2001 NLL season

The 2001 National Lacrosse League season is the 15th season in the NLL that began on December 21, 2000 and concluded with the championship game on April 27, 2001. The Philadelphia Wings won their 6th NLL championship, defeating the Toronto Rock 9-8 in Toronto. Philadelphia had now won twice as many championships as any other team in NLL history (the Buffalo Bandits had won three, and the Rock two). The Championship game was one of only two games (out of ten) the Rock lost at home during the 2001 season, and ended Toronto's bid for an unprecedented third straight Championship.

2001 NLL season
LeagueNational Lacrosse League
SportIndoor lacrosse
DurationDecember 21, 2000 – April 27, 2001
Number of games14
Number of teams9
TV partner(s)CNN Sports Illustrated[1][2][3][4][5]
Regular season
League championsToronto Rock
  Runners-upPhiladelphia Wings
Season MVPJohn Tavares (Buffalo Bandits)
Top scorerJohn Tavares (Buffalo Bandits)
Champion's Cup
ChampionsPhiladelphia Wings
  Runners-upToronto Rock
Finals MVPDallas Eliuk (Philadelphia)

The NLL expanded its schedule from 12 games to 14 during this season.

The lowest-scoring game in NLL history happened during the 2001 season, as the Toronto Rock and Albany Attack combined for only 11 goals in a 7-4 Toronto win at the Air Canada Centre.

Team movement

For the 2001 season, one expansion team was added to the NLL, the Columbus Landsharks. In addition, the Syracuse Smash ended a dismal existence (dead last in the standings for three straight years) in Syracuse, moving to Ottawa, Ontario to become the Rebel. Unfortunately, the Rebel would finish in the basement three straight years as well. The Pittsburgh CrosseFire, formerly the Baltimore Thunder, moved again, this time to Washington, becoming the Washington Power.

In addition, the Toronto Rock moved from the aging Maple Leaf Gardens to the Air Canada Centre for the 2001 season. The first Rock game at the ACC was a 17-7 Toronto win over the Ottawa Rebel on the opening night of the season, December 21, 2000.[6]

Regular season

Reference: [7]

PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Toronto Rock – xyz14113.7860.06–15–2168125+4312.008.93
2Philadelphia Wings – x14104.7141.06–14–3205177+2814.6412.64
3Rochester Knighthawks – x14104.7141.06–14–3198159+3914.1411.36
4Washington Power – x1495.6432.04–35–2226204+2216.1414.57
5Buffalo Bandits1486.5713.04–34–3248218+3017.7115.57
6New York Saints1468.4295.03–43–4179181−212.7912.93
7Albany Attack1459.3576.03–42–5152169−1710.8612.07
8Columbus Landsharks14311.2148.01–62–5134201−679.5714.36
9Ottawa Rebel14113.07110.00–71–6144220−7610.2915.71

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

All Star Game

No All-Star game was held in 2001.

Playoffs
Semifinals Championship
      
3 Rochester 11
2 Philadelphia 12
2 Philadelphia 9
1 Toronto 8
4 Washington 9
1 Toronto 10

Awards
Award Winner Team
MVP Award John Tavares Buffalo
Rookie of the Year Award Tracey Kelusky Columbus
Coach of the Year Tony Resch Philadelphia
Executive of the Year Award Russ Cline Philadelphia
Goaltender of the Year Award Bob Watson Toronto
Championship Game MVP Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia

Weekly awards

Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.

WeekPlayer of the Week
1 no award given
2 John Grant Jr.
3 John Tavares
4 Roy Colsey
5 Derek Malawsky
6 Steve Toll
7 Jake Bergey
8 Devin Dalep
9 Pat O'Toole
10 Gee Nash
11 Tracey Kelusky
12 Kim Squire
13 Kevin Finneran
14 Pat O'Toole
15 Matt Shearer
16 Roy Colsey
17 Dallas Eliuk

Monthly awards

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

MonthOverallRookie
Jan Derek MalawskyTracey Kelusky
Feb John TavaresKris Bryde
Mar Gary GaitTracey Kelusky

Statistics leaders

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

StatPlayerTeamNumber
GoalsRoy ColseyNew York51
AssistsJohn TavaresBuffalo64
PointsJohn TavaresBuffalo115
Penalty MinutesPat CoyleToronto65
Loose BallsJim VeltmanToronto161
Save PctPat O'TooleRochester79.7

Attendance

Regular Season
Home TeamHome GamesAverage AttendanceTotal Attendance[8]
Toronto Rock 7 15,749 110,240
Philadelphia Wings 7 15,174 106,215
Rochester Knighthawks 7 9,147 64,032
Ottawa Rebel 7 8,058 56,409
Buffalo Bandits 7 8,041 56,289
Columbus Landsharks 7 6,559 45,912
New York Saints 7 5,918 41,426
Albany Attack 7 4,255 29,782
Washington Power 7 3,341 23,386
League 63 8,471 533,691

Playoffs
Home TeamHome GamesAverage AttendanceTotal Attendance[8]
Toronto Rock 2 16,926 33,851
Philadelphia Wings 1 10,259 10,259
League 3 14,703 44,110

See also

References
  1. Fatsis, Stefan (March 9, 2001). "Trainer to the Stars Plans Launch of Lacrosse League". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. "Passion, energy was driving force of former commissioner Jim Jennings". Inside Lacrosse. December 8, 2014.
  3. Umstead, R. Thomas (September 23, 2001). "CNN/SI Shifts Focus From News to Events".
  4. "CNN/SI to televise NLL games". OurSports Central. August 20, 2001.
  5. "NLL ONLY SHAKEN BY TRAGEDY IN NEW YORK". The Buffalo News. September 15, 2001.
  6. Ben Knight. "Toronto Rocks Ottawa in season opener, 17-7". Outsider's Guide to the NLL. Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  7. "National Lacrosse League - 2001 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  8. "2001 Season". nllstats.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
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