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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. In Player Spotlight this week is Chris Gill of the Toronto Rock. The Toronto Rock earned a 9-5 win over the New York Saints in front of over 14,000 cheering fans at Maple Leaf Gardens. Chris Gill, one of an air force of Rock players who commute in from Western Canada for each game, led the way with four goals and an assist. PLPA correspondent Ben Knight interviewed Chris Gill after the game. |
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You were the only Rock player who really broke through there in the first half. Was it that the defence was that tough? |
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Yeah, they play a tough style. They were gunning for us because we got
our rings and raised our championship banner today. If I were playing
against us tonight, I'd be gunning for us too. They played well, but
luckily we prevailed in the third and fourth quarter.
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I got the sense maybe that the Saints were a little tentative on their attacks. On the power play, particularly, they didn't seem to be challenging you guys all that much. |
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Would you challenge us, with Dan Ladouceur, Terry Bullen and Jim
Veltman? They're strong boys. They're big boys. We've got good
goalkeeping here, too, and it's really tough for them to even get through
that defence.
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What's it going to be like next game, when Pat Coyle gets back from his two-game suspension? |
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Scary for them. We've got five or six guys who play great defence. I'm
glad I'm not playing against us.
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So what was the turning point tonight? |
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At halftime, we realized that they were playing a different style of
lacrosse from what we were expecting. We came out, made some changes and
we got some offence. We capitalized on our opportunities.
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This is a league where all the teams are located pretty close together, and there's no really long road trips. And yet, every game is a long road trip for you, flying in from British Columbia. How's that working out for you? Do you ever not know what time zone you're in? |
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Yeah, it's difficult. But it's fun for us, too. My fellow westerners
and I are playing a sport we love, and if we have to fly across the country
to do it, well, so be it.
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(At this point, Gill reached for and opened a small blue box, containing
his 1999 NLL world championship ring.) Tell us what you're looking at, Chris. |
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Ooo! It's nice! It's a little big for my fingers. This is great!
I've never had one before. I hope I get more. |
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What has the atmosphere been like in the Toronto Rock dressing room so far this season? |
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Well, it's only two games in, but we basically have the same core as
last year. We're trying to keep everything rolling, and keep it all in
perspective. We're not the best team in this league by far. Everybody's
good. We don't want to think we're above everybody because we won last
year. Right now everybody on the team is so positive, and we're really
tight in the way we're playing. We're just trying to win every game, one
game at a time, one shift at a time.
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How about the fans? |
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We have the best fans in the league. They're so crazy. Rock fans are
worth a goal or two a game because they're so loud and so pumped. They're
always pulling for us.
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One of the big issues for the PLPA, of course, if free agency. How has it affected you? |
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Free agency is a great thing. It opens up so many doors for people. I
explored it, along with a few other guys on this team, but we all just like
Toronto so much that we didn't take the other offers. This is such a great
team, we didn't want to leave.
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As the players head into the next collective bargaining agreement, what are your thoughts on all of that? |
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I just hope both sides can accomplish something they both want. It's
such a sketchy situation, where each side wants something particular. I
just hope is works well for the players.
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How's the team going to prepare for the visit to Pittsburgh next week? |
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The CrosseFire have one of the best players in the world in Gary Gait.
We've got to be able to stop him, and create chances for ourselves on
offence. They have so much talent, but our goaltending is very strong, and
if we focus on goaltending and defence, offence usually takes care of itself.
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Looking ahead to this summer, are you planning to play again out west, or will you explore the new MLL pro league? |
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I've heard a little bit about that pro league, but I'm committed to my
team back home, the Maple Ridge Burrards. Hey, I've got a ring now, maybe
I'll get a ring there!
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