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BUF at SD - Sat. 10pm ET on ESPNews 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
20:30:00
San Diego
Panther City
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 25
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Mar 25
21:30:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Buffalo
San Diego
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 25
22:30:00
Rochester
Las Vegas
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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Looking Back Part 2: Kaleb Toth After The Goal

By Stephen Stamp | NLL.com Staff Writer

Last week we harkened back to Kaleb Toth’s championship winning goal with one second left in the National Lacrosse League title game of 2000. The goal wasn’t the end of an interesting story, though. There were other things going on that make the moment stand out for those involved. In today’s Part 2, we look at the scene after the goal was scored.

The bedlam in Maple Leaf Gardens wasn’t confined to the floor. “If you watch the video and they pan to the bench, our ownership group is pretty much on the bench with us and they’re down giving us hugs and screaming up and down,” says Doyle.

Bill Smith and the rest of the owners took advantage of a unique feature of the Maple Leaf Gardens’ bench setup to get up close and personal for the celebration. “If you had those seats in the first couple of rows you could walk to them from the underneath area right into your seat, literally right behind the bench,” says Doyle. “You’d have to ask [head coach] Les [Bartley] or Eddy or [assistant] Derek [Keenan] to move to get to your seat. If you were sitting front row, you could literally just reach down and pat a player on the head. It was insane.”

It was also intimate, and provided some interesting scenarios as the celebration erupted. “The funny thing is, one of my best friends, who went on to have a career himself, was sitting in the front row,” says Doyle. “You can see when we score you can see him jump up. Someone pointed that out to me many years down the road. Hey, that’s Phil [Weatherup]. He stands up and cheers.”

Not many people seemed to be aware, or perhaps more accurately to care, that there was still one order of business to be taken care of before the celebration could really be held. The final faceoff. Remember there was one second to play.

So the owners are on the bench, the players and fans are going nuts, and nothing else can really happen until the refs put the ball down at centre and blow play back in.

At least one man was aware of it. Bartley was renowned for his attention to detail and his focus on the next play. “And Les, of course, in his coaching philosophy was still trying to get the faceoff team out there to finish it off. It was a weird dynamic,” Doyle says of the seconds following Toth’s goal.

They did eventually get the faceoff held, although you wouldn’t know it from the television coverage. The TV didn’t get back to centre for it; they were too busy showing a replay of the Toronto bench.

Once that was over, it was time to present the Champions Cup to Rock captain Jim Veltman. You can see on the video that, once Veltman receives the trophy, he turns to show it to all of the fans in the Gardens and he takes a little hop as he does so. It’s a very little hop, and that is probably the moment when Veltman remembered that he had broken his foot earlier in the game.

“There was a loose ball and Curt Malawsky landed on the back of my ankle as I was behind our own net. I was moving the ball up the floor and I knew something was wrong,” Veltman recalls. “I kind of, not limped off the floor but I jogged off favouring my one ankle. Dave Murray taped me up. Then during halftime, he said I’m not going to take that tape off because if I do we won’t be able to get your shoe back on. After the game he said if something’s still not right you should go get it checked out and I had an x-ray done and I had a crack in my ankle bone. I managed to play because he just taped it up like a football ankle and I had one club foot during that game.”

After the fans had left and the building had quieted down, the Rock players got a special treat. “They allowed us to go to the Hot Stove Lounge, which was pretty neat. Our dressing room was nothing special, it was just a concrete room,” says Veltman, but the Hot Stove Lounge was one of the most famous rooms in Canadian sports history, having served as the hangout for the likes of King Clancy and other Maple Leafs legends.

“It was great. We had good connection through our ownership group,” Doyle says. “We got treated well afterward. You knew the building was being shut down afterward and it was just taking it all in. It was a really neat night.”

Rock goalie Bob Watson shared a story at his NLL Hall of Fame induction ceremony about going out to the middle of the floor after the building had mostly emptied out that night, laying on his back and staring at the famous Maple Leaf Gardens ceiling and just soaking it all in.

Toth believes the importance of that game spread well beyond Maple Leaf Gardens, though. “I think that game and those three years—1999, 2000 and 2001—really helped develop the National Lacrosse League, especially on the western front,” he says.

“Having so many good players on that Toronto team from the west I believe kind of opened everyone’s eyes to, hey maybe we should get a franchise going out there. That was way before Calgary, Edmonton, Portland, Anaheim. It was before all those,” Toth continues. “I know that Calgary was the first franchise to come in after that and then Colorado, so I think the three years that the Toronto Rock won the two championships and made it to the third championship and lost, I think it was huge for lacrosse in the west and huge for lacrosse in Canada.”

Those western players included Stroup, Pat Coyle and Chris Gill, who are now the coaching triumvirate for the Colorado Mammoth. There were more, like Rory Graham and Ryan O’Connor.

“Obviously some played different roles than others but I think there was a lot of western influence that I think opened up the commissioner’s eyes and he said, hey, we’ve got to get some franchises out west,” says Toth.

As much as Doyle remembers Les Bartley being focused on getting the post-goal faceoff taken care of, Toth has fond memories of Keenan [nicknamed Jammer]–now the head coach and GM of the two-time defending champion Saskatchewan Rush—being the same way.

“I didn’t see it happen until I watched the replay of the goal where it shows Bill Smith on the bench and he’s hugging everybody,” Toth says. “It’s funny because you look at Jammer and there’s not a smile on his face, he’s still dead serious about ‘come on guys, next play, next play.’ He’s still the exact same then as he is now as a coach. It’s good to see guys haven’t changed.”

While Toth enjoys his memories, it’s fair to say he gave thousands of other people a memory they’ll never forget, too, when he took that famous shot. 

NLL