What John Davis calls his “good dream” will come true at eight o’clock tonight at the Forum
it will happen when Davis. as captain. Teads his Les Quebecois teammates out of the dressing room for their game against the Toronto Tomahawks, the inaugural for the new National Lacrosse League.
Davis will be wearing No. 9 or the back of his red-white-and-blue jersey – the first Montreal pro athlete to wear that number in the Forum since the Canadiens retired it after the 1959-60 season in Rocket Richard’s honor. And if Les Quebecois are to make it here. both artistically and financially. they will need Richardianlike efforts from “he man whom club president and general manager John Ferguson calls the best.
It’s a challenge. Davis said yesterday after Les Quebecois were introduced to a sparse crowd of shivering Montrealers at Place Ville Marie at noon. “But it’s really something I’ve worked for all my life. I never thought I could make a living playing this game. Now that it’s here, well. “
Davis comes with all the credentials to be a superstar. Last year, he scored 86 goals and had 121 assists in 21 games to lend Peterborough to the Mann Cup and the national championship.
‘Best lacrosse I’ve ever seen’ “But this is better.” he insisted, on the strength of six intra-squad games. “This is the best calibre of lacrosse I’ve even seen in my life. This team would have beaten our club last year.”
Just how good are Les Quebecois? “We’ll be there,” Davis promised. “We had tough, tough practices. But Coach (BUD Bradley was right. This is pro, not the old Senior A. You’ve got to be tough. You’ve got to have it inside, or forget it. We weeded out a lot of guys right from the beginning, guys who couldn’t take it. And the guys who are left. “I know we’ve got three well-balanced lines, I think we’ll be okay defensively and I know we’ve got great gnaling. if we play up to our potential. We shouldn’t lose more than five games fout of 401 all season.
“I know that’s how the guys feel. This team has been first class all the way. I’ve never seen anything like it in lacrosse. I’ve never been treated as well. It’s all new to a lot of the players and everyone appreciates it.”
Started young with great desire Davis has played lacrosse back to the earliest memories he has of his native Peterborough. I was three years old the first time I held a stick.” he recalled, and I was into organized lacrosse at 6. I played some hockey, but lacrosse always was my sport.
“Every summer, when I was five, six, seven and eight. I’d play lacrosse eight or 10 hours a day. I’d even play by myself, practicing moves and shots. I worked hard when I was young.”
He paused and thought for a moment. “And now that It’s here,” he added. “I’m going to work twice as hard. This will be my best year ever. I’m really looking forward to a superb year.”
That is the kind of attitude you’d expect from a man who has been the acknowledged team leader everywhere he’s played. Ile was a unanimous choice as Los Quebecois captain. “It’s not really any big deal,” he said about a role he obviously enjoys. “I just go out and do my best and hope the other guys do the same.”
Davis won’t overwhelm anyone with his size. He’s a well-built 5′ 9″ and 165 pounds, but said: “Size has nothing to do with it. Moves and speed are what count. I’m not the fastest guy, but I’m the type of player who doesn’t waste any footsteps.”
Bears scars of rugged career Or hear any, for that matter He’s had 100 stitches, lost four teeth, had his nose broken six or seven times, I forget” and suffered one concussion during his lacrosse career. Fights? He grinned, and rubbed his nose. “I wasn’t born with this,” he said
He’s hurting now, too, with a pulled hamstring that kept him out of three of the six pre-season exhibitions. It’s sore,” he admitted later. following a light, late-afternoon workout at the Forum, “but I’ll definitely play. This is a big one for everyone connected with the team.”
It’s a big one, personally, for Davis as well. “I want to beat Bishop by 10 goals,” he said, referring to Jim Bishop. the Detroit Red Wings executive vice-president who’s doubling this summer as GM of the Toronto lacrosse team. “I played three years of junior lacrosse for Bishop in Peterborough.” Davis said. And was Bishop a good lacrosse player? “No, not really,” said Davis, with a little smile.
NOTES: Davis plans to move his family – wife Sylvia and sons Jeffrey, 8, John Jr., 6, and Joey, 3, to Montreal in July. The two older buys are into organized lacrosse and the youngest “is fooling around with a stick,” the proud father said.
Davis had seven goals and five assists in the three intrasquad games in which he played … He also has stamina, once played a 12-minute stretch last season with Peter. borough. My regular shift, then we were short-handed a couple of times, and then we had a power play,” he exp ained. Bradley won’t use him in the man-short situation here, but he will be out on power plays.