This has been a season of adjustment for, Ed Goss and possibly the biggest change has been accepting his switch from a standout to someone whose name usually draws a “Who’ dat?” on the street.
Before coming to the Arrows, Goss provided an excellent scoring threat for the Westminister Salmonbellies, earning all-star honors in 1970 and 1971 and getting selected as Westminister’s Most Valuable Player in the 1972 playoffs.
But on a team filled with a bevy of offensive threats, Goss sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, at least when it comes to getting recognition for his own talents. But instead of sulking and causing a problem, the likable Goss rationalizes his role. “It doesn’t bother me,” said Goss. “Paul Suggate plays my position and you can’t take him out. Most players play better when they’re playing a lot and that’s the way it is with me.”
Goss should see more action and thus become more effective as the season goes on. He sat out last season with a shoulder injury and he admits it affected him more than he thought it would.
“I had the shoulder operated on a year ago December,” recalls Goss, a 5-11, 180-pounder. “It definitely hurt my timing and everything. I didn’t think it would hurt me, but it did. You just can’t sit out a year and have it not hurt you.”
Still another adjustment has been the switch from New West, British Columbia to Largo, where he rooms with Bill Bradley. “It hurt at first,” confessed Goss. “I miss home and get down sometimes, but I can just get on the phone. The humidity here is what’s really hard to get used to.”
Once he becomes fully adjusted and gets a little more playing time, Goss will have a better shot at attaining his number one goal for the season. He wants to finish with at least 75 goals, which he thinks is within his range.
“I want to have a good year and be a two-way player,” says Goss. “I want to get 75 goals. Now that sounds like a lot, but in 56 games it really isn’t. The main thing is for the team to win (the National Lacrosse League championship) and I want to be a part of that.”
Goss always wants to stay healthy so he’ll have a chance to each the above objectives. That doesn’t mean, however, that he doesn’t like to mix it up occasionally. After all, he plays hockey in the off-season. “Hockey has helped me just in some moves and in being heady all the time,” explained Goss. “You’ve got to be thinking.
“There’s a lot more hitting in lacrosse, but you can get some pretty good ones in hockey. You don’t really notice the banging around in lacrosse after awhile unless you get a cheap shot in the leg. The only times it hurts is when you get hit in an open spot.
“You have to try to get aggressive early, especially when you’re new in the league,” Goss continued. “You’ve got to get a name and let people know they can’t intimidate you. If somebody intimidates you, you’ve got to retaliate. You don’t get hurt in a fight, just your pride.”
And that’s what enabling Goss to overcome several adjustments and contribute to the Arrows.