The Players Series - Jim Wasson
Jim Wasson
A Relentless Lacrosse Warrior
An outstanding and accomplished lacrosse player, Jim Wasson had the personal drive and ability to excel when his team needed him the most – one could say – a Peterborough Laker brand of lacrosse player. Along with solid offensive lacrosse talent, Jim Wasson was best known for his exceptional loose ball skills, short-man (penalty kill expertise) and overall ability to perform best when it mattered most. Accepting he was small in stature (standing 5’8” and weighing only150 pounds his entire career), this motivated Jim to use his speed and quickness to become proficient at winning loose ball battles and playing on the man short specialty team. Although he rarely played on the power play unit, Jim could score. Because of his small stature, Jim knew for him to be successful, he had to be tenacious, always hustling, always relentless to avoid being manhandled physically. In addition, to the challenge of competing with larger physical players, beginning at age 15, Jim Wasson developed a congenital eye condition known as Keratoconus in both his left and right eye which over his lifetime, he has had five corrective cornea plant surgeries to fix the problem which stems from severe astigmatism and blurred vision. Even today, bright lights or sunshine can be troublesome.
Likely unknown to most lacrosse fans outside of Peterborough, Jim Wasson was a goalie until his first year of Junior “B” lacrosse. Yes, Jim Wasson did not play lacrosse as a runner full-time until age 17 during his second year of Junior caliber lacrosse! Until then, his lacrosse career saw Jim rotate his position each season. In his first year of Novice, Peewee, Bantam and Midget, he would play goalie. In his second year of each of those age categories (when he was somewhat physically larger), Jim would play forward. He finally committed to playing forward when team mate Greg Thomas was the established starting goalie in junior. By that point of his lacrosse career, Jim Wasson was no longer content to be a backup goalie.
Now as a full-time runner, Jim Wasson played three seasons of OLA Junior “A” lacrosse (1970-1972). Along with being team “Rookie of the Year” in 1970, Jim was an assistant captain all three years. Playing in two Minto Cup championship series, Jim was an integral part of the 1972 Minto Cup champion Peterborough PCOs leading the team in goals, scoring 18 times in 11 games. Overall, during his Junior “A” career, Jim participated in 117 games, scoring 172 goals, 178 assists for a total of 330 points, while registering 151 penalty minutes.
Of interest, Jim Wasson recalls the 1971 Minto Cup as being particularly memorable. The series provided every element a lacrosse fan could possibly want including fantastic goals, spectacular goaltending, four games requiring overtime, along with player brawls and referees requiring police protection. Peterborough lost 13-11 in the seventh game of the series in overtime. Many lacrosse observers consider the 1971 Minto Cup championship as being the greatest Minto Cup series of all time.
Peterborough Lakers 1973 Mann Cup Champions
(Photo Source: The Peterborough Examiner Newspaper)
Graduating from junior and moving up to play Senior lacrosse, from 1973 to 1986 Jim Wasson played in 8 Mann Cup championships winning four times (1973, 1978, 1982, 1984) with the Lakers. His leadership skills saw him playing a key role as he was team captain from 1978 to 1984, which included the 1979 and 1984 Mann Cup championship teams. Of note, he was the Mann Cup Most Valuable Player in 1982. Jim won a fifth Mann Cup in 1980 with the Brampton Excelsiors as a pick-up player. Jim also played a season with Nanaimo of the Western Lacrosse Association in 1976, along with his younger brother Bob. Between them, they sniped 81 goals, 50 assists for 131 points. Despite their contributions, Nanaimo did not make the playoffs. Over the course of his 18 seasons of Senior lacrosse, Jim Wasson played 424 games, scoring 507 goals, 702 assists for a total of 1209 points while totaling 417 penalty minutes.
Jim played professional lacrosse with the Philadelphia Wings in 1974 and 1975. Over his two seasons with the Wings, in 94 games, Wasson scored 125 goals, added 136 for a total of 261 points along with 81 penalty minutes. For Jim Wasson, it was an experience he recalls as “magical” as the roster had several Peterborough players in the line-up and was coached by the legendary Bobby Allan. The Philadelphia fan base was incredibly supportive. Even today, Jim thinks of Peterborough as “Philadelphia of the North”. Although the 1974-1975 NLL did not survive, Jim asserts it laid the groundwork which led to the establishment of the current NLL and the model required to follow for a stable league.
Philadelphia Wings Teammate and Lifetime Friend John Grant acknowledging another goal scored by Jim Wasson
Not surprisingly, given his lacrosse intelligence and skill set, Jim excelled at field lacrosse. In 1978, he was a member of the Canadian Men’s Field Lacrosse Team. He scored the tying goal in the championship game to force overtime that led to Canada’s victory. He played on the Canadian National Field Lacrosse team from 1978-1982.
Jim was an all-around athlete playing hockey including being the MVP on Peterborough’s 1962 Ontario Novice
Championship team, a member of the 1968/69 All-Ontario Juvenile Champions and the 1969/70 OMHA Juvenile
Champions. In 1971, his Junior “B” Lions hockey team won Gold at the Canada Winter Games in Saskatoon. In
addition, Jim played university level hockey and in 1975/76, he led Trent University in scoring and he was selected to
the All-Ontario College team.
Beyond team success, Jim Wasson had numerous personal accomplishments. One which stands out is the night in 1979, playing against Oshewkan - Jim set the single game scoring record for OLA Senior Lacrosse with 17 points in one game - scoring 11 goals and adding 6 assists. The record stood for several years until Shawn Williams (Brooklin Redmen) tallied 22 points in one game.
Jim Wasson has been inducted into three Halls of Fame. Of interest, Jim and his younger brother Bob, were inducted into each of the Halls in same year. In 1997, into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame; in 1999, into the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame and in 2003 into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall.
Jim Wasson’s passion for lacrosse led him to coaching. A teacher by profession, coaching was a natural progression for Jim which saw him coaching the Senior “A" Lakers for the 1994-1996 seasons and the Junior “A” Lakers in 1997-1998. He also coached numerous high school boys and girls field lacrosse teams.
Jim was kind enough to offer his thoughts to fifteen questions. His responses are enlightening and provide detailed insight as what it means to be a Peterborough Laker, to commit to carrying on the Laker legacy and acknowledging the great players of previous eras – “heart and soul” players. Take the time to read the thoughts of Jim Wasson. He had an incredible playing career. He is a genuine lacrosse warrior – Jim Wasson was relentless and played with a fierce competitive drive, always striving to be the best he could possibly be, always wanting to help his team win – without question, a heart and soul player.
1. When did you begin playing lacrosse? Who introduced you to the game?
I started playing lacrosse in 1959. My mothers’ brother Benny Floyd took me up to the Civic Arena to the Lacrosse school run by Cy Coombes at the time. The lacrosse school at the time was a unique setup for lacrosse in Peterborough. It ran five days a week from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12 noon and was for Novice and Peewee age kids only in a house league. Five-year-olds would play all the way up with 10-year-olds in novice and the 11-and 12-year-olds played Peewee. There was no tyke and the bantam age kids and higher played on the travel teams and did not play in the house league. An all-star team would be picked from the house league and we would play one tournament a year usually in Huntsville for the All-Ontario championship. At the time when I joined there were only 100 kids in the entire city of Peterborough that played lacrosse. It was a south end game with basically anyone who lived in a mile radius from the rink.
2. You have always been known as an exceptionally hard working and intelligent player - How did you develop your skills and what personal strengths do you believe made you such a great lacrosse player?
Being small in stature and weight I had to learn way to play without being checked hard because of the weight I was often up against. Surprisingly I was a goalie all the way up to my first year of Jr. B in Campbellford. I didn’t become a full-time out player until I was in my second year of Jr. B at 17. I started off in net with Greg Thomas and I would play goal in my first year of Novice, Peewee, Bantam and Midget and would play out in the second year of those age categories when I wouldn’t be as small in those divisions. I finally committed to playing out when Greg Thomas was the starting goalie in junior and I no longer had the desire to be a backup goalie. Because I was small and quick I became proficient at loose balls and playing the short man but was never on the power play in my early going in junior but I could score. I think most of my skill came from playing backyard lacrosse which we would play day in and day out all through our entire youth where I had to be a hustler and tenacious to not only get the ball but avoid being checked playing at about 150 pounds my entire junior senior and pro career.
3. Did you have a favourite “go to” play or move? (Did you come up with your own plays?) If yes, please tell us about it.
In our early junior days, we had a Peterborough style of play that was ball control and pick and rolls. We were probably the first organization to play that style as Bobby Allan implemented the pick and roll game that no other teams had seen before at that time. Everyone else used the run and gun, fast-break system used by Morely Kells and Jim Bishop. We would work the play with the ball or do it off ball and hit the player on the opposite side who had set the pick and would roll into the center or middle for a good scoring chance. Because plays would take time to setup, with perfect execution we used a lot of the shot clock to execute them. It was a north south game when setting the picks and the other side would keep the others players busy so as to not clog up the center so that when you rolled to the middle you would be open. Today’s game is an east west game with everything happening on to and coming around a screen or double screen to shoot. I played with a lot of great right handers and we would execute that play to perfection with Gord Floyd, Brian Robinson, Terry Lloyd and Tom Parnell who I had played with but everyone who played in Peterborough knew the system. At the time no other organization was doing it and we caught a lot teams by surprise using it and scoring easy goals. As a teammate, outside of playing with Big John on the left side, my favourite left hander to play with in all the years I played was J.J. Johnston. We were always on the same page and could read what each other was going to do instinctively. I probably played with J.J. on my left side as much as I played with John maybe more. We both started out in junior playing short man together and five on five on the same line where we would score the majority of our goals if not all as we both weren’t on the power play in our early years. By the end of our careers, we both played the crease on the power play. I would say J.J. was my most regular left hander that I played with basically my entire career of junior and senior. He was such a great competitor and go to guy in the clutch. We’ve had that bond even to this day in admiration for each other.
4. A fan could see when you played - the look in your face – your intensity, your balls to the wall style of play - What made you such a passionate player?
I think being small with not much weight made me have to be tenacious and quick for getting loose balls and getting in and out of the corners without getting creamed with big cross checks. I also think we played in Peterborough where we had a lot of heart and soul players who loved to win and that made us very passionate with the desire to do so.
5. Do you think you had any particular weaknesses?
Funny question. I don’t think you ever want to admit you have any weaknesses but if you do you want to hide them. For me it was probably being small and not weighing much so I couldn’t really play a physical bruising style of play against bigger players or want to fight. Not that I ever wanted too.
6. As a youngster, was there a particular player you admired or tried to model yourself after?
Growing up Peterborough which for the most part is the mecca for playing lacrosse we had a multitude of players to look up to from the 50’s and 60’s. It seemed like from decade to decade we would have some of the most dominant players in the game from which there was something from each of them that you would want to try to emulate. Players such as Bobby Allan, Moon Wooten, Johnny Davis, Joey Todd, Larry Ferguson, Cy Coombes, Carm Collins, Pat Baker. Each had something that you would try to incorporate into your game. In think in Peterborough, we tried to pass down those skills and try to create a group of players that would become the next generational type players for the sport and carry on the Laker legacy.
7. You must have some thought about playing with your brother Bob. Please share with our readers.
Without question many of us grew up in Peterborough with sibling rivalries. The Evans, Johnston’s, Floyds, Grants, Davies, etc. My brother was two years younger than I was and we have played with each since he was five from the backyard to Junior to Senior to the National team in Field. He always won all through minor with the All Ontario and by the time he reached Junior he played in the Minto Cup every year he played which was five consecutive years from 1971-1975. When their age group joined our age group, we were basically unbeatable in both junior and Senior from 1971-1984 winning the Minto Cup and Mann Cup during that time. Unfortunately for Bob he was to be the #1 draft choice in 1976 of the NLL when the league fold so only got to play Junior and major series lacrosse plus the national field team.
8. Your relationship/friendship with John Grant Senior is well known. Your thoughts about Senior as a player, a teammate, a friend?
John and I have an interesting story of playing together that lasted over 30 years of playing together and another 30 as retired players. Those meeting us for the first time would think we hated each other as we had a rivalry with one another both on and off the floor. John and I have played on every team together beginning in 1961 until we both retired basically in 1984. What makes it unique is that we both played minor, junior, senior, pro in Philadelphia, and the national team and all of it playing on the same line more or less. That and our size differential of him being 6’6” and me being 5’8”. Not only did we have rivalries with other teams we played against but we also had a rivalry between each other in that we did not want to give each other credit with the accolades each of us had earned. We would always be down grading what each other accomplished and if it wasn’t for me or wasn’t for him, we’d have accomplished nothing. It goes on to this day even being retired that we won’t give each other credit for we’ve done. We also hold forum with many around us as we carry on with our often-silly banter. Those that know us know what I’m talking about. All in all, it’s good natured but at times it can get heated and carried away where you would think John would punch me out, but he wouldn’t cause he would kill me. What we did share from the beginning was our awareness for looking after our sticks. From the time we began back in novice we shared a passion for caring for our sticks which was identical. From teaching each other how to shave down handles with broken coke bottles, to putting in shooting strings and restringing entire sticks to make sure we each had the right pockets and we used exactly the same style of stick. The only difference is he shot left and I shot right. If the stick didn’t roll left properly, he would give it to me say it was “too much of a righty” meaning it would roll left properly. I would always take it because it would be the stick I’d like and use as we both had the same feel for our sticks. John would be very fussy and how well his stick would roll left.
9. Was there any particular opposition player you found tough to play against?
I don’t know if there was any tough player to play against as opposed to the many great teams that we had to play against. Victoria was always tough and we could never beat them on the island. New Westminster had some very good Mann Cup teams and the Branford Warriors were a powerhouse in the early 70’s. In junior there was the Richmond Roadrunners who we had an epic 7 game series in 1971 that is considered the greatest Minto Cup Series of all-time. It is said that the series spearheaded a surgence of lacrosse in BC with its growth in registration. And of course, there was the Lakeshore Maple Leafs and the Oshawa Green Gaels. As for great players there is almost too many to mention. Each of those teams had many outstanding players. Players that I admired that made each of their team’s tough were Paul Suggate, Rick Dudley, Kevin Alexander, Ivan Thompson, Ron McNeil, Jimmy Higgs, Johnny Davis, Dave Durante, the Tasker Brothers, Eric Cowieson. As I said too many to mention. From the toughest I’d say it was Rick Dudley and Ron McNeil. They could be mean but they all were.
10. Did you have a favourite shot? Was there any specific goalie you had trouble scoring on?
I don’t have a favourite shot. I tried to fake and freeze the goalie with as many fakes as I needed to see what kind of shot I would take next once I saw whether he went for any fakes or not. Goalies in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s were reflex goalies who were agile so beating them for the most part was to have them go for one of the fakes and you would have to see what you next move was. Today’s goalies don’t go for the fake as much and basically just try to block the ball from a lot of long ball shooting. In our era everything was to get in tight on the goalie and not as much long ball shooting.
11. Did you have a favourite coach? If so, who and why?
All of our coaches were fantastic. We grew up in the Peterborough system of ball control and pick and rolls that were instituted at both the junior and senior levels. It all started with a unique system in the PMLA known as the lacrosse school. Don Barrie was the main instructor each year all through the sixties and he would run the house league for tyke, novice and peewee. From the house league he would see all the players and have the best ones play on the all-star team for that division. Don coached all the all-star teams for each division coming up and we learned a lot skills and discipline from him. Once we hit Junior Benny Floyd took over and once in senior and pro Bobby Allan. All three coaches are in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and rightfully so. They all new how to get the best out of their players in critical moments.
12. You were part of two Minto Cups and five Mann Cup and a World Field Lacrosse championship team - Was there any particular team you played on that holds a special place in your memory?
All championships are memorable and each one has a special meaning. Our 1971 Minto Cup is the maybe the most memorable and we didn’t win it and it stung the most. It is considered maybe the greatest Minto Cup final ever setting a Canadian Lacrosse attendance record that has still not been broken with 30,000 spectators watching the 7 games series in which 4 games went into overtime including the 7th. Registration for lacrosse in BC tripled in minor lacrosse registration after that series and the Richmond Roadrunner team was inducted into the BC Sports Hall Of Fame because of that victory. My first Mann Cup was in 73 and it was memorable due to the fact we were huge underdogs and defeated the highly favoured Brantford Warriors in 6 games who were the previous Mann Cup champions with a very talented team. It was my first year senior and we were able to win after winning the Minto Cup the previous year as my last year of junior. 1978’s Mann Cup held was memorable as it captured the imagination of the city. It went 7 games with the highly favoured Victoria Shamrocks who were star studded led by Ron McNeil Ivan Thompson and Larry Smeltzer in goal. The 7th game set an attendance record at the Peterborough Memorial centre that is still held to this day with an attendance of over 5,600 in an arena that had only a 4,500-seating capacity for any sporting event hockey or lacrosse. It was our first year back as a senior team in the OLA after a 5-year absence due to the fact that the Lakers had folded with the advent of the 74-75 NLL and the majority of Laker players left to play in the league. In 1982 I had a magical series where everything I touched turned to gold and I led the series in scoring when we defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies and I was awarded the Mike Kelly Award as MVP of the Series. The other championship which is so memorable was winning the World Field Lacrosse Championship in 1978 in Manchester England defeating the United States 18-17 in overtime. It was the first time the United States had ever been defeated and the only time up until 2006 when Canada won it again in London Ontario. The victory had huge significance for field lacrosse not only bringing the game to Canada and high schools in general since field lacrosse had ended in Canada in the 1930’s but opened up a floodgate of field lacrosse scholarships to Canadian players in the United States. The template to pick the national team players is still the same template that is used today with a sprinkling of young NCCA players currently on scholarships blended with current NLL stars playing on the various pro teams. The template has never changed from the one we used in 1978 to capture the first ever World Field for Canada.
13. Was there any particular personal highlight or achievement you are most proud of?
Other than winning the championships I was able to win and the junior and senior and national team level there are two that standout for me personally. In 1979 I was able to set the single game scoring record for Senior Lacrosse now the MSL with 17 points in one game. I had 11 goals and 6 assists. The record held as a league record until a few years later when Shawn Williams beat it with 22 points in one game. The record is still a Laker team record which is still held to this day which is holding up after 45 years. The other individual achievement was winning the Mike Kelly Award in 1982 when we defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies in six games. I think I had two 5 goal games and two 3 goal games and lead the series in scoring.
14. How do you think your teammates and coaches would describe you?
I think a lot of them would say yappy but good natured and fun. I like to get a lot of guys going by needling them and poking fun at them to the point where if I cross the line, they’d like to punch me out but I’m so small it not worth their effort to do it. It would be too easy. But I do come to play and I love wanting to win. I think they would say I play with a lot of heart and desire.
15. Was there any one important lesson you learned from your time as a lacrosse player you carried through life?
Lacrosse and sport in general teach you to work hard to get the most out of it. That not all things will go your way. That there is adversity. Whether it’s tough losses or euphoric wins it helps you to make the right decisions. That you have to make decisions and hopefully you make the right ones. Not everyone does that. Sport can give you opportunity and hopefully you make the best of the opportunity that’s given to you. But it’s fleeting and you must be prepared to move on and look at the positive. The same as life. Sport is like life. You will face adversity and it’s all how you will handle it and try to overcome it if and when you face it. It also teaches you many skills that you take to the workforce. How to get along with people and be a team player with hopefully a positive attitude. All that are required when you work in the real world.