Canadian Lacrosse League (2011)
Defunct men's indoor lacrosse league
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Founded by Paul St. John in 2011, the Canadian Lacrosse League (CLax) was a men's semi-professional indoor lacrosse league based exclusively in Ontario, Canada. CLax ceased operation on August 31, 2016 after the league's single-entity ownership group, Charlesway Corporation Limited and Rodney 'Demon' Hill, deemed the league's business model to be no longer viable.[1]
 | |
| Sport | Indoor lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| First season | 2012 |
| Ceased | 2016 |
| Commissioner | Jim Veltman |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Last champion | Durham TurfDogs (2016) |
Similar to the National Lacrosse League, and unlike other Canadian box lacrosse leagues that play in the summer, CLax played its regular season games in the winter with its playoff games and championship culminating in the early spring. CLax opened its inaugural season with six teams in three cities: Brampton Inferno and Peel Avengers in Brampton, Ontario; the Iroquois Ironmen and Ohsweken Demons in Hagersville, Ontario; and the Durham TurfDogs and Oshawa Machine in Oshawa, Ontario.
History
The league's original intentions were to feature eastern and western leagues. This plan was modified to have multiple Ontario teams and one Quebec location in the first year.[2]
The first three teams announced were franchises in Ohsweken, Peterborough, and Montreal.[2] A Brampton Guardian article[3] listed a team in London. Of the original three, only Oshweken wound up with an actual team in the 2012 season.[2] With only three teams, the league decided two teams should operate in each announced location, leading to the creation of the Iroquois Ironmen, Peel Avengers, and Durham TurfDogs. Rodney Hill operated the two Oshweken teams, but the league owned the other clubs initially.[2]
The inaugural games took place January 7, 2012 starting in Ohsweken. The first game was an 18–11 win for the Brampton Inferno over the hometown Iroquois Ironmen. In the second game, the Peel Avengers defeated the Durham TurfDogs 16–9. To conclude the opening day of league play, the Oshawa Machine played the Ohsweken Demons, losing 13–9.
It was announced on October 3, 2012 that the league would be expanding to three new markets: Barrie, Toronto, and St. Catharines. The Oshawa Machine would be moving to Toronto to become the Toronto Shooting Stars; the Peel Avengers would relocate to St. Catharines and the city of Barrie would be awarded an expansion team. It was also announced that the Durham Turf Dogs would be changing their name to the Oshawa Turf Dogs.
In November 2013, the defending champion Iroquois Ironmen announced that they were ceasing operations and would no longer compete in CLax. That was followed in December with the news of 2013 finalists, Toronto Shooting Stars also folding. The Brampton Inferno would become a touring team based out of Southwestern Ontario called the SouthWest Cyclops for 2014.
Former Teams
| Team | City | Arena | First Season |
Last Season |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Blizzard | Barrie, Ontario | Barrie Molson Centre | 2013 | 2016 | Folded |
| Brampton Inferno | Brampton, Ontario | Powerade Centre | 2012 | 2013 | Relocated (SouthWest) |
| Durham TurfDogs | Oshawa, Ontario | GM Centre | 2012 | 2016 | Folded |
| Iroquois Ironmen | Hagersville, Ontario | Iroquois Lacrosse Arena | 2012 | 2013 | Folded |
| Niagara Lock Monsters | St. Catharines, Ontario | Meridian Centre | 2013 | 2016 | Folded |
| Ohsweken Demons | Hagersville, Ontario | Iroquois Lacrosse Arena | 2012 | 2016 | Folded |
| Oshawa Machine | Oshawa, Ontario | GM Centre | 2012 | 2012 | Relocated (Toronto) |
| Peel Avengers | Brampton, Ontario | Powerade Centre | 2012 | 2012 | Relocated (Niagara) |
| SouthWest Cyclops | Paris, Ontario | Syl Apps Community Centre | 2014 | 2016 | Folded |
| Toronto Shooting Stars | Toronto, Ontario | Mattamy Athletic Centre | 2013 | 2013 | Folded |
Creators' Cup championship history
| Season | Champion | Finalist | Score | Game MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Ohsweken Demons | Iroquois Ironmen | 15–10 | Chris Attwood (Ohsweken) |
| 2013 | Iroquois Ironmen | Toronto Shooting Stars | 14–11 | Travis Hill (Iroquois) |
| 2014 | Niagara Lock Monsters | Ohsweken Demons | 10–9, OT | Davide DiRuscio (Niagara) |
| 2015 | Barrie Blizzard | Ohsweken Demons | 13–12, OT | Caleb Wiles (Barrie) |
| 2016 | Durham TurfDogs | Ohsweken Demons | 11–9 | Dyland Goddard (Durham) |
Major awards
Players
| Year | Season MVP | Outstanding Player | Top Offensive | Top Transition | Top Defence | Top Goalie | Top Rookie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mike Attwood (II) | Chris Attwood (OD) | Chris Attwood (OD) | John McClure (DT) | Colin Boucher (DT) | Jeff Powless (OD) | Not awarded |
| 2013 | Wayne VanEvery (OD) | Corey Fowler (NLM) | Andrew Potter (NLM) | Mack O'Brien (TSS) | Ben McCullough (BI) | Connor Danko (NLM) | Caleb Wiles (BB) |
| 2014 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) | Chris Attwood (OD) | Caleb Wiles (BB) | Tom Montour (OD) | Colin Boucher (BB) | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) | Mike Burke (SWC) |
| 2015 | Angus Dineley (BB) | Jesse Guerin (DT) | Michael Teeter (BB) | Tom Montour (OD) | Eric Pitre (SWC) | Angus Dineley (BB) | Dan Keane (SWC) |
| 2016 | Jay Preece (NLM) | Corey Fowler (NLM) | Corey Fowler (NLM) | Thomas Hoggarth (DT) | Mitch Dumont (NLM) | Jay Preece (NLM) | Vaughn Harris (OD) |
Team and League Officials
| Year | Top Coach | Top Official |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Jason Crosbie, Jonas Derks, Brad MacArthur (DT) | Jon Watson |
| 2013 | Glenn Clark (TSS) | Wayne Paddick |
| 2014 | Jeff Dowling (NLM) | Brent Coulombe |
| 2015 | Brad MacArthur (BB) | Grant Spies |
| 2016 | Mat Giles (DT) | Grant Spies |
Statistical leaders
Team Regular Season Champions
| Year | Team | Record | GF–GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Durham TurfDogs | 9-5 | 180-176 | 18 |
| 2013 | Niagara Lock Monsters | 11-3 | 231-160 | 22 |
| 2014 | Ohsweken Demons | 7-1 | 127-97 | 14 |
| 2015 | Barrie Blizzard | 6-2 | 92-76 | 12 |
| 2016 | Niagara Lock Monsters | 7-3 | 130-94 | 14 |
Runners
| Year | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Chris Attwood (OD) - 35 & Brad Favero (BI) - 35 |
Kim Squire (PA) - 38 | Chris Attwood (OD) - 71 | Chancy Johnson (II) - 121 |
| 2013 | Wayne VanEvery (OD) - 41 | Corey Fowler (NLM) - 48 & Andrew Potter (NLM) - 48 |
Corey Fowler (NLM) - 80 | Brock Boyle (BI) - 70 |
| 2014 | Chris Attwood (OD) - 27 | Chris Attwood (OD) - 27 | Chris Attwood (OD) - 54 | Tom Montour (OD) - 34 & Jordan Dance (SWC) - 34 |
| 2015 | Michael Teeter (BB) - 20 | Jesse Guerin (DT) - 23 | Michael Teeter (BB) - 33 | Tom Montour (OD) - 42 |
| 2016 | Dylan Goddard (DT) & Shane Scott (BB) |
Corey Fowler (NLM) - 29 | Corey Fowler (NLM) - 45 | Tom Montour (OD) - 54 |
Goalies
| Year | Minutes | Wins | Goals Against Ave | Save Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | John Chesebrough (OM) - 640:15 | Jeff Powless (OD) - 7 | Jeff Powless (OD) - 11.52 | Ben VanEvery (OD) - 0.793 |
| 2013 | Jay Preece (BI) - 611:44 | Connor Danko (NLM) - 7 | Angus Dinely (TSS) - 9.57 | Zach Higgins (DT) - 0.813 |
| 2014 | Jay Preece (SWC) - 366:01 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) - 3 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) - 7.95 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) - 0.865 |
| 2015 | Angus Dineley (BB) - 448:36 | Angus Dineley (BB) - 6 | Angus Dineley (BB) - 9.50 | Angus Dineley (BB) - 0.801 |
| 2016 |
All-star teams
First team
| Year | Goalie | Runners |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Jeff Powless (OD) | Chris Attwood (OD), Colin Boucher (DT), John McClure (DT), Ryan Campbell (PA), Brad Favero (BI) |
| 2013 | Connor Danko (NLM) | Ben McCullough (BI), Tom Montour (OD), Mack O'Brien (TSS), Andrew Potter (NLM), Wayne VanEvery (OD) |
| 2014 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) | Colin Boucher (BB), Tom Montour (OD), Chris Attwood (OD), Caleb Wiles (BB), Andrew Potter (NLM) |
| 2015 | Angus Dineley (BB) | Jesse Guerin (DT), Tom Montour (OD), Eric Pitre (SWC), Michael Teeter (BB), Roger Vyse (OD) |
| 2016 | Jay Preece (NLM) | Mitch Dumont (NLM), Corey Fowler (NLM), Thomas Hoggarth (DT), Dan Keane (SWC), Tom Montour (OD) |
Second team
| Year | Goalie | Runners |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mike Attwood (II) | Brad Levick (OM), Kim Squire (PA), Jon Arnold (BI), Clay Hill (OD), Ben McCullough (BI) |
| 2013 | Jay Preece (BI) | Colin Boucher (BB), Mitch Dumont (DT), Corey Fowler (NLM), Caleb Wiles (BB), Chris Attwood (II) |
| 2014 | Jake Henhawk (OD) | Tyler Burton (SWC), Jon Arnold (NLM), Mike Burke (SWC), Mark Farthing (DT), Wayne VanEvery (OD) |
| 2015 | Jay Preece (SWC) | Corey Fowler (NLM), Travis Hill (OD), Thomas Hoggarth (DT), Dan Keane (SWC), Mike Mawdsley (BB) |
| 2016 | Angus Dineley (BB) | Jake Crans (BB), Dylan Goddard (DT), Vaughn Harris (OD), Shane Scott (BB), Matt Spanger (SWC) |
Rookie
| Year | Goalie | Runners |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Connor Danko (NLM) | Caleb Wiles (BB), Mike Teeter (BB), Dustin Caravello (BI), John St. John (DT), Corey Fowler (NLM) |
| 2014 | Davide DiRuscio (NLM) | Matt Spanger (SWC), Patrick McCrory (SWC), Mike Burke (SWC), Tim Bergin (NLM), Dylan Goddard (DT) |
| 2015 | Doug Buchan (NLM) | Eric Guiltinan (SWC), Thomas Hoggarth (DT), Dan Keane (SWC), Rodd Squire (OD), Cody Ward (NLM) |
| 2016 | Gowah Adams (OD) | Phil Caputo (NLM), Vaughn Harris (OD), Cody McMahon (DT), Tyler Roche (BB), Mike Triolo (DT) |