THINK LACROSSE / FAUT Y PENSER

  What’s Our Mission?    By Dennis Kehoe If you leaf through the constitution of almost any lacrosse organization in Canada—local, provincial, or national—you ’ ll find a  sentence under “Mission Statement”  that has  now  survived longer than  some countries .  The Mission statement   typically  reads  as  some variation of:  “To foster and promote lacrosse as the National Game of Canada.” That sentence has been with us since September 26, 1867, when the National Lacrosse Association was formed in Kingston, Ontario. One hundred and fifty-nine years is a long time to repeat anything without  revisiting whether it’s still relevant, and  what it  actually means .   T he problem with old mission statements is that they fossilize. They turn into slogans that no one interrogates, even when the world around them changes completely. So  it is worth asking the awkward question: if lacrosse is alr...

IS THE RE HOPE FOR SOMETHING CALLED TRUST A T LACROSSE CANADA? by Pierre Filion pierrefilion@bell.net Our last post dealt with the history and culture of mistrust at Lacrosse Canada. Readers all had their own horror stories and seemed to think that there was no solution to the culture of mistrust. I disagree and want to contribute, as positively as possible, to some sort of improvement in the relationships that lacrosse people have with one another. Here are some pathways that could be considered. 1.Just tell the truth I know, I know, no one lies in lacrosse. Everyone tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! Yet we are an association of Pino c chios ! I also know that it is totally naïve to suggest that people should tell the truth as there will be hundreds of reasons not to really engage in telling the truth. So , I’ll leave this to everyone’s assessment, but still will suggest that when dealing with members, in a democratic and open association, leaders shou...

  Duane  “ D ewey ”  Jacobs Quiet and Skilled Leader Four  Time Hall of Famer Besides winning three Mann Cup championships as a player and assistant captain with the Six Nations Chiefs (1994, 1995, 1996), Duane Jacobs has won the prestigious Mann Cup trophy six more times (2013, 2014, 2016, 2023, 2024 and 2025) with the Six Nations franchise as a coach and executive member. Over 11 seasons, he scored 453 points in 130games as a player in the National Lacrosse League and won the Champions Cup as a player with the Rochester Knighthawks in 1997. When his career as a player ended, Dewey coached the Minnesota Swarm for three seasons.  Known for his extreme intelligence, quiet leadership style and work ethic, Jacobs was inducted in to the Rochester Knighthawks Hall of Fame in 2009, the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2019 and the North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame in 2026.

  By Pierre Filion pierrefilion@bell.net I have attended 43 CLA ( L acrosse Canada) annual general meetings between 1973 and 2017; I have also attended every semi-annual meeting in that period along with numerous Board meetings, E xecutive committee meetings and sector meetings. I was there , I saw what I saw and heard what I heard . In no way , however, am I suggesting that I have a full perspective of ‘’the complete history’’ of Lacrosse Canada b ut 43 years of active presence might be something to take into account! A HI S TORY OF MISTRUST Allow me to shed some light on what I have seen as a constant and repetitive history of mistrust between the national and provincial associations. I’ll just share some factual examples to illustrate my point. Some elements are very significant; some are shocking; others less, but they all point in the same direction; lack of trust! My first CLA meeting was in 1973 in Vancouver; Jim Bishop and Morley Kells were in BC at that time to me...