The 2015 NLL season is officially over and all thoughts now turn to 2016 and the season that is to come. But Tuesday evening at the TRAC in Oakville, the league came together to honour the best of 2015, as well as a man who has left a lasting legacy for the NLL. A special celebration for Terry Sanderson was held as he was inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame.
A tribute video was shown and Toronto Rock head coach John Lovell gave a heartwarming speech about Terry. Lovell recalled many good memories with a man that had been his friend for decades, from when they played together for a year on the Elora Thistles. Lovell remarked that Sanderson had had a lot of lacrosse success in his life, but that his favourite team was always his family, many members of which attended the ceremony.
Sanderson’s son, Josh, took the stage in place of his father, who passed away in November 2014. Sanderson extended his fathers thanks before revealing the Hall of Fame plaque dedicated in his honour.
Prior to the dedication, the awards were handed out.
NLL award winners are decided on after the regular season ends. Voting is done by the league’s board of governors, and the general managers and head coaches from each team.
Most of the winners were fairly obvious although a few were too close to call. And let’s be serious, the NLL is full of incredibly talented players and everyone nominated absolutely deserved to be.
Executive of the Year was a surprise – it went to Bruce Urban of the now Saskatchewan Rush, although he won for his work in Edmonton. Most of Edmonton probably isn’t too keen on Urban for taking their team away, but he was recognized for bringing in more fans this season and creating some new fan initiatives that really helped build the profile of the team.
GM of the Year was no surprise either. The work Terry Sanderson did to bring the Toronto Rock back to championship contention was undeniable. Without him, the Rock wouldn’t have had the success they did this season. Terry’s son Josh accepted the award on his behalf to long applause and a standing ovation.
Head Coach of the Year was a close call. Derek Keenan and John Lovell both had wonderful seasons. Keenan led the Rush to a 13-5 record and Lovell coached Toronto to 14-4. In the end, Lovell took home the award, and his acceptance speech was a moving remembrance of Sanderson.
Lovell ended his speech by saying: “I miss him. I think he could have been the difference at the end of the day. I miss him every day.”
Afterwards, Lovell said that he was very honoured to win the award.
“The real award that you want to get is a championship though,” he said. “I had a nice group and of course I’ll say all the usual things, I share with my team, and we had a good staff and a nice team to coach. It’s a team that Terry very much put together and we were just able to work together to make it work, both players and coaches.”
Toronto lost to Edmonton in the Champions Cup but had their best showing since 2011 in winning the regular season title.
“We were close and I just hope the guys are as hungry as they were this year,” Lovell said.
The Teammate of the Year Award was introduced this season and it is the only NLL award voted on by the players. The inaugural winner was Joel McCready of the Vancouver Stealth.
The Pinty’s Wingman of the Year Award went to Josh Sanderson of the Toronto Rock, who was sixth in league scoring with 102 points including 83 assists. Those 83 assists set a record (Shawn Evans also had 83 assists this season). Sanderson, 38, played like a man possessed through much of the season.
The Sportsmanship Award went to Kyle Buchanan of the New England Black Wolves, who had zero penalty minutes this season.
Transition Player of the Year was awarded to Joey Cupido of Colorado, while the Rush’s Kyle Rubisch took home his fourth consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Goaltender of the Year was probably the hardest decision the voters had to make. All three nominees – Aaron Bold, Brandon Miller, and Matt Vinc – had phenomenal seasons. In the end, Vinc took the award for his steady play for the Knighthawks. This is his record fifth Goaltender of the Year Award, having also won in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.
“I’m a little in shock because of how well Brandon and Aaron played this year,” Vinc said. “This is definitely an honour. Any time you’re recognized by the league it’s a humbling experience. It just shows how strong our defense is in Rochester. We rely on a lot of defensive game planning and I’m just fortunate to be the guy that gets a little bit of the recognition.”
Vinc, Bold, and Miller were the three goaltenders for Team Canada at the recently completed WILC.
The MVP award had three worthy nominees, but the winner, with 130 points on the season, was no surprise to anyone. Shawn Evans smashed John Grant Jr.’s old mark of 116 points in a season. Evans also won the MVP Award in 2013, and on Sunday was named the MVP of the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
“They all have different meanings but I’m truly honoured and blessed to be part of an elite group of guys,” Evans said. “Look at the list of past MVPs and there are a lot of good lacrosse players on there. I owe a lot of respect to my teammates, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be up here right now. Any one of my teammates could have been up here, they’re all great ball players, all pure goal scorers. To the organization for getting me in Calgary, it’s been truly an honour.”
Evans also made sure to mention his family in his thank yous. His wife Kayla and oldest daughter Payton accompanied Evans to the ceremony.
During his speech, Evans choked up when thanking his family, but was able to poke fun at himself afterwards for his emotion.
“Thank you to my wife back home who allows me to travel out west day in and day out to play the game that I love, and for watching our kids and holding the fort down and not even saying anything and just allowing me to do what I do.”
Evans has spent the last month away from home, first at the Mann Cup in Victoria, B.C., and then in Syracuse for the WILC. He’s looking forward to a break.
“I’m looking for a little bit of downtime right now, I’m a little bit lacrossed out right now,” he chuckled. “I just want to relax and start working on my new house and spend some time with my kids.”
Mark Matthews and Ryan Benesch were the other two MVP nominees.
