A Look Back at 2009
“You Ready, Let’s Go”
As Fort Minor’s “Remember the Name” resonates throughout the Garden on Saturday, January 17th, 2009 Boston Blazers team president and general manager Doug Reffue stood waiting in anticipation of his team’s entrance onto the turf.
One by one, Reffue watched as Boston was introduced to its newest athletes including some of the city’s own, Sean Morris and Jack Reid from the University of Massachusetts and more unfamiliar faces more known by our neighbors to the north, Dan Dawson and Anthony Cosmo.
With a ceremonial ball drop with Blazers owner Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL and members of the New England Patriots, the Boston Blazers franchise began.
Armstrong, a native of Littleton, MA and graduate of Connecticut College purchased the team in 2007 and named former Blazer Tom Ryan as its head coach. Armstrong brought on Reffue, a twelve-year industry leader to re-establish professional lacrosse to Boston for the first time since 1998.
In 1989, the New England Blazers became a part of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL), the professional indoor lacrosse league that preceded today's National Lacrosse League (NLL). After playing two years in Worcester, the franchise moved to the Boston Garden and were renamed the Boston Blazers. Although the Blazers made playoff appearances four out of the six years of their existence, including a trip to the finals in 1993 and three semifinal appearances, the Blazers would soon face franchise uncertainty.
In 1997, after labor strife, the MILL merged with their start-up rival NLL. The Blazers then asked for a year reprieve from the 1998 NLL season but would not return. After announcing in 2007 that the team would enter the NLL at the start of the 2008 season, another labor disturbance threatened the league and led Armstrong to postpone their entry until the 2009 season.
“For those of you that want to know what we’re all about”
Cast off by most including other NLL teams, the Blazers were immediately forecasted as the low man on the proverbial lacrosse stick and projected to come in last in the Eastern Division. Reffue and Ryan however embraced their underdog status and casted an unlikely crew of league All-Stars with local outdoor stars.
Dan Dawson, team captain and NLL 2009 MVP was acquired in the league’s 2008 dispersal draft and quickly established himself as the face of the Blazers. Dawson, an eight-year veteran from Oakville, Ontario was drafted in the 6th round by the Columbus Landsharks in 2001 and also played for the Portland LumberJax and the Arizona Sting before coming to Boston. In his first year with Boston, Dawson scored 109 points (30 goals, 74 assists, tied for 1st in the NLL).
The witty and outspoken playmaker led an offensive line of relatively unknown and young players like Matt Lyons, the Blazers fastest shot from Orangeville, Ontario, Gary Bining, a former Buckeye from Ohio State University, and Brendan Thenhaus, the Mohawk wearing stand-out from Burlington, Ontario.
Sean Morris, a stand-out from the University of Massachusetts was injured early in the season but recovered and added offensive strength with his tremendous athletic abilities.
Daryl Veltman, the 1st overall pick in the 2008 NLL draft and nominee for Rookie of the Year also strengthened every offensive play. Veltman led the Blazers in goals (34) and finished the season with 77 points.
“Fifteen percent concentrated power of will, Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain”
Full of determination, passion, and strength, the Blazers defensive line mirrored that of a raging bull. Mitch Belisle, a Cornell graduate and native of Bourne, MA catapulted the Blazers defense scooping 104 loose balls on the season.
Belisle gained defensive support from the Blazers’ team of bruisers, Kyle Ross from New Westminster, British Columbia, Paul Dawson, the younger Dawson brother, Jack Reid from Glastonbury, CT, and rookie Jon Harnett from Orangeville, Ontario.
Ross led the Blazers in penalty minutes (53) while Harnett was recognized as rookie of the week by the league. Belisle was named to his first All-Star roster along with D. Dawson and the Blazers ultimate defender, goalie Anthony Cosmo.
Cosmo led the Blazers in goal to a 10-6 finish for the season as well as their first playoff berth. Despite a first round away lost to the Buffalo Bandits, defending NLL champions, the Blazers established themselves as a formiadable opponent.
“It’s not about the salary, it’s about making some noise”
Most of the team including key players Dawson, Cosmo, and Veltman are all returning along with their leader, Head Coach Tom Ryan. Ryan’s excitement for the upcoming resonates throughout his office as he listens to Phish at his desk in the Blazers downtown office. From the entry draft in early September to the scoring analyses Ryan is ready to get back on that forest green turf and make Boston a champion in another sport.
A new website, merchandise line, changes in the front office, and new branding strategies kept the Blazers busy throughout their summer. With opening night right away the proverbial crease, Reffue sees the Blazers making even noise in their 2010 season and contends that with these improvements the Blazers will definitely give Boston a reason to remember their name.