Gait eager to pull on Canadian sweater
Chess Strategy
Gary Gait, who ended his National Lacrosse League playing days 14 months ago, is pulling the pads back on to play for Canada in the world field championships.
'I'm completely thrilled,' says the 39-year-old lacrosse legend. 'I think we'll have an exciting team that can potentially go all the way.
The 21-country tournament will take place in London, Ont., July 14-22. It is held every four years and this is the first time it's been in Canada since Toronto was host in 1986.
The United States has won the last six tournaments, and hasn't lost a game since 1978, when Canada won gold. The Americans are always the favourites because they have many more men playing college field lacrosse than any other country.
Gait played for Canada in 1990, 1994 and 1998, when the Americans edged Canada 15-14 in overtime. Since then, a new crop of great young Canadian players with U.S. college field experience, such as Brodie Merrill, has become available.
'We have a great shot,' says Gait. 'It's a matter of how we gel and how we come together. That'll determine how successful we are in London.'
Gait coached the Colorado Mammoth to the NLL title in May. A four-day camp in Colorado during the first week of July brought head coach Frank Nielsen together with Gait and most of Canada's other players to work on strategies.
Colin Doyle of the NLL's Toronto Rock is as eager as Gait to end Canada's title drought.
'I wouldn't miss this for the world,' said Doyle. 'I haven't had the chance in 10 years to represent my country.'
Teams considered to be the top six in the world will be in the Blue Group: Canada, the United States, Australia, the Iroquois Nationals, England and Japan. After a round robin, the team with the best record gets a bye to the July 20 semifinals, while the next three square off against winners from three lesser groups designated as Orange, Red and Yellow.
The final is July 22 at the University of Western Ontario stadium. It's usually a U.S.-Canada final, although Australia made it to the title game in 1994.
'There is a time when the Americans will catch up with us in box lacrosse, and we're hoping the time has come when we've caught up to them in field lacrosse,' says Doyle.
Merrill and fellow-NLL players Andy Turner, Taylor Wray, Jim Moss, Steve Toll and Tom Phair give Canada the best defence corps its ever had for this tournament.
'Our long sticks will be vital,' says Doyle. 'Over the years we've had enough good sticks offensively to score goals, but the American defence was better than ours.
'Now we're more evenly matched in that department. Our guys are going to be able to take the ball away, push the ball up the field and let our offence to its thing.'
Doyle's biggest concern is adapting to an outdoor playing area that is much larger than indoor boxla floors.
'In the pro game I'm used to playing in a confined space,' he explains. 'In field lacrosse you have to use a larger space where things are spread out. It's kind of like a chess match.'
Getting a chance to be in a lineup with Gait charges him up.
'He's taking it pretty seriously because it's his last fling,' Doyle said. 'He always comes to play.'
It was so difficult to land a spot on Canada's team that NLL stars Tracy Kelusky and Dan Dawson didn't make it.
'It was the best pool of talent we've ever had to choose from,' said assistant coach Ed Comeau.
'They chose to go with some young guys with U.S. college experience,' said Doyle. 'It's not just a matter of picking an NLL all-star team.
'They've picked some guys who fans might not have heard of, but guys who will help us.'
'This is the one championship in the sport that has eluded him,' said Comeau. 'He's motivated.
'He brings such a presence. He's such a calming influence, and with his success in the NLL as a player and a coach it's like having another coach on our team. We're excited to have Gary. He'll have a great influence on some of our young players.'
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