2006 NLL season

2006 NLL season
2006 NLL season
League	National Lacrosse League
Sport	Indoor lacrosse
Duration	December 30, 2005 – May 13, 2006
Number of games	16
Number of teams	11
Regular season
Season MVP	Steve Dietrich (Buffalo Bandits)
Top scorer	Josh Sanderson (Toronto Rock)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Buffalo Bandits
Eastern runners-up	Rochester Knighthawks
Western champions	Portland LumberJax
Western runners-up	Colorado Mammoth
Champion's Cup
Champions	Colorado Mammoth
Runners-up	Buffalo Bandits
Finals MVP	Gavin Prout (Colorado)
NLL seasons
	← 2005 season 2007 season →

The 2006 National Lacrosse League season was the 20th season in the history of the league, which began as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League in 1987. The season began on December 30, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 13, 2006.

Quick Facts League, Sport ...

Close

The defending champion Toronto Rock were once again the favourite to win the Champions' Cup,^[1] but a slow start plus a dismal performance in the semifinal game against Rochester removed the Rock from contention. The Colorado Mammoth, under first-year head coach Gary Gait, won their first title since winning the first ever title in 1987, as the Baltimore Thunder.

Highly touted Portland rookie Brodie Merrill lived up to his hype, winning both the Defensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year awards. Portland continued its domination of the post-season awards with Derek Keenan, himself a former Rookie of the Year Award winner (1992 with Buffalo), winning both the Les Bartley Award for coach of the year and the GM of the Year Award, and owner Angela Batinovich winning the Executive of the Year Award.

The season featured the debut of two expansion teams; the Edmonton Rush and the Portland LumberJax, both in the Western Division. Portland beat the expansion team odds and won its division, finishing with an 11–5 record, while Edmonton did not fare so well. The Rush finished the season 1–15, their only win coming at the hands of their provincial rivals, the Calgary Roughnecks.

Before the 2006 season, the Anaheim Storm folded not being able to attract enough fans in their two years in Southern California moving from their original home of New Jersey after the 2003 season where, for two seasons, they were not able to attract enough fans.

Teams

Bandits

Swarm

Wings

Knighthawks

Rock

Sting

Rough
necks

Mammoth

Rush

Lumberjax

Stealth

East Division

West Division

More information Division, Team ...

Division	Team	City	Arena	Capacity
2006 National Lacrosse League
East	Buffalo Bandits	Buffalo, New York	HSBC Arena	18,690
	Minnesota Swarm	Saint Paul, Minnesota	XCEL Energy Center	18,064
	Philadelphia Wings	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Wachovia Center	19,523
	Rochester Knighthawks	Rochester, New York	Blue Cross Arena	10,662
	Toronto Rock	Toronto, Ontario	Air Canada Centre	18,800
West	Arizona Sting	Glendale, Arizona	Glendale Arena	17,125
	Calgary Roughnecks	Calgary, Alberta	Pengrowth Saddledome	19,289
	Colorado Mammoth	Denver, Colorado	Pepsi Center	18,007
	Edmonton Rush	Edmonton, Alberta	Rexall Place	16,839
	Portland Lumberjax	Portland, Oregon	Rose Garden	18,280
	San Jose Stealth	San Jose, California	HP Pavilion	17,496

Close

February 18: John Tavares tied Gary Gait for the all-time record in points, with 1091, as the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Minnesota Swarm 14–9.^[2]
March 4: Tavares sets a new NLL record for career points, scoring his 1092nd point in an 11–8 loss to the Swarm.^[3]

Regular season

Reference: ^[4]

More information P, Team ...

East Division
P	Team	GP	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	GF	GA	Diff	GF/GP	GA/GP

1	Buffalo Bandits – xyz	16	11	5	.688	0.0	6–2	5–3	193	167	+26	12.06	10.44
2	Rochester Knighthawks – x	16	9	7	.562	2.0	6–2	3–5	196	180	+16	12.25	11.25
3	Toronto Rock – x	16	8	8	.500	3.0	5–3	3–5	182	179	+3	11.38	11.19
4	Minnesota Swarm – x	16	8	8	.500	3.0	3–5	5–3	158	171	−13	9.88	10.69
5	Philadelphia Wings	16	8	8	.500	3.0	5–3	3–5	184	184	−-0	11.50	11.50

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More information P, Team ...

West Division
P	Team	GP	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	GF	GA	Diff	GF/GP	GA/GP

1	Portland LumberJax – xy	16	11	5	.688	0.0	5–3	6–2	188	177	+11	11.75	11.06
2	Colorado Mammoth – x	16	10	6	.625	1.0	6–2	4–4	200	172	+28	12.50	10.75
3	Calgary Roughnecks – x	16	9	7	.562	2.0	4–4	5–3	183	178	+5	11.44	11.12
4	Arizona Sting – x	16	8	8	.500	3.0	4–4	4–4	198	199	−1	12.38	12.44
5	San Jose Stealth	16	5	11	.312	6.0	3–5	2–6	151	174	−23	9.44	10.88
6	Edmonton Rush	16	1	15	.062	10.0	0–8	1–7	150	202	−52	9.38	12.62

Close

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game Toronto won the 3-way tiebreaker with Minnesota and Philadelphia

Playoffs

Divisional Semifinal			Divisional Final			Champion's Cup Final

1	Buffalo	11

4	Minnesota	10
			1	Buffalo	15
Eastern Division
			2	Rochester	10
3	Toronto	8

2	Rochester	16
						W2	Colorado	16

						E1	Buffalo	9
1	Portland	10

4	Arizona	14
			2	Colorado	13
Western Division
			4	Arizona	12
2	Colorado	18

3	Calgary	17

The 2006 All-Star Game was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario on February 25, 2006. The West Division defeated the East Division 14–13. The MVP of the game was Lewis Ratcliff of the Calgary Roughnecks, who scored 4 goals, including the game winner. This marked the second straight year that a Roughneck player was All-Star Game MVP, with Tracy Kelusky having won it in 2005.

All-Star teams

More information Eastern Division starters, Western Division starters ...

Eastern Division starters		Western Division starters
John Grant, Jr., Rochester		Gavin Prout, Colorado
Colin Doyle, Toronto		Tracey Kelusky, Calgary
John Tavares, Buffalo		Craig Conn, Arizona
Steve Toll, Rochester		Jay Jalbert, Colorado
Thomas Hajek, Philadelphia		Brodie Merrill, Portland
Pat O'Toole, Rochester (goalie)		Anthony Cosmo, San Jose (goalie)
Eastern Division Reserves		Western Division Reserves
Marshall Abrams, Rochester		Dan Carey, Colorado
Jake Bergey, Philadelphia		Bruce Codd, Arizona
Ryan Cousins, Minnesota		Jonas Derks, Arizona
Glenn Clark, Philadelphia		Dallas Eliuk, Portland (goalie)
Steve Dietrich, Buffalo (goalie)		Peter Lough, Arizona
Blaine Manning, Toronto		Derek Malawsky, San Jose
Dan Marohl, Philadelphia		Lewis Ratcliff, Calgary
Josh Sanderson, Toronto		Scott Self, Arizona
Phil Sanderson, Toronto		Ryan Sharp, Portland
Mark Steenhuis, Buffalo		Kaleb Toth, Calgary
Shawn Williams, Rochester		Andrew Turner, Edmonton
Jim Veltman, Toronto		Taylor Wray, Calgary

Close

Annual

More information Award, Winner ...

Award	Winner	Team
Jet Blue MVP Award	Steve Dietrich^[5]	Buffalo
Edge Active Care Rookie of the Year Award	Brodie Merrill^[6]	Portland
Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year)	Derek Keenan^[7]	Portland
GM of the Year Award	Derek Keenan^[8]	Portland
Executive of the Year Award	Angela Batinovich^[9]	Portland
Defensive Player of the Year	Brodie Merrill^[10]	Portland
RBK Goaltender of the Year Award	Steve Dietrich^[11]	Buffalo
Bowflex Sportsmanship Award	Sean Greenhalgh^[12]	Philadelphia
Championship Game MVP	Gavin Prout^[13]	Colorado

Close

All-Pro Teams

First Team

Colin Doyle, Toronto
John Grant, Jr., Rochester
Brodie Merrill, Portland
Gavin Prout, Colorado
Josh Sanderson, Toronto
Steve Dietrich, Buffalo

Second Team

Craig Conn, Arizona
Dan Dawson, Arizona
Jay Jalbert, Colorado
Lewis Ratcliff, Calgary
John Tavares, Buffalo
Nick Patterson, Minnesota

All-Rookie Team

Brodie Merrill, Portland
Sean Greenhalgh, Philadelphia
Dan Carey, Colorado
Jeff Zywicki, San Jose
Shawn Evans, Rochester
Luke Wiles, San Jose

Weekly awards

The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best defensive player, and best rookie.

More information Week, Overall ...

Week	Overall	Offensive	Defensive	Rookie
1	Sean Greenhalgh	Sean Greenhalgh	Matt Roik	Sean Greenhalgh
2	Jonas Derks	Jonas Derks	Chris Levis	Jeff Zywicki
3	Mark Steenhuis	Mark Steenhuis	Steve Dietrich	Shawn Evans
4	Nick Patterson	Jake Bergey	Dallas Eliuk	Brodie Merrill
5	John Grant, Jr.	John Grant, Jr.	Pat O'Toole	Brodie Merrill
6	Craig Conn	Craig Conn	Nick Patterson	Dan Carey
7	Chad Culp	Chad Culp	Nick Patterson	Sean Greenhalgh
8	John Tavares	Brodie Merrill	Pat Campbell	Brodie Merrill
9	Aaron Wilson	Aaron Wilson	Bob Watson	Sean Greenhalgh
10	Matt Disher	John Grant, Jr.	Matt Disher	Shawn Evans
11	Sean Greenhalgh	John Grant, Jr.	Matt King	Jeff Zywicki
12	Jay Jalbert	Ryan Ward	Jeff Zywicki	Jay Jalbert
13	Mark Steenhuis	Mark Steenhuis	Matt King	Roger Vyse Brodie Merrill (tie)
14	Brodie Merrill	Jay Jalbert	Steve Dietrich	Brodie Merrill
15	Colin Doyle	Colin Doyle	Dallas Eliuk	Sean Greenhalgh
16	Dan Dawson	Dan Dawson	Steve Dietrich	Sean Greenhalgh

Close

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.

More information Month, Overall ...

Month	Overall	Rookie
Jan	John Grant, Jr.	Sean Greenhalgh
Feb	Nick Patterson	Brodie Merrill
Mar	Gavin Prout	Brodie Merrill

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Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

More information Stat, Player ...

Stat	Player	Team	Number
Goals	John Grant, Jr.	Rochester	54
Assists	Josh Sanderson	Toronto	69
Points	Josh Sanderson	Toronto	98
Penalty Minutes	Rob VanBeek	Philadelphia	72
Shots on Goal	John Grant, Jr.	Rochester	277
Loose Balls	Jim Veltman	Toronto	226
Save Pct	Steve Dietrich	Buffalo	80.8
GAA	Steve Dietrich	Buffalo	9.97

Close

Regular Season

More information Home Team, Home Games ...


Home Team	Home Games	Average Attendance	Total Attendance^[14]
Colorado Mammoth	8	16,543	132,347
Toronto Rock	8	16,538	132,306
Buffalo Bandits	8	12,118	96,946
Philadelphia Wings	8	11,936	95,491
Calgary Roughnecks	8	11,777	94,217
Edmonton Rush	8	10,367	82,938
Rochester Knighthawks	8	9,988	79,906
Minnesota Swarm	8	8,372	66,981
Portland LumberJax	8	8,006	64,055
Arizona Sting	8	6,477	51,820
San Jose Stealth	8	5,608	44,868
League	88	10,703	941,875

Close

Playoffs

More information Home Team, Home Games ...


Home Team	Home Games	Average Attendance	Total Attendance^[15]
Colorado Mammoth	2	12,981	25,963
Buffalo Bandits	3	11,703	35,111
Portland LumberJax	1	10,843	10,843
Rochester Knighthawks	1	7,295	7,295
League	7	11,316	79,212

Close

2006 in sports

[1]
"Toronto opens 2006 as Experts' top pick". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. January 4, 2006. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[2]
Philly, R.A. (February 22, 2006). "Record-tying Tavares named Player of Week". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
[3]
Philly, R.A. (March 4, 2006). "NLL Week Ten Roundup". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
[4]
"National Lacrosse League - 2006 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
[5]
"Dietrich Wins 2006 Jet Blue MVP Award". NLL website. May 11, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[6]
"Merrill Wins Edge Active Care Rookie of the Year". NLL website. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[7]
"Derek Keenan Wins Les Bartley Award". NLL website. May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[8]
"Derek Keenan Wins Vonage GM of the Year". NLL website. May 5, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[9]
"Batinovich Named Executive of the Year". NLL website. May 8, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[10]
"Merrill Wins Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year". NLL website. May 2, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[11]
"Steve Dietrich Named RBK Goaltender of the Year". NLL website. May 3, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[12]
"Greenhalgh Wins Bowflex Sportsmanship Award". NLL website. May 1, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[13]
Knight, Ben (May 13, 2006). "Mammoth stampedes over baffled Bandits". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
[14]
"National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".
[15]
"National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".

[1] [1]
"Toronto opens 2006 as Experts' top pick". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. January 4, 2006. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[2] [2]
Philly, R.A. (February 22, 2006). "Record-tying Tavares named Player of Week". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.

[3] [3]
Philly, R.A. (March 4, 2006). "NLL Week Ten Roundup". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.

[4] [4]
"National Lacrosse League - 2006 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.

[5] [5]
"Dietrich Wins 2006 Jet Blue MVP Award". NLL website. May 11, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[6] [6]
"Merrill Wins Edge Active Care Rookie of the Year". NLL website. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[7] [7]
"Derek Keenan Wins Les Bartley Award". NLL website. May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[8] [8]
"Derek Keenan Wins Vonage GM of the Year". NLL website. May 5, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[9] [9]
"Batinovich Named Executive of the Year". NLL website. May 8, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[10] [10]
"Merrill Wins Belmont.com Defensive Player of the Year". NLL website. May 2, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[11] [11]
"Steve Dietrich Named RBK Goaltender of the Year". NLL website. May 3, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[12] [12]
"Greenhalgh Wins Bowflex Sportsmanship Award". NLL website. May 1, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[13] [13]
Knight, Ben (May 13, 2006). "Mammoth stampedes over baffled Bandits". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2006.

[14] [14]
"National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".

[15] [15]
"National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".

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