By DAVID SHOIHET - Star Staff Reporter
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It was about last March that Dale MacKenzie realized that a new professional lacrosse league was about to be born.
Not only that, but he discovered that Dale MacKenzie, then 22 years of age, would be a part of the new league.
“I was not sure whether the thing would work or not. It was tried before (in 1968) and it didn’t work then,” recalled Les Quebecois forward here yesterday after a six-hour bus ride from Montreal.
“My opinion has changed greatly since then. Most of the guys in the National League and myself think this thing will go . . . based on attendance figures in three of the six cities.”
It’s playoff time now as Les Quebecois and Rochester Griffins open a best-of-seven semi-final here tonight. The second game will also be played here tomorrow night.
According to National Lacrosse League headquarters in Toronto, the six league franchises drew a total of 506,177 fans or an average of 4,986 per game.
In 20 Forum contests, Les Quebecois drew 138,686 for an average of 6.934 per game, second only to Philadelphia Wings, who drew 174,746 in 20 games at the Spectrum for an average of 8,737.
Fans haven’t exactly been breaking down the doors to Rochester’s War Memorial Auditorium. The Griffins only drew 55,289 fans in 20 games or an average of 2,-764 per contest.
Word has it that the franchise could shift next season to Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, MacKenzie is looking forward at getting a crack at the Griffins who hold a 5-3 won loss advantage over Les Quebecois during seasonal action.
Dale finished in 11th place in the league scoring derby with 64 goals and 73 assists for 137 points io 40 games, all of which led to his selection to the league’s second all-star team. Against the Griffins he registered 12 goals and nine assists in eight contests.
MacKenzie feels that next year the average player should make somewhere between $8-$10,000 for 60 games. In fact, one player, Paul Suggate of Maryland, is reported to have signed a three-year contract calling for $90,000.
John Ferguson’s squad naturally, is thinking of a win tonight. A split of the two games here will put them in the driver’s seat for the next two to be played Sunday and Tuesday nights in the Forum.
Les Quebecois received more good news yesterday when Jim Lynch was selected rookie-of-the-year and John Davis was selected to the league’s first all-star squad. Two members of the Philadelphia Wings head the ‘dream team’.
Defenceman Larry Lloyd and goaltender Wayne Platt join Davis, Rick Dudley of Rochester Griffins, Suggate, and Gaylord Powless of Syracuse Stingers as selections on the first all-star team.
Players on the second team include John Grant of Philadelphia, MacKenzie, Dave Wilfong of Rochester, Pat Differ and Jim Higgs, both of Syracuse, and goalie Merv Marshall of Rochester.
Grant scored the tying goal with two seconds remaining and then got the winner in overtime to give Philadelphia an 11-10 win over Maryland in playoff action last night.
A crowd of 7,615 saw the Wings take the opening game of the best-of-seven semi-final series which continues with the second game in Philadelphia tonight.
