Minor lacrosse players from Prince George and northern B.C. will get the chance to learn from a couple legends of the game.
Chris Gill and Dan Stroup will be in the city for an April 13 skills clinic being presented by the Prince George Masters Lacrosse Association. Both men had shining careers in the National Lacrosse League, Gill for 14 seasons and Stroup for 13. Combined, they won the Champion's Cup -- the top prize in the playoffs -- seven times.
Gill and Stroup ran a clinic in Prince George several years ago. Glenn Scott, president of the P.G. Masters Lacrosse Association, said the PGMLA felt it was time to bring them back. So, he placed a call to Gill, who readily accepted the invitation and also got a commitment out of his good friend Stroup.
Comparing lacrosse to hockey, Scott said this is like bringing NHLers to town.
"These are guys that have gone through the wars of the National Lacrosse League and the Western Lacrosse Association and won many, many championships," he said. "They have the experience, the expertise. They know the fundamentals, they know the skills."
In the NLL, Gill played for the Baltimore Thunder, Ontario Raiders, Toronto Rock, Vancouver Ravens, Calgary Roughnecks, Edmonton Rush and Colorado Mammoth. He retired in 2010 and is now a coach with the New Westminster Salmonbellies of the WLA.
Stroup, meanwhile, suited up for the Thunder, Raiders, Rock, Ravens, Mammoth, Rush and Portland LumberJax. His final NLL season was in 2009 and he's now coaching minor lacrosse in the Greater Vancouver area.
The Prince George clinic is open to all minor lacrosse players and will be held at Kin 3.
Scott said registration forms will be distributed to minor lacrosse associations throughout the region. Players who sign up before March 10 will pay $35. After that, the price jumps to $45.
The PGMLA will be paying the travel, hotel and other expenses incurred by Gill and Stroup.
"It's just a real tip of the hat for us to be able to get them to come to Prince George and lend their expertise for a day," Scott said. "Hopefully all the youngsters will learn from them."
