The Premier Lacrosse League announced the inaugural Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame class on Tuesday, honoring 11 of the greatest players in lacrosse history.
Players are eligible if they meet the following criteria:
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Minimum five-year playing career in the PLL and/or MLL
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Retired from professional play for at least three years
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Must be nominated by a member of the Hall of Fame Committee and receive a 75-percent majority vote of approval for election
Today we welcome the Inaugural Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class. pic.twitter.com/qROhw6JKuF
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) February 15, 2022
ATTACK
Mark Millon
The first-ever player to reach 300 career points, Mark Millon regularly won matchups against the toughest defenders in the world. His signature exclamation mark dodge and seven-point (five goals, two assists) championship performance led the 2002 Baltimore Bayhawks to their first title. In 2005, Millon won co-MVP honors in the MLL alongside Gary Gait.
Casey Powell
Attack or midfield, it didn’t matter. Casey Powell filled the box score from either position. Powell won three MLL championships (2001 with the Long Island Lizards, 2008 with the Rochester Rattlers and 2013 with the Chesapeake Bayhawks). In 2014, at 38, Powell earned MVP honors, scoring 30 goals and dishing 33 assists for the Florida Launch.
Powell ranks fourth all time in points (523), ninth all time in goals (262) and third all time in assists (256).
John Grant Jr.
When John Grant Jr. caught the ball, it was not a matter of if he would score, but how he would score. Behind the back. Around the world. Between the legs. Leaners. Fake high, shoot low. Grant Jr. puzzled goalies throughout his career, burying more goals (393) than anyone in pro lacrosse history.
Grant Jr. won five MLL championships as a player (2008 with the Rochester Rattlers, 2009 with the Toronto Nationals, 2012 and 2013 with the Chesapeake Bayhawks and 2014 with the Denver Outlaws) and another as an assistant coach (2018 with the Outlaws).
MIDFIELD
Jay Jalbert
Known for his endline-to-endline play, Jay Jalbert dominated every inch of the lacrosse field. In overtime of the 2003 MLL championship game, Jalbert sprinted in from his faceoff wing, sparked a fast break and dished the game-winning assist — capping a career year and an MVP season.
Gary Gait
British Columbia native Gary Gait led the 2001 Long Island Lizards to the first-ever MLL championship. After being traded to Baltimore the following year, Gait served as player-coach for the Bayhawks for four years, winning two MLL championships (2002, 2005) and earning co-MVP honors alongside Mark Millon in 2005.
Gait scored 169 goals and dished 66 assists in his MLL career.
Matt Streibel
Opposing scouting reports highlighted a capital-L and capital-R next to Matt Striebel’s name. His variety of dodges out of the box made him an impossible assignment to defend. Striebel ranks ninth all time in points (382), third among midfielders.
Striebel won three MLL championships with the Philadelphia Barrage (2004, 2006, 2007) and earned championship game MVP honors in 2007 for his six-point (three goals, three assists) performance.
DEFENSE
John Gagliardi
Known for his ability to turn defense into offense, John Gagliardi won two MLL championships with the Long Island Lizards (2001, 2003). Gagliardi was a five-time All-Star, playing his entire pro career with the Lizards.
Pat McCabe
The master of the takeaway check, Pat McCabe could strip the ball from any attackman. McCabe led the Long Island Lizards to three straight MLL championship games, winning the title in 2001 and 2003.
Nicky Polanco
An enforcer on the field, Nicky Polanco won everywhere he went. The 2004 and 2005 MLL Defensive Player of the Year won titles with the 2004 Philadelphia Barrage and the 2012 and 2013 Chesapeake Bayhawks. Polanco ranks 10th all time in ground balls (480).
FACEOFF
Paul Cantabene
A fierce competitor at the faceoff X, three-time MLL champion Paul Cantabene was a pioneer for the position. In 2005, Cantabene won 62.2 percent of his faceoffs for the Baltimore Bayhawks, one of the greatest teams of all-time.
GOALIE
Brian Dougherty
Brian “Doc” Dougherty backstopped the defenses of the 2006 and 2007 Philadelphia Barrage, the first-ever franchise to win back-to-back MLL championships. Led by Doc’s 62.7 percent save percentage, the 2006 Barrage fielded arguably the greatest defense of all-time. Tony Resch’s defense held opponents to 22.6 percent shooting, a record low in the pre-LSM era.