2009 NLL season explained

2009 NLL season
League:National Lacrosse League
Sport:Indoor lacrosse
Pixels:100px
No Of Teams:12
No Of Games:16
Duration:January 3, 2009 – May 15, 2009
Season:Regular season
Mvp Link:National Lacrosse League MVP Award
Top Scorer:Colin Doyle (San Jose)
Top Scorer Link:2009 NLL season
Playoffs:Playoffs
Conf1:Eastern
Conf1 Champ:New York Titans
Conf1 Runner-Up:Buffalo Bandits
Conf2:Western
Conf2 Champ:Calgary Roughnecks
Conf2 Runner-Up:San Jose Stealth
Finals:Champion's Cup
Finals Link:Champion's Cup
Finals Champ:Calgary Roughnecks
Finals Runner-Up:New York Titans
Finals Mvp:Josh Sanderson
Finals Mvp Link:Champion's Cup#Most Valuable Players
Seasonslistnames:NLL
Prevseason Link:2008 NLL season
Prevseason Year:2008 season
Nextseason Link:2010 NLL season
Nextseason Year:2010 season

The 2009 National Lacrosse League season, the 23rd in the history of the NLL, began January 3, 2009 in Buffalo, Portland, and Sunrise, Florida,[1] and concluded with the Calgary Roughnecks defeating the New York Titans 12—10 in the Champion's Cup on May 15, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Team movement

After the 2008 season was cancelled and then reinstated, the Boston Blazers and Arizona Sting both announced that they would not participate in the 2008 season, and would return in 2009.[2] However, in the summer of 2008 the Arizona Sting ceased operations and its players were put in a dispersal draft.[3] The Blazers drafted former Sting and LumberJax forward Dan Dawson first overall.[4]

Just weeks prior to the start of the season, the Chicago Shamrox suspended operations due to financial troubles and the players were placed in another dispersal draft.[5] Anthony Cosmo was selected 1st overall by the Boston Blazers in this draft.[6]

Finally, while not a franchise relocation, the Minnesota Swarm were moved from the East Division to the West Division.

Teams

2009 National Lacrosse League
Division Team City Arena Capacity
EastBoston BlazersBoston, MassachusettsTD Garden17,850
Buffalo BanditsBuffalo, New YorkHSBC Arena18,690
New York TitansNewark, New JerseyPrudential Center17,625
Philadelphia WingsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaWachovia Center19,523
Rochester KnighthawksRochester, New YorkBlue Cross Arena10,662
Toronto RockToronto, OntarioAir Canada Centre18,800
WestCalgary RoughnecksCalgary, AlbertaPengrowth Saddledome19,289
Colorado MammothDenver, ColoradoPepsi Center18,007
Edmonton RushEdmonton, AlbertaRexall Place16,839
Minnesota SwarmSaint Paul, MinnesotaXCEL Energy Center18,064
Portland LumberjaxPortland, OregonRose Garden18,280
San Jose StealthSan Jose, CaliforniaHP Pavilion17,496

Final standings

Playoffs

Milestones and events

Pre-season

Regular season

Post-season

All-Star game

The 2009 All-Star Game was held at Pepsi Center in Denver on March 7, 2009.[34] The East beat the West 27-21 as Buffalo's Mark Steenhuis scored seven goals and six assists on his way to his third All-Star Game MVP award.[35]

All-Star teams

Eastern Division starters Western Division starters
Dan Dawson, BostonColin Doyle, San Jose
Casey Powell, New York *Josh Sanderson, Calgary
Mark Steenhuis, BuffaloDan Teat, Edmonton
Geoff Snider, Philadelphia *Brodie Merrill, Portland
Chris White, BuffaloBruce Murray, Colorado
Ken Montour, Buffalo (goalie)Matt Disher, Portland (goalie)
Eastern Division reservesWestern Division reserves
Jason Crosbie, TorontoBrian Langtry, Colorado
Gary Gait, RochesterPeter Morgan, Portland
Pat Maddalena, New YorkGavin Prout, Colorado
John Tavares, BuffaloTracey Kelusky, Calgary
Roger Vyse, BuffaloJeff Zywicki, San Jose
Shawn Williams, RochesterNick Carlson, Colorado
Jordan Hall, New YorkJeff Shattler, Calgary
Mitch Belisle, BostonRyan Cousins, Minnesota
Greg Peyser, New York *Ian Hawksbee, Edmonton
Kyle Sweeney, PhiladelphiaNick Inch, Minnesota
Cam Woods, Toronto *Jeff Moleski, Calgary
Anthony Cosmo, Boston (goalie)Andrew Leyshon, Colorado (goalie)
Drew Westervelt, Philadelphia (injury replacement) 
Brendan Mundorf, New York (injury replacement) 
Jarett Park, New York (injury replacement) 
Stephen Peyser, New York (injury replacement) 
* Unable to play due to injury

Awards

Annual

AwardWinnerTeam
Most Valuable PlayerDan Dawson[36] Boston Blazers
Goaltender of the YearKen Montour[37] Buffalo Bandits
Defensive Player of the YearBilly Dee SmithBuffalo Bandits
Transition Player of the YearBrodie MerrillPortland Lumberjax
Rookie of the YearRhys DuchSan Jose Stealth
Sportsmanship AwardDan Dawson[38] Boston Blazers
GM of the YearEd Comeau[39] New York Titans
Les Bartley AwardTroy Cordingley Calgary Roughnecks
Executive of the Year AwardJohn J. Arlotta [40] Minnesota Swarm
Tom Borrelli AwardPaul Tutka  

All-Pro teams

First Team

Second Team

All-Rookie team

Weekly awards

The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best transition player, best defensive player, and best rookie.

Month Week Overall Offensive Defensive Transition Rookie
January 1Kevin Croswell Scott Stewart Andrew Watt
2Sean Thomson
3Mark Steenhuis Ken Montour Daryl Veltman
4Tyler Codron Daryl Veltman
5Matt Disher Curtis Hodgson Matt Danowski
February 6Gary Bining Gary Bining
7Mark Steenhuis Mark Steenhuis Tyler Crompton
8Dan Dawson Mark Steenhuis Bobby McBride Rhys Duch
9Shawn Evans Matt Disher Kyle Ross Kevin Buchanan
March 10Shawn Evans Shawn Evans Sandy Chapman Pat McCready Kevin Buchanan
11Ken Montour Paul Rabil Tyler Crompton
12Andy Secore Brodie Merrill Rhys Duch
13John Tavares Tyler Richards Brodie Merrill Rhys Duch
April 14Anthony Cosmo Matt Disher Scott Stewart Rhys Duch
15Ray Guze Daryl Veltman

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.

Month Overall Rookie
January Casey PowellDaryl Veltman
February Mark SteenhuisDaryl Veltman
MarchBob Watson Rhys Duch

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

StatPlayerTeamTotal
GoalsMark SteenhuisBuffalo51
John TavaresBuffalo51
AssistsDan DawsonBoston74
Josh SandersonCalgary74
PointsColin DoyleSan Jose111
Penalty MinutesEric MartinSan Jose89
Shots on GoalMark SteenhuisBuffalo186
Loose BallsGeoff SniderPhiladelphia220
Save PctKen MontourBuffalo.813
GAAKen MontourBuffalo9.57

Attendance

Regular Season

Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[41]
Buffalo Bandits 817,947143,581
Colorado Mammoth 816,475131,800
Toronto Rock813,921111,372
Minnesota Swarm812,30898,465
Philadelphia Wings810,53784,299
Calgary Roughnecks 8 10,39883,189
Edmonton Rush88,34766,783
Rochester Knighthawks87,51660,132
Portland LumberJax87,32058,564
Boston Blazers 8 6,62052,966
New York Titans84,69237,542
San Jose Stealth 84,12933,038
League9610,018961,731

Playoffs

Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[42]
Buffalo Bandits 113,34313,343
Calgary Roughnecks310,81332,441
Portland LumberJax16,0536,053
New York Titans25,26110,522
League78,90862,359

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: League announces revised 2009 schedule . December 12, 2008 . NLL.com . 2008-12-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080704171034/http://nll.com/article.php?id=3530 . 2008-07-04 .
  2. Web site: League Releases New 2008 Schedule. NLL.com. November 2, 2007. 2007-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20071106023459/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3141. 6 November 2007 . dead.
  3. Web site: Dawson & Conn among available players. June 27, 2008. NLL.com. 2008-06-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20080704171034/http://nll.com/article.php?id=3530. 4 July 2008 . dead.
  4. Web site: Dawson Selected by Boston Blazers. NLL.com. June 30, 2008. 2008-08-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20080815204924/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3533. 15 August 2008 . dead.
  5. Web site: Chicago Shamrox Suspend Operations of Team. Shamrox web site. December 12, 2008. 2008-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20081216065519/http://chicagoshamrox.com/news/newsreleases/index.html?article_id=10. 2008-12-16. dead.
  6. Web site: Cosmo Selected First Overall By Boston . NLL.com . December 12, 2008 . 2008-12-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417170043/http://nll.com/article.php?id=3672 . April 17, 2009 .
  7. Web site: Division Alignment For 2009 Announced. NLL.com. August 19, 2008. 2008-08-29.
  8. Web site: San Jose Deals Cosmo to Chicago. NLL.com. August 29, 2008. 2008-08-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20080909210741/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3580. 9 September 2008 . dead.
  9. Web site: Knighthawks Name Suggate New Head Coach. NLL.com. September 2, 2008. 2008-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20080909210949/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3584. 9 September 2008 . dead.
  10. Web site: Draft Day Blockbuster: Wilson, Wiles Traded. NLL.com. September 7, 2008. 2008-09-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20080909210523/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3586. 9 September 2008 . dead.
  11. Web site: Grant To Miss 2009 Season. September 9, 2008. NLL.com. 2008-10-15.
  12. Web site: NLL To Play First-Ever Pro Game In Florida. NLL.com. September 25, 2008. 2008-09-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20080927101051/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3600. 27 September 2008 . dead.
  13. Web site: Gary Gait Traded To Rochester. October 15, 2008. 2008-10-15. NLL.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20081016093614/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3615. 16 October 2008 . dead.
  14. Web site: Eliuk Tabbed Jax Assistant Coach. NLL.com. November 11, 2008. 2008-11-11.
  15. Web site: Dallas Eliuk Announces Retirement. NLL.com. December 9, 2008. 2009-12-09.
  16. Web site: Rochester Knighthawks GM Regy Thorpe signs playing contract for 2009 NLL season. https://archive.today/20120908221853/http://www.nllinsider.com/2008/11/25/rochester-knighthawks-gm-regy-thorpe-signs-playing-contract-for-2009/. dead. September 8, 2012. NLL Insider. November 25, 2008. 2008-11-25. Tutka, Paul.
  17. Web site: Knighthawks coach Suggate resigns. NLLInsider.com. Chavez, Bob. December 24, 2008. 2008-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20081227060946/http://www.nllinsider.com/2008/12/24/knighthawks-coach-suggate-resigns/. 2008-12-27. dead.
  18. Web site: Knighthawks name Paul Gait coach. NLLInsider.com. Chavez, Bob. December 26, 2008. 2008-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20081227213013/http://www.nllinsider.com/2008/12/26/knighthawks-name-paul-gait-coach/. 2008-12-27. dead.
  19. Web site: Toronto edges New York in thriller, 15-14. NLL.com. January 4, 2009. 2009-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20090122093914/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3690. 22 January 2009 . dead.
  20. Web site: Jim Jennings resigned as commissioner. NLL.com. January 10, 2009. 2009-01-11.
  21. Web site: Wings rally past Knighthawks, 16-13. NLL.com. January 10, 2009. 2009-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20090124030850/http://nll.com/article.php?id=3706. 24 January 2009 . dead.
  22. Web site: Buffalo wipes the floor with Rochester 23-6. Inside Lacrosse. August 15, 2019. January 17, 2009.
  23. Web site: Toronto Rock hire new coaching staff. TorontoRock.com. January 20, 2009. 2009-01-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20090123061506/http://torontorock.com/index.php/article/toronto-rock-hire-new-coaching-staff. 2009-01-23. dead.
  24. Web site: Eliuk & Veltman To Enter Hall of Fame. NLL.com. February 10, 2009. 2009-02-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20090212041252/http://nll.com/article.php?id=3787. 12 February 2009 . dead.
  25. Web site: Steenhuis has record-setting night . Buffalo News . February 15, 2009 . 2009-02-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090322191331/http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bandits/story/580108.html . March 22, 2009 . dead .
  26. Web site: Stealth Make Changes To Coaching Staff. NLL.com. March 20, 2009. 2009-03-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20090323170338/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3864. 23 March 2009 . dead.
  27. Web site: Stealth Clinch Playoff Berth With 11-10 OT Win. NLL.com. April 11, 2009. 2009-04-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20090414015520/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3917. 14 April 2009 . dead.
  28. Web site: Sanderson & Dawson Set New Assists Record. NLL.com. April 17, 2009. 2009-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20090417085815/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3925. 17 April 2009 . dead.
  29. Web site: Sanderson Out as Wings GM. NLL.com. April 22, 2009. 2009-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20090425055630/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3940. 25 April 2009 . dead.
  30. Web site: Mike Kloepfer Resigns from Toronto Rock. TorontoRock.com. April 29, 2009. 2009-05-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20090503074214/http://www.torontorock.com/index.php/article/mike-kloepfer-resigns-from-toronto-rock. 2009-05-03. dead.
  31. Web site: LumberJax done in Portland, team announces . May 4, 2009 . 2009-05-05 . . https://archive.today/20090507101833/http://www.oregonlive.com/lumberjax/index.ssf/2009/05/lumberjax_done_in_portland_tea.html . 7 May 2009 . live .
  32. Web site: Titans Shut Down Bandits 9-3, Advance To Final. NLL.com. May 9, 2009. 2009-05-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20090511205333/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3961. 11 May 2009 . dead.
  33. Web site: Breaking: Bob Hamley released by Edmonton Rush. May 19, 2009. 2009-05-19. NLLInsider.com. Tutka, Paul. https://web.archive.org/web/20090523130844/http://www.nllinsider.com/2009/05/19/breaking-bob-hamley-released-by-edmonton-rush/. 2009-05-23. dead.
  34. Web site: Colorado To Host 2009 All-Star Game. NLL.com. September 9, 2008. 2008-09-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20080913200038/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3589. 13 September 2008 . dead.
  35. Web site: East tops West in All-Star Game, 27-21. NLL.com. March 7, 2009. 2009-03-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20090312000815/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3819. 12 March 2009 . dead.
  36. Web site: Dan Dawson Wins Most Valuable Player Award. NLL.com. May 15, 2009. 2009-05-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20090518060645/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3966. 18 May 2009 . dead.
  37. Web site: Defense, Transition & Goaltender Awards. NLL.com. May 11, 2009. 2009-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20090515020415/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3962. 15 May 2009 . dead.
  38. Web site: Dawson Wins Sportsmanship Award. NLL.com. May 5, 2009. 2009-05-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20090508124509/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3955. 8 May 2009 . dead.
  39. Web site: Cordingley Coach of the Year, Comeau GM. NLL.com. May 7, 2009. 2009-05-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20090511205345/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3959. 11 May 2009 . dead.
  40. Web site: John J. Arlotta Named Executive of the Year. NLL.com. May 6, 2009. 2009-05-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20090509205136/http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3957. 9 May 2009 . dead.
  41. Web site: National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies.
  42. Web site: National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies.