2006 world Lacrosse Championship

[Canuck Farrier]

http://www.2006worldlacrosse.com/images/news/23.jpg
LONDON, Ont. – The streak is over. Canada won its first world lacrosse title in 28-years, defeating the U.S. 15-10 in front of 7,735 fans.

The Americans had not lost in international lacrosse play since 1978, when they lost to Canada 17-16 in overtime.

Ottawa’s Jeff Zywicki scored five goals and added an assist.

“I don’t even know what to say, it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had after a lacrosse game,” said Zywicki. “We just wanted it more.”

“Home-field advantage, all of our fans, what more could we ask for?”

Tournament MVP Geoff Snider was once again brilliant on face-offs winning 19 of 28 draws.

“It was an honour to suit up and go to war with these guys,” said Snider. “We knew we could hang with the U.S., that they would be chasing us. We stuck to our game plan, and in the end our experience showed through.”

Gary Gait of Victoria, B.C. added four goals in his final international game in lacrosse. This was the one major lacrosse championship that had eluded him to this point.

“It was unbelievable, it’s going to take a while to sink in,” said Gait. “We had the right guys in the right places, and everybody stepped up.”

“I’ve been playing lacrosse for 27 years, this is unbelievable,” he added. “It was a thrill to win in our home country, in front of our fans.”

Canada’s head coach Frank Nielsen said he was happy with his squad’s resilience and perseverance. He was especially please for Gait.

“Gait, he’s Mr. Lacrosse,” said Nielsen. “A lot of guys on our team idolized him growing up. He did a great job.”

Orangeville, Ont., native Chris Sanderson was sensational early on, making three big saves off Mike and Casey Powell and Scott Urick of Team USA. He finished the game with 14 stops.

It took almost 10 minutes before the first goal was scored. Ryan Powell scored on a great set play off the powerplay with Canada’s Chris Seller off for an illegal body check. Seconds later Mikey Powell took a great feed from Casey Powell to put the Americans up by a pair in the midst of a torrential downpour.

Zywicki scored four times in the opening quarter as Canada built up a 6-5 first-half lead.

Jordan Hall, of Surrey, B.C., scored Canada’s first goal a minute later on the powerplay. America’s Mike Powell tallied his second goal of the game after Sanderson dropped the ball in front of his crease, likely caused by the extremely wet conditions.

Then Zywicki scored his first on the powerplay at the end of the first quarter on a beautiful, tic-tac-toe passing play including Shawn Williams and John Grant Jr.

Scott Urick from the U.S. was robbed early in the second quarter by Sanderson, who continued his heroics with the Americans fastbreaking despite being short-handed. But he redeemed himself two minutes later with a shot that handcuffed Sanderson and slipped past him into the cage.

Urick said he liked the Americans’ chance of winning gold entering the game.

“It’s obviously a tough one to swallow,” he said. “Hats off to Canada. They executed well. They have a great group of fans and a tremendously talented team… it was tough for us to get on a roll today.”

Zywicki scored to make it 4-3 for the U.S. before Jay Jalbert put the Americans up by two once again three minutes later. But Zywicki tallied his third and fourth goals of the game before Waterloo’s Colin Doyle put Canada ahead 6-5 with a great goal late in the second quarter to end out the first half.

Jalbert buried his second of the game to tie the game at six early in the third quarter. Urick added his second of the game four minutes later to re-establish the U.S. lead at 7-6.

But Canada tallied three straight from Peterborough’s John Grant Jr., Gavin Prout and Hall to build a two-goal lead. After America’s A.J. Haugen scored, Canada led at the end of the third 9-8.

Canada exploded in the fourth as Gait turned it up in his final game in his illustrious career notching all four of his goals to give the Canucks the win.

[p$ycho+log!cal]

nice!

I LUV LACROSSE! my father used to play in a team (valleyfield) and they played against the native in kanawake.
was so violent!!!

fight every 2 minutes lol

[Count Lippe]

Is this sport even played outside of canada? I guess it's popular in the north of the USA too, but that's all, isn't it?

[Canuck Farrier]

no its not played by just north america in actuality the americans dominate field lacrosse we dominate in box lacrosse which is played in a indoor arena.The teams that participated were,i dont know all the flags but you get the idea.It is a north american native game originally.
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History of the World Lacrosse Championships

•The history of international lacrosse dates back to the 19th century when a Canadian team played the Iroquois. In fact, lacrosse was contested as a full medal sport at the 1904 and 1908 Olympics. In 1904, two Canadian teams challenged a local team from St. Louis, with the Shamrock Lacrosse Team of Winnipeg winning the gold medal. The Canadian victory in 1904 was the first ever medal for the country in Olympic competition. Lacrosse was also a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1948.

•The World Lacrosse Championship is organized in accordance with the guidelines of the International Lacrosse Federation. The mission of this organization is to promote and develop the game of lacrosse throughout the world, to establish rules and regulations for international competition, and conduct world championships.

•Competing Lacrosse Nations - Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Iroquois, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Tonga, United States of America, and Wales.

•The competition traditionally takes place over 9 days in July and is held every 4 years.

•This is the premier event in the sport of lacrosse.

•Canada's Championship - In 1978, a mixture of very experienced Box players and a scattering of experienced Field players represented Canada at the World Championships in England. After suffering a heavy defeat against the US (24-3) in the round robin portion of the tournament, the Canadian team defeated the US in overtime in the championship game to become the only country to defeat the US for the World Championship since its reinstatement in the 1960's.
A Short History of Lacrosse in Canada
Lacrosse, which the Native People of North America knew under many different names such as Baggataway or Tewaarathon, played a significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for untold years. Its origin lost in the antiquity of myth, Lacrosse remains a notable contribution of the Native culture to modern Canadian society. Native Lacrosse was characterized by a deeply spiritual involvement, and those who took part did so with dedicated spirit and with the highest ideals of bringing glory to themselves and their tribes, and honour to the participants and the tribes to which they belonged.
In the 1840s the first games of Lacrosse were played between the townsfolk and the Native People. Though it was many years before any significant wins were logged against the Natives, the game of Lacrosse was quickly winning the loyalty and interest of the newest North Americans. Lacrosse was named Canada's National Game by Parliament in 1859. In 1867 the Montreal Lacrosse Club, headed by Dr. George Beers, organized a conference in Kingston in order to create a national body whose purpose would be to govern the sport throughout the newly formed country. The National Lacrosse Association became the first national sport governing body in North America dedicated to the governance of a sport, the standardization of rules and competition, and the running of national championships to promote good fellowship and unity across the country. The unforgettable motto of the organization was:

"OUR COUNTRY - OUR GAME"
Lacrosse, because of its unique history, exists as a link between the disparate components of Canadian history, First Nations and European Settler. It remains the rare occurrence in which an element of native culture was accepted and embraced by Canadian society. The European concepts of structure and rules were added to the religious and social rituals of the first North Americans, and together produced one of the first symbols of the new Canada, Lacrosse.
The advent of the 20th century saw Lacrosse as the dominant sport in Canada. There were extensive amateur and professional leagues across the country and teams routinely travelled from Quebec and Ontario to B.C. and vice versa to challenge for supremacy in the game. In 1901 Lord Minto, the Governor General of Canada, donated a silver cup to become the symbol of the championship of Canada. The Minto Cup, today the symbol of supremacy in the Junior ranks, remains one of the proudest prizes of Lacrosse. In 1910 Sir Donald Mann, chief architect of the Canadian Northern Railway, donated a gold cup to be awarded to the national amateur senior champion. Today it is the championship prize of the best Senior team in Box Lacrosse in Canada.
The coming of the 1930s brought innovation once again to the sport. Promoters married the two most popular games, Lacrosse and Hockey, and created Indoor Lacrosse, also known as Box Lacrosse or Boxla. The game was built upon speed and action and very quickly won massive support within the organization. By the mid 30's the field game had been completely replaced by Boxla and the box version became the official sport of the Canadian Lacrosse Association.
The Canadian Lacrosse Association today recognizes four separate disciplines in the game of Lacrosse: Box, Men's Field, Women's Field and Inter-Lacrosse. Box Lacrosse is uniquely a Canadian game and is best described as a game of speed and reaction. Men's Field Lacrosse is a game of patience and strategy which focuses on control of the ball. The Women's Field game has stayed truest to the original sport in its play. It is a game based on the skills of passing and ball control. Inter-Lacrosse is a non-contact version of the sport designed to be adaptable to the various age and skill levels of the participants.
Lacrosse was re-confirmed by Parliament as the National (Summer) Sport of Canada in 1994.

Did You Know About Lacrosse
Native heritage
"There is a long history of speculation about where the game of Lacrosse originated, but as Natives of North America, this question has little significance. We do not wonder who invented Lacrosse, or when and where; our ancestors have been playing the game for centuries for the Creator." (from Tewaarathon, Akwesasne's Story of Our Indian National Game)
Earliest reports
The earliest European record of Lacrosse dates back to 1863, when the French missionary, Jean-de-Brébeuf wrote of seeing Native people playing a game with sticks and a ball. He called it Ala crosse because the sticks reminded him of the Bishop’s crozier or Acrosse".
Roots in Aboriginal Culture
Virtually every nation in North America had some form of ball and stick game and each had its own name for the game. The Ojibway played Baggataway while the Mohawk played Tewaarathon. The sport of Lacrosse is a direct descendent of the Mohawk game played outside Montreal. It was there that the first Europeans became involved in the sport, and it was from that form of the game that Dr. George Beers codified the rules of Lacrosse.
Growth in the 1800s
By the end of 1867 there were 80 clubs across Canada. By 1877 there were 11 clubs in Montreal, 7 in Toronto, and more than 100 clubs in towns and communities across Ontario. By 1893 every province of Canada had clubs playing Lacrosse.
Electric innovation
One of the first night games to be played under the new "Electric Light" was in August of 1880 at the Shamrock Lacrosse Field in Montreal. This was fully 3 years before the same feat was attained by baseball in the USA. In order to help the fans follow the play, the ball and the players' numbers were coated with phosphorous.
Olympics
The Olympic Games of 1904 and 1908 included Lacrosse, a very popular sport in Canada, the USA, and England, as part of the program. The Olympics of 1904 was the first Games to which Canada sent a delegation. Records indicate that the first Olympic medal won by Canada was a gold medal in Lacrosse.
Fans
Games in the 1880s were commonly attended by 5,000 or more fans, and it was not unusual to see as many as 10,000 at games in the larger cities. In 1910 a Montreal team travelled to New Westminster, BC to challenge for the championship of Canada. The game was attended by more than 15,000 fans. The total population of New Westminster at the time was less than 12,000.
Trophies
In 1901 Lord Minto, Governor General of Canada, donated to the CLA a silver cup to be the symbol of Lacrosse supremacy in the country. In 1910 Sir Donald Mann, chief architect of the Canadian Northern Railway, donated a solid gold cup for the senior amateur championship of Canada. Both of these trophies remain the pinnacle of success in Canadian Lacrosse. The “Mann” is the Senior A Box championship trophy and the “Minto” Cup is the Junior A Box championship trophy.
Hockey Connection
Many greats of the golden era of Hockey were also stars and organizers of Lacrosse. In 1908 Cyclone Taylor was paid almost $2,000 to play Lacrosse for the summer with the New Westminster Salmonbellies. In 1917 Newsy Lalonde made more than $3,000 while playing for Vancouver. In WWII, Conn Smythe's 30th Light Anti-aircraft Battery, dubbed "The Sportsmen's Battery" included every member of the Mimico Mountaineers who won the 1941 Mann Cup. Box Lacrosse was created largely at the instigation of Hockey promoters who did not want their arenas to sit idle during the summer months.
Prime Ministerial Players
Two of Canada's most famous Prime Ministers were also well known for their Lacrosse backgrounds. Pierre Trudeau played the game during his school days in Quebec. Lester Pearson played and starred with the Oxford team. Later Mr. Pearson was to become the Honourary Chairman of the Canadian Lacrosse Association, and the lifetime achievement award for the CLA is the Lester Pearson Plaque.
World Championships
In 1978 a mixture of very experienced Box players and a scattering of experienced Field players represented Canada at the World Championships in England. After suffering a heavy defeat against the US (24-3) in the round robin portion of the tournament, the never-say-die Canadian team defeated the US in overtime in the championship game to become the only country to defeat the US for the World Championship since its reinstatement in the 1960s.

[.666 Caliber]

Wow that's a lot of history.....and now you know. Good job Canuck

[Yeoman]

saw a bunch of people that were american lacrosse fans on the 403, I just had to roll down my window and harrass them cuz canada won :P
Greg

[K.Johnston]

i did not know it was even going on... anybody youtubed it or something yet?

[Yeoman]

not that I've seen of yet.
definetely a great tourny to watch. that final game had me on edge for quite some time. if I actually knew what time they were playing, I would have attended. oh well.
Greg

[Eddy]

anybody youtubed it or something yet?

Somehow I doubt it.

[Combatbookworm]

Good to see Canada beat the Americans in Feild, but box lacrosse is way more entertaining. And alot more fun to play IMP

[Gauntlet]

Good to see Canada beat the Americans in Feild, but box lacrosse is way more entertaining. And alot more fun to play IMP

Plus being a goalie in field lacrosse hurts like hell...

No shin guards my ass...

[Combatbookworm]

Plus being a goalie in field lacrosse hurts like hell...

No shin guards my ass...
Yea i never understood that?

[Canuck Farrier]

Good to see Canada beat the Americans in Feild, but box lacrosse is way more entertaining. And alot more fun to play IMP

its a great game I havent played it in a league,but a good buddy of mine and his brother are in the box lacrosse mens league in Orillia.They were at the tournament in London to cheer on the team.They said it was great action,it is a rough sport not the same body contact as hockey but you can use your stick to jab and slash.

[Yeoman]

I love watchin the NLL games, I know it's bit different then how most lacrosse is played (ie, I've yet to see a fight in any other sort of competition) but it's fast paced enough. it's like hockey, you don't know how hard it is to play till you've actually done it.
just wish there was a lacrosse league on base, I'd play for sure.
Greg

[Combatbookworm]

its a great game I havent played it in a league,but a good buddy of mine and his brother are in the box lacrosse mens league in Orillia.They were at the tournament in London to cheer on the team.They said it was great action,it is a rough sport not the same body contact as hockey but you can use your stick to jab and slash.
I know, I have played both. Played feild for my high school, and played box lacrosse for 6 years, playing a little bit of Jr.b. Trust me, I understand the differences between the two versions, and box lacrosse is much more violent than feild. Field lacrosse doesn't have boards to be smashed into! But none the less, an amazing sport.

[Greg_o]

I find field kickace...I played goalie(wow worst position in sports) for my first time for the school field team. We won the regional championship and went to provincials, awesome experience for my first year. (That and I got lucky and made 2 saves on a very good player in the 2nd overtime then we scored :))
My buddies dad was the one that handed out the MVP, Mr.Cockerton. His 2 sons played on my team, their plain amazing.