,499 saw me coming. But John didn’t and that hit absolutely exploded. I actually knocked myself silly and I didn’t really remember what happened after that. But I did make my way toward the middle of the floor and I kind of did this Hulk Hogan flex and the next thing I know, the entire Buffalo team was coming at me. But that’s understandable. I just knocked your best player and now I’m making a show of it. You have to protect him. I respect that.

9. Toughest offensive player to mark?
Paul Gait. He does whatever he wants. Wherever he wanted to go is where he went and you couldn’t touch his stick. An absolute beast.

10. Player you respect the most?
Jim Veltman. If I had a draft, I would start a team with him because he was the man. All-around unbelievable. What he did for the team, Veltman was the class player of them all.

11. Toughest building to play?
The War Memorial in Rochester. It was like Spinal Tap to find the floor coming out of the room. It was an old-school place and it was fun. We’d play, drink some Gennys and put down a garbage plate. It put you in a good spot.

12. So basically, you had a blast in the NLL even though you played just 4 seasons.
I don’t follow the league that closely today, but when I was in the thick of it, it was awesome.

Roe played 18 regular-season games with the Wings from 1995 to 1998 with 16 points (7-9) and 44 loose balls. He won NLL titles with the Wings in 2 of his 4 seasons, and lost in another. Today, Roe lives with his wife and 3 children in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He is president of ASA Entertainment, which produces more than 150 action sports events and television events each year around the world.

Past profiles

Troy Cordingley
Jake Bergey
Bill Gerrie

From 2010
Kevin Finneran
Paul Cantabene
Bob Hamley
Duane Jacobs
Brian Silcott
Tony Resch
Randy Mearns
Pat McCabe
Matt Riter
Adam Mueller
Tom Carmean
Tom Ryan

From 2009
Rick Sowell
Mike French
Toby Boucher
Brian Lemon
Jeff Klodzen
Scott Gabrielson
Gary Becker
Peter Parke
Tim Soudan
Steve Govett
Gordon Purdie

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