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Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard. |
04/27/03 Chris Driscoll - Toronto Rock "The Pistol" poured in dozens of goals for the New York Saints this season, but hadn't scored since his recent trade to the Toronto Rock. That was until the semifinal game against Colorado, when Driscoll cashed in a pair of emphatic scoring runs to help earn a spot in next weekend's NLL Champions Cup game in Rochester. Proud, happy and clearly relieved, this prolific goal scorer talked it over with PLPA correspondent Ben Knight right after the game. | ||
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When this season started, did you think you were going anywhere near the NLL final? | |
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(Laughs) No, not really. I was down in New York, and I just want to thank the Saints for giving me the opportunity to come to a team like Toronto. I knew that the way this team is structured, they would have a chance at being in the final.
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Talk about New York for a minute. A couple of years ago, they looked like they were starting to put it together pretty good. And this year, up until the trade anyway, they looked like they had a pretty good offence going. | |
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Yeah, they definitely did. They've got a really young team and a really young defence, but goalie Gee Nash played unbelievably this year, and they just struggled. It's tough having so many guys fly in to play. When you're with a team like Toronto, everyone's around and practicing together. Everyone's a team. That's a big difference.
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So what differences do you notice when you come from there to here? | |
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Oh, it's just the team atmosphere. I'm not saying New York's not a team, but everybody's together here. Everybody prepares together, and the coaching staff does an unbelievable job of giving us a game plan, and we just go out and execute it.
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It took a while for you to get that first goal up here, and it looked like Blaine Manning set you free with just one killer of a pick! | |
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We've been working on that for a while. It was just a monkey off my back. I've just been working hard trying to get that first goal, and do what I can to help the team to win.
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And the second goal was right off a restart | |
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Yeah, it was pretty much the same pick. Blaine threw it and I ran right across and put it in the other side. I was just open, and I made the best of it.
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You've been in the league final before, haven't you? | |
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I was in the finals back when it was the MILL. I played for Rochester in the finals against Philly, and we lost on a goal in overtime. Then a couple of years later we actually beat Buffalo down in Buffalo to win the championship. But I haven't been in the finals for the NLL, and it's a great honour and I'm definitely going to make the best of it.
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What is your role on this team? The Rock is such a system team; they don't bring in a lot of new players. They specifically knew they wanted some more offence and they picked you. | |
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You know, I just didn't want to come in and get in guys' ways. They've got the go-to guys here, and I just wanted to help out and pitch in one or two goals here or there. I work hard, and definitely try to play my role.
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| PLPA Correspondent Ben Knight is a columnist for Sportsnet.ca, and a regular contributor to Total Lacrosse.com and the Outsider's Guide to the NLL. He lives in Toronto, and is a passionate Six Nations Arrows fan. |
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