The 2007

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United Stat ...

season, the 21st in the history of the NLL (including the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and Major Indoor Lacrosse League years) began on December 30, 2006 and concluded with the championship game on May 12, 2007. The Rochester Knighthawks finished the regular season with a 14–2 record, winning their last 12 games. They followed this up by beating

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in the first round, and then clinched the Eastern division title by defeating Buffalo in the Eastern division finals, with league MVP

John Grant, Jr. John Christopher Grant Jr. (born November 7, 1974) is a Hall of Fame professional lacrosse player who has played in Major League Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League, and the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Grant Jr. was named men's lacrosse Off ...

scoring in overtime. The

Arizona Sting The Arizona Sting was a member of the National Lacrosse League from 2004 to 2007. They played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, from 2001 to 2003 as the Columbus Landsharks. On August 28, 2003, it was announced that the team was relocating to ...

finished third in their division, but defeated the

Calgary Roughnecks The Calgary Roughnecks are a professional box lacrosse team based in Calgary, Alberta. They are members of the Western Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and play their home games on WestJet Field at Scotiabank Saddledome. The te ...

in the first round, and then beat the

San Jose Stealth The San Jose Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from 2004 until 2009. They played at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, which is also the home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks and the ...

to clinch their second division title in three years. The championship game was awarded to Rochester because of their higher seed, but the

Blue Cross Arena Blue Cross Arena, also known as the War Memorial, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rochester, New York. For hockey and lacrosse, its seating capacity is 10,662. The arena opened on October 18, 1955, as the Rochester Community War Memor ...

was unavailable on the day of the game, so the Championship game was held in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. The Knighthawks continued their winning streak in the desert, defeating the Sting 13–11. John Grant, Jr., who had been named the league MVP only two days before, was named game MVP. It was Rochester's second championship overall, and first since

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

. The championship game loss was Arizona's second in three years. The season began with a blockbuster trade just three days before the first game, as the

Toronto Rock The Toronto Rock are a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. Oakville reside ...

traded star forward and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Colin Doyle along with Darren Halls and a draft pick to the

for 1st round draft selection

Ryan Benesch Ryan Benesch (born January 30, 1985) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays for the Albany FireWolves in the National Lacrosse League. Benesch has also played for the Halifax Thunderbirds, Colorado Mammoth, Buffalo Bandits, Minnesota ...

, Kevin Fines, Chad Thompson, and two draft picks. Doyle scored nine assists in San Jose's second game of the season, a 17–16 OT win over the

, and finished the season second in team scoring. Benesch was named 2007 Rookie of the Year. In February, the NLL signed an agreement with

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...

to air a "Game of the Week" throughout the season as well as during the playoffs. In March, the league announced that New York Titans star

Casey Powell Casey Powell (born February 18, 1976) is a Hall of Fame American former college and professional lacrosse player from West Carthage, New York. In 1998, he graduated from Syracuse University, where he was a four-time USILA All-American. Powell was ...

would be hosting a weekly radio show on SIRIUS, called ''Inside the National Lacrosse League with Casey Powell''.

Final standings

''Toronto won the 3-way tiebreaker with Philadelphia and Chicago due to their 5–7 record against divisional opponents (Philadelphia was 4–8, and Chicago was 5–8).''
''Calgary won the 3-way tiebreaker with Arizona and San Jose because of their head-to-head record (Calgary was 2–1 against Arizona and 1–1 against San Jose, while San Jose went 0–2 against Arizona).''

Playoffs

The Knighthawks had the overall top seed in the playoffs, but were unable to host the Championship game due to a scheduling conflict at the

Team movement

The 2007 season features two new expansion teams, both in the East Division: the

Chicago Shamrox The Chicago Shamrox were an American professional lacrosse team that played in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) in the 2007 and 2008 NLL seasons. Home matches were played at the Sears Centre in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The t ...

and the New York Titans.

Rule changes

A number of rule changes were made for the 2007 season. The main changes are: * Cross-checks to the head are more severely punished * Cross-checking a player without the ball is now illegal * Scoring from behind the net is now allowed, provided there is no contact between the ball and the goalie or his equipment (this effectively allows the "Air Gait" move invented by

Gary Gait Gary Charles Gait (born April 5, 1967) is a Canadian retired Hall of Fame professional lacrosse player and currently the head coach of the men’s lacrosse team at Syracuse University, where he played the sport collegiately. On January 24, 2017, ...

) * When a penalty shot is awarded, the coach can choose any player on the team to take the shot

Milestones

* January 6: ** Chicago and New York played their first ever games ** Chicago recorded its first win and first home win ** New York's first goal was scored by Gewas Schindler ** Chicago's first goal was scored by Jason Clark **

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

won its first ever home game, defeating the

Philadelphia Wings Philadelphia Wings may refer to any of three distinct professional lacrosse teams: * Philadelphia Wings (1974–1975), a member of the original National Lacrosse League * Philadelphia Wings (1987–2014), a founding member of the National Lacrosse ...

13–12 * January 12: San Jose beat

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

17–16 in overtime in the longest game in NLL history. The game lasted 71 minutes and 42 seconds before

Luke Wiles Luke Wiles (born August 28, 1982) is a Canadian lacrosse player who plays forward for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. Wiles was named to the 2006 NLL All-Rookie Team. Junior career Wiles had an outstanding junior career ov ...

scored at 11:42 of overtime, narrowly beating the old record of 70:45 during an

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

game in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

. * January 20: New York records its first win and first home win at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

with an 11–9 victory over the Chicago Shamrox. The game is also the first loss for the Shamrox. * January 26: New York plays their first game at

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long Island venue is approximately east of the eastern limits of the New York City Borough of ...

, losing 16–11 to the Philadelphia Wings. The New York Titans will split their home games between the Coliseum and Madison Square Garden. * January 27: Rochester Knighthawk star John Grant Jr. sets a new NLL record for points in a single game with 15 (9 goals, 6 assists) in a 22–18 defeat of the New York Titans. * February 22: After a 12–9 loss to Toronto, the Calgary Roughnecks fired head coach Chris Hall, the only coach in team history. * March 24: Calgary teammates

Kaleb Toth Kaleb Toth (born August 8, 1977) is a Canadian former professional lacrosse player. He played for the Toronto Rock and Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). He is now an assistant coach for the Vancouver Warriors of the NLL. ...

and

Tracey Kelusky Tracey Kelusky (born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian former lacrosse player and current head coach of Panther City LC. Kelusky played for the Columbus Landsharks, Montreal Express, Calgary Roughnecks, Buffalo Bandits and Philadelphia Wings. Whi ...

both reach 500 career points in the same game, as Jeff Dowling wins his first game as head coach. * March 31: ** Rochester beats Philadelphia 12–10 in Rochester, setting a new franchise record with their ninth consecutive win. ** The 1,000th regular-season game in league history is played at

Xcel Energy Center Xcel Energy Center (also known as "The X") is a multipurpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Completed in 2000, it is named for its locally based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 17,954, the arena has fou ...

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, with Colorado defeating Minnesota 11–9. * April 6: The Calgary Roughnecks play their 100th game in franchise history against the Edmonton Rush at the

Pengrowth Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flame ...

All Star Game

The 2007

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

was held at the

Rose Garden Arena Moda Center, formerly known as the Rose Garden, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is used for basketball, ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions. The arena h ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

on March 10, 2007. The East won the game 20–16, on the strength of

Mark Steenhuis Mark Steenhuis (born December 3, 1980) is a Canadian former professional lacrosse player who last played for the Buffalo Bandits in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and formerly with the Hamilton Nationals of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). Intr ...

' six goals. Steenhuis was named game MVP. Steenhuis was also named game MVP in the

All-Star game, and became the first player in NLL history to be named All-Star Game MVP twice. The game was broadcast on

;

Travis Demers Travis may refer to: People and fictional characters *Travis (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Travis (surname), a list of people Places in the United States *Travis, Staten Island, a neighborhood *Travis Air Force Base, a ...

and Martin Wright called the action.

All-Star teams

* Unable to play due to personal reasons
** Unable to play due to injury
*** Unable to play due to family commitments

Awards

Annual

All-Pro Teams

First Team *

John Tavares John Tavares (born September 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft ...

, Buffalo *

, Rochester * Dan Dawson, Arizona *

Steve Toll Steve Toll (born June 16, 1974 in St. Catharines, Ontario) is a former lacrosse player and current executive in the Canadian Lacrosse League. In his 14-year National Lacrosse League career, Toll won five NLL Championships four with the Toronto Rock ...

, Rochester * Ryan Cousins, Minnesota * Anthony Cosmo, San Jose Second Team *

Gavin Prout Gavin Prout (born March 13, 1978 in Whitby, Ontario) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays for the Colorado Mammoth in the National Lacrosse League, and formerly of the Hamilton Nationals in Major League Lacrosse. He was also a mem ...

, Colorado * Colin Doyle, San Jose *

, New York *

Lewis Ratcliff Lewis Ratcliff (born April 24, 1981) is a retired professional lacrosse player. Originally from London, England, Ratcliff moved to Victoria at the age of 7. NLL career Ratcliff was drafted 49th overall by the Calgary Roughnecks in the 2001 NLL ...

, Calgary * Shawn Williams, Rochester * Nick Patterson, Minnesota

All-Rookie Team

, Toronto *

Geoff Snider Geoff Snider (born 2 April 1981) is a retired Canadian lacrosse player from Calgary, Alberta. Amateur career Growing up, Snider played for the Calgary Hornets in the Calgary District Lacrosse Association. His junior lacrosse career began with t ...

, Philadelphia * Athan Iannucci, Philadelphia *

Bill McGlone Bill McGlone (born April 24, 1984) is a professional lacrosse player from Ridley, Pennsylvania. McGlone plays for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. Collegiate career McGlone ...

, Chicago *

Nenad Gajic Nenad Gajić (born August 30, 1983 in Burnaby, British Columbia) is a lacrosse player for the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League and the New Westminster Salmonbellies of the Western Lacrosse Association. Lacrosse career Gajić was ...

, Colorado * Jamie Shewchuk, Colorado

Weekly awards

The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best transition player (new for 2007), best defensive player, and best rookie.

Monthly awards

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

Statistics leaders

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

References

External links

2007 NLL schedule

{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Nll Season 07