2002 NLL season


The 2002 National Lacrosse League season is the 16th season in the NLL. The season began on November 16, 2001 and concluded with the championship game on April 13, 2002, so, during that season, it was known as the 2001-2002 season as can be seen in the Albany Attack's .
The Toronto Rock defeated the Albany Attack 13–12 to win their third championship in four seasons. Colin Doyle was named championship game MVP for the second time.
Only one year after the season was lengthened to 14 games, 2002 saw it extended again, this time to 16 games.

Team movement

2002 was a year of expansion for the NLL, particularly north of the border. No less than four teams were added, three of them Canadian: the New Jersey Storm, Montreal Express, Vancouver Ravens, and Calgary Roughnecks all made their NLL debuts. The expansion caused the NLL to return to a divisional format for the first time since 1994. The teams were split into the Eastern, Central, and Northern divisions; the winners of each division would make the playoffs, as well as the top three ranked non-division-winners. The Eastern division consisted of Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey, the Central division had Albany, Rochester, Montreal, Buffalo, and Columbus, while the remaining Canadian teams were in the Northern division.
Early in the morning of February 14, limousine driver Costas Christofi was found shot to death at the home of New Jersey Storm owner Jayson Williams. Williams was later arrested and charged with manslaughter. Williams was acquitted of most charges, but was to be retried for reckless manslaughter. However, the case was delayed several times. On Monday, January 11, 2010, Williams plead guilty to aggravated assault in the case, and was sentenced on February 23, 2010. Williams would remain owner of the Storm until the franchise folded after the 2005 season.
For the first time in league history, a team changed arenas midseason, as the Ottawa Rebel left the Corel Centre for the smaller Ottawa Civic Centre. There were two home games left in the season at the time of the move.

Milestones

Regular season

Playoffs

The 2002 All-Star Game was held on April 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where the North team beat the South 14–10. The MVP was Toronto's Steve Toll, who scored three goals. At the time, this also marked Paul Gait's final professional lacrosse game, as he retired after this season. However, Gait was convinced by his brother Gary to come out of retirement during the 2005 season, and played four games for the Colorado Mammoth before retiring once again.

All-Star teams

Awards

AwardWinnerTeam
MVP AwardPaul GaitWashington
Rookie of the Year AwardBlaine ManningToronto
Coach of the YearBob McMahonAlbany
GM of the Year AwardDave EvansVancouver
Executive of the Year AwardTom MayenknechtVancouver
Defensive Player of the Year AwardPat CoyleToronto
Goaltender of the Year AwardRob BlasdellAlbany
Sportsmanship AwardJim VeltmanToronto
Championship Game MVPColin DoyleToronto

Weekly awards

In 2002, the NLL expanded its weekly player awards from one to four. There are now awards for the best overall player, best offensive player, best defensive player, and best rookie.
WeekOverallOffensiveDefensiveRookie
1Matt DisherDan StroupMatt DisherBlaine Manning
2Tracey KeluskyTracey KeluskyBruce CoddBlaine Manning
3Tracey KeluskyPaul GaitDwight MaetchePeter Morgan
4Tom MarechekRoy ColseyDallas EliukGavin Prout
5Gary GaitGary GaitSteve DietrichAndrew Leyshon
6Kyle GoundreyKyle GoundreyRob BlasdellPeter Morgan
7Shawn WilliamsKaleb TothJesse PhillipsBille LeFeurve
8Derek MalawskyDerek MalawskyDevin DalepKasey Beirnes
9Gewas SchindlerGewas SchindlerPat CoyleMike Miron
10Peter MorganJohn TavaresDevin DalepPeter Morgan
11Paul GaitPaul GaitBob WatsonKasey Beirnes
12Gary GaitJake BergeyBruce CoddBlaine Manning
13Chris GillChris GillRob BlasdellRyan Painter
14Josh SandersonShawn WilliamsMatt RoikGavin Prout
15John TavaresJohn TavaresJesse PhillipsMike Miron
16Jeff RatcliffeJeff RatcliffeAnthony CosmoBlaine Manning
17Paul GaitPaul GaitCurtis PalidworSteve Penny
18John Grant, Jr.John Grant, Jr.Chris SandersonBlaine Manning
19Tom MarechekJohn TavaresRob BlasdellRyan Painter

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.
MonthOverallRookie
Nov/DecTracy Keluskynone selected
JanPaul GaitKasey Beirnes
FebChris GillGavin Prout
MarPaul GaitBlaine Manning

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.
StatPlayerTeamNumber
GoalsPaul GaitWashington54
AssistsJosh SandersonAlbany68
PointsPaul GaitWashington114
Penalty MinutesBrian ReeseWashington78
Loose BallsJim VeltmanToronto203
Save PctRob BlasdellAlbany77.5

Footnotes