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BUF at TOR - Sat. 7pm ET Schedule

×
WK
1
Fri, Dec 2
FINAL
Philadelphia
8
Halifax
18
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Vancouver
8
Toronto
19
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
San Diego
15
New York
14
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Albany
11
Buffalo
10
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Rochester
16
Georgia
11
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Colorado
6
Saskatchewan
18
WK
2
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL
Las Vegas
11
Panther City
13
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
12
San Diego
13
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Toronto
7
Rochester
11
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Vancouver
9
Calgary
11
WK
3
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
5
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Panther City
9
Las Vegas
3
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Buffalo
11
Toronto
8
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Rochester
14
Albany
13
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Philadelphia
13
Georgia
12
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Halifax
20
New York
11
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Colorado
12
Panther City
9
WK
5
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
Halifax
13
Buffalo
18
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
San Diego
17
Calgary
14
Sat, Dec 31
FINAL
Panther City
9
Saskatchewan
11
WK
6
Fri, Jan 6
FINAL
Philadelphia
14
Las Vegas
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Panther City
9
Rochester
17
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Halifax
14
Albany
11
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Buffalo
18
Georgia
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Toronto
15
New York
7
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Calgary
8
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Vancouver
11
San Diego
16
WK
7
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Albany
11
Halifax
10
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
10
Colorado
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Halifax
8
Toronto
17
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Panther City
12
Philadelphia
10
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Georgia
9
Buffalo
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
San Diego
10
Calgary
14
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Las Vegas
16
Vancouver
19
Sun, Jan 15
FINAL
Rochester
11
New York
8
WK
8
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Buffalo
12
Rochester
15
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
15
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
Toronto
14
Philadelphia
5
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
New York
16
Albany
10
WK
9
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Rochester
7
Halifax
17
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Buffalo
13
Philadelphia
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Buffalo
16
New York
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Las Vegas
10
Saskatchewan
15
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL/OT
Toronto
11
Calgary
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
San Diego
13
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Panther City
20
Vancouver
7
WK
10
Fri, Feb 3
FINAL
Georgia
10
Colorado
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL/OT
Calgary
12
Halifax
11
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
New York
14
Toronto
22
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Albany
5
Philadelphia
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Rochester
10
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Panther City
10
San Diego
12
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
14
Vancouver
8
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Colorado
8
Las Vegas
13
WK
11
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Toronto
11
Georgia
10
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
13
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Halifax
14
Rochester
16
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Albany
12
New York
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Vancouver
13
Panther City
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Colorado
9
Calgary
13
WK
12
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
9
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
16
San Diego
11
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Georgia
7
Toronto
16
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
Albany
10
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
12
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Colorado
7
Panther City
13
Sun, Feb 19
FINAL
New York
12
Halifax
13
WK
13
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Panther City
12
Colorado
14
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Calgary
9
Las Vegas
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL/OT
New York
10
Rochester
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Albany
4
Georgia
20
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Vancouver
16
Saskatchewan
12
WK
14
Fri, Mar 3
FINAL
Buffalo
10
Halifax
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
New York
12
Philadelphia
19
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
San Diego
15
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Rochester
8
Toronto
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL/OT
Georgia
9
Albany
8
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
10
Panther City
16
Mon, Mar 6
FINAL
Toronto
10
Philadelphia
11
WK
15
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL/OT
Halifax
9
Buffalo
10
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL
Calgary
16
Colorado
10
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Albany
6
Toronto
12
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Philadelphia
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
San Diego
12
Saskatchewan
11
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
5
Sun, Mar 12
FINAL
Rochester
19
Georgia
18
WK
16
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
11
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
San Diego
16
Vancouver
9
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Georgia
13
Philadelphia
12
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Toronto
12
Halifax
14
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Albany
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Colorado
13
Buffalo
8
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
8
Panther City
11
Sun, Mar 19
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
9
Rochester
8
WK
17
Fri, Mar 24
FINAL
San Diego
17
Panther City
9
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Toronto
11
Albany
9
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Halifax
14
Philadelphia
10
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Georgia
13
New York
8
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Calgary
14
Saskatchewan
6
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL/OT
Buffalo
7
San Diego
6
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Colorado
12
Vancouver
14
Sat, Mar 25
FINAL
Rochester
7
Las Vegas
12
WK
18
Fri, Mar 31
19:00:00
New York
Georgia
Fri, Mar 31
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Colorado
Fri, Mar 31
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sat, Apr 1
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Apr 1
20:00:00
Albany
Panther City
Sat, Apr 1
21:30:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 2
13:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Sun, Apr 2
18:00:00
Rochester
Philadelphia
WK
19
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sat, Apr 8
22:30:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
WK
20
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Georgia
Albany
Sat, Apr 15
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 15
21:30:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 15
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
WK
21
Fri, Apr 21
20:30:00
Calgary
Panther City
Sat, Apr 22
18:00:00
New York
Halifax
Sat, Apr 22
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 22
21:30:00
Colorado
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 22
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Apr 23
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Albany
WK
22
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Halifax
Georgia
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 29
22:30:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
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Stories/Op-Ed

As Mammoth Prepare To Honor John Grant Jr., #24 Wishes He Could Have Done More

It is often said that in sport, and I’m paraphrasing: The greatest competitors are the ones that have given blood, sweat, and tears for their clubs, pushed their teams to victory, challenge the boundaries of what we believe is humanly possible, but still carry a sense of dissatisfaction years after they retire. John Grant Jr. is one of those competitors.

 

“I spent my whole career losing to Toronto and Calgary with a couple of seasons in between where we lost one to Albany [Attack], one to Philadelphia [Wings], and one to Minnesota [Swarm]; It’s going to haunt me forever,” Grant painfully recalled. “The fact that I was never able to help the [Colorado] Mammoth win a playoff game, let alone a championship – that’s what I came here to do, to turn the franchise around and get them to the top of the heap – I just wasn’t able to do it.”

 

The Mammoth, their fans, Grant Jr.’s former teammates, and everyone in between view his career as an outstanding success, though, even in Colorado. On Saturday, despite not bringing a Champion’s Cup to the Mammoth organization, the Denver NLL franchise will retire Grant Jr.’s #24 jersey alongside Mammoth stars and NLL all-time greats Gary Gait, Gavin Prout, and Brian Langtry.

 

For nearly two decades, Grant Jr. personified greatness. The way he nimbly maneuvered around the turf even though he stood 6’2” tall and weighed in at around 220 pounds was incredible. Although it may be hard to imagine, he wasn’t always one of the larger men on the field.

 

“I was always the smallest kid on the team or close to it,” Grant Jr. said recounting his childhood playing days. “I would always be getting picked off the floor or carried off the floor… I was always playing against people who were older. Even in my early teens, I would be playing with the senior [Peterborough] Lakers guys at either our house or Jim Watson’s house or one of the other hall of famers houses playing backyard lacrosse… I remember that’s when I learned to play against kids who were bigger, stronger, faster and even adults. I always had a chip on my shoulder – kind of the small guy syndrome – trying to beat my dad and his friends at anything. Fortunately, I hit a growth spurt around 19 or 20 and went from being 5’6” to 6’2” and started putting weight on then. So everything I learned as a smaller player, the game just became easier when I was bigger.”

 

What magnified his greatness was his timelessness. Following ten seasons with the Rochester Knighthawks, Grant was traded to the Mammoth in 2011 at the age of 36 and would six seasons (and change) with the club like he was in his 20’s.

 

In his second season with the Mammoth, Grant Jr. tallied 116 points over 16 games earning him NLL Most Valuable Player honors. Playing until he was 42, Grant Jr. amassed 235 goals and 317 assists with the Mammoth. In just six playoff games, he shined just as bright scoring 13 goals and recording 16 assists in 6 games. Even more impressive, Grant Jr., by his account, was always playing through an injury while still posting ridiculous stats. “I don’t even remember a time when I wasn’t playing through pain,” he said.

 

His effort matched with his consistent jaw-dropping performances earned him the love of the Mammoth faithful and the respect of some of the greatest players to ever be part of the NLL. “John is one of the best offensive players ever, if not the greatest offensive player ever,” said the NLL’s all-time points leader John Tavares. “He has the greatest hands, the greatest shot, the greatest tricks shots. John was a very competitive guy and had a great career. Considering how many injuries he had through his career, it’s really impressive how good he was every game he played.”

 

Grant Jr.’s former teammates, Mike Accursi, shared similar sentiments about the dynamic scorer. “Junior was a magician with his stick,” Accursi said. “I’ve never seen a guy who could do what he did. Often we would sit back and watch and say, ‘Did he just do that?’ I have never seen, and probably will never see, a guy who could shoot, pass and take over a game as he could. His commitment to his skill set and passion that he had for the game of lacrosse made everyone around him better. Not only is he the best pure scorer I’ve ever seen, but he was also one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with; He truly is a legend in this sport.”

 

Had it not been for the mounting number of concussions Grant Jr. suffered, he might still be playing. Yet, he is extraordinarily grateful to have had the opportunity to play as long as he did, particularly for so many years with the Mammoth into his 40’s.

 

“[Steve Govett] took a chance on me when most people thought my career was over,” Grant Jr. said of the former Mammoth GM. “Now that I don’t play for him, we’ve become better friends, but he did a lot for me not just for playing professionally on the floor, but he talked with me a lot saying, ‘You’re not going to be able to play forever. You’ve got to start putting the pieces together for your next career.’ So he was hard on me that way kind of like a father figure. He really did help me grow up and establish myself. And, thankfully I did start to focus on off the field stuff. It definitely softened the blow to have something to lean on after I was knocked out of the game. If he didn’t take that chance on me back in 2011, I don’t know where I’d be or what would be happening in my life.”

 

Not only is Grant Jr. working now that he’s retired from playing, he says he is, “busier than I ever was when I was playing.” He currently is coaching the Valor Christian High School lacrosse team, he is the Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Coach for the Major League Lacrosse Denver Outlaws, and is the Co-Founder of Evolve Elite Lacrosse, not to mention he has tried out being a sideline commentator for the Mammoth this season.

 

As a legend in the organization and as someone who loves the city of Denver and its lacrosse fans, it would be no surprise if he were to take on a more committed role with the team in the future. “I grew up with Dan [Carey], and we’re really close, and I told him, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m here to help.’ … Would I want to be part of the Mammoth down the road? I’ll never say never.”

 

Even though Grant Jr.’s jersey retirement brings his Mammoth career to a close, for now, he is appreciative to have had the chance to be part of the franchise. “I’m extremely blessed to have played for as long as I did. To have played with and against my idols and then to be coached by guys that I played with… it’s been such an amazing ride. But, now it’s over, and the ride is taking a different road. My career is on the other side of the whistle as I like to say.”

 

 

 

NLL