Welcome back to NLL.com’s weekly feature, Where Are They Now? Every week we will be catching up with former NLL players to hear what they are up to. As always, if there is a former player you’d like to hear from, send us a tweet @NLL.
This week’s feature is on Jay Jalbert.
Drafted with the 16th pick in the second round of the 2000 NLL Entry Draft, Jalbert
played for the Philadelphia Wings in 2001 and the Colorado Mammoth from 2004-2006. He won two championships, with the Wings in 2001 and the Mammoth in 2006.
Jalbert’s 152 loose balls in 2006 is the sixth most in Mammoth history. He posted 13 assists and 17 points in six career postseason games with the Mammoth, ranking sixth and eighth, respectively, in those categories in team history.
Jalbert was named first team All-Pro in 2006 with the Mammoth. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2014.
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NLL.com: What are you up to these days?
Jalbert: I work primarily for my family business, Jalbert Productions International, which is a small independent sports production company. We work for clients such as Red Bull, Under Armour, The New York Rangers, Ralph Lauren, The Players Tribune and Chase. We shoot events and commercials such as TV shows, digital series, commercials and social campaigns.
NLL.com: What does that job entail?
Jalbert: A lot of shooting and editing and a lot of travel. We’re very focused around sports and lifestyle. One of our biggest clients is the Alpine Skiing Red Bull Team.
We have a shoot coming up with Lindsey Vonn in Vail, Colorado. The great part of this job is that we get to travel everywhere. I’ve traveled to Switzerland, Australia, France, Spain and Italy in the last year.
You can check us out on the web at jalbertfilm.com.
NLL.com: How are you still involved in lacrosse?
Jalbert: My kids started playing so I’m involved that way. My brother and I still run lacrosse camps called Nike Xcelerate lacrosse camps, which my brother founded in 2003.
I’m also helping out a little bit with the PLL, which is the new outdoor league.
NLL.com: What is your most fond memory of playing in the NLL?
Jalbert: Definitely playing in the Pepsi Center. Playing Saturday night games there was something that was the most memorable thing in my career. They had such a great crowd and a great, great bunch of guys. We had a great team and we had a lot of fun. We’d fly in Friday after work and practice until midnight. Then we’d sleep in and then have another practice, then the game at night and fly home Sunday. It was awesome playing in front of so many people.
Also, winning the two NLL Cups in 2001 and 2006 were obviously incredible. Both were very hard fought. We earned those championships. It was a lot of work. Those definitely stick out.
NLL.com: Do you still keep in touch with any of your teammates and if so, which one (s)?
Jalbert: I keep in touch with Jamie Hanford quite a bit. Steve Govett, Nick Carlson, Pat Coyle and Brian Reese, too.
NLL.com: The Wells Fargo Center and Pepsi Center are two of the loudest arenas in the league. Can you compare what it was like playing in those two arenas?
Jalbert: They were both fantastic. I definitely enjoyed playing in both. I feel like it was a little bit louder in Colorado. I also think that they put on – back then – more of a show in Denver. They had motorcycles and fireworks that came out. I’d say those were the two best arenas to play in and I was lucky to play in them both.
NLL.com: Let’s say there is a game at 7 p.m. Can you walk me through what your daily routine is like leading up to the game?
Jalbert: Friday nights we’d have late practices and sleep in. We’d wake up, get breakfast, have a shoot around at the stadium at 11 and then eat lunch until 1 and then nap until 3.
Then we’d go to the stadium for the game. Usually, we got there around 5 p.m. for a 7 o’clock game.
We’d shoot around for a little bit, go back into the locker room and relax, and then come back out on the floor about 45 minutes before the game.
NLL.com: You didn’t grow up playing box lacrosse. So what was it like playing a different variation of the sport against Canadian born players who grew up playing it their whole life?
Jalbert: It took time for me. I was mainly an offensive focused player and it was harder to score in box so I played defense and transition at first. I started the game on defense then stayed on for offense.
I think the most important thing I started to figure out in box lacrosse was how to score on the goalie. By my last year I had a whole bunch of goals. And I think the biggest thing for me with the indoor game is that sometimes less is more. What I mean by that is, the dodges don’t have to be as big. The shots don’t have to be as hard. Everything is smaller, so you need to do everything on a smaller space. You have to do everything a little less and a little better. You don’t have to shoot 100 mph from the outside.
NLL.com: If there was a zombie apocalypse and you could only bring three things to a deserted island, what would you bring and why?
Jalbert: My family, my friends and some livestock.
NLL.com: What book(s) are you reading now and who is your favorite author?
Jalbert: I’m reading a book on the Beastie Boys right now. I’ll give you my favorite movie director – Terence Malick.
The Toronto Rock host the Buffalo Bandits Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET to tip off this weekend’s games. Watch this weekend’s games on B/R Live and follow the NLL on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
