Dan Dawson Named NLL Teammate of the Year
May 23, 2023 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Toronto Rock News Release
Oakville, ON - The National Lacrosse League (@NLL) continued with their end of season award announcements today which included Toronto Rock forward and NLL legend Dan Dawson winning the NLL Teammate of the Year Award.
For Dawson, 41, (Oakville, ON) it's his second Teammate of the Year Award, after co-winning the award in 2020 with Mike Poulin. Dawson has played the most games in NLL history and is the longest tenured player, with his rookie campaign dating back to 2002 with the Columbus Landsharks. The 41-year-old, 2009 MVP and Sportsmanship Award winner helped lead Toronto to a 13-5 record. The Teammate of the Year Award was nominated by the player representatives from each team and voted upon by those 15 player representatives and the NLLPA.
Dawson's Toronto Rock teammates offered their congratulations to the all-time great, featured on the Rock's social media channels.
"Congrats Dan, you are the definition of a true teammate. I'm glad I got the chance to play with you," said Bill Hostrawser.
"Daws, you're the same great teammate I met my rookie year in Boston. It's been an absolute pleasure playing with you all these years. Congratulations on teammate of the year. That's an absolute no-brainer. You're one of the best to ever do it. Love you brother," said Nick Rose.
"Dan, I wanted to congratulate you on being the teammate of the year. I truly feel fortunate to have played with you and to learn from you and to be mentored by you. You truly epitomize what it means to be a great teammate. I couldn't be happier for you. Congratulations on being the teammate of the year," said Tom Schreiber.
"Dan, congratulations on winning teammate of the year. There's no one more deserving on this team or in this league than you to win this award. You know, the goals, the assists, all the points, they're great, but the small things that you do for this team, and you've done your entire career, are what you'll be remembered for. There's no one more deserving in this league than you to win this award. So, congratulations and friggin' rights. Let's go," exclaimed Challen Rogers.
Below are the all-time winners of the Teammate of the Year Award
2022 - Jeremy Thompson, Panther City Lacrosse Club
2020 - Dan Dawson, Toronto Rock & Mike Poulin, Georgia Swarm
2019 - John Ranagan, Georgia Swarm
2018 - Craig England, Buffalo Bandits
2017 - Mike Poulin, Georgia Swarm
2016 - Mike Poulin, Calgary Roughnecks
2015 - Joel McCready, Vancouver Stealth
Also on Tuesday, the league announced Lyle Thompson from the Georgia Swarm as the winner of the NLL Sportsmanship Award. It was Thompson's fifth straight Sportsmanship Award. The Rock's Tom Schreiber finished as the second runner-up behind Kyle Buchanan of the Buffalo Bandits.
The NLL Awards continue this week leading up to the NLL finals between Buffalo and Colorado beginning with game one on Saturday at Buffalo's KeyBank Center. On Wednesday the league will announce the Les Bartley Award Winner for Coach of the Year as well as the General Manager of the Year Award. Rock GM Jamie Dawick is a finalist for the GM of the Year Award.
For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 416-596-3075, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from May 23, 2023
- Bandits to Hold Party in the Plaza Ahead of NLL Finals Game 1 - Buffalo Bandits
- Dan Dawson Named NLL Teammate of the Year - Toronto Rock
- Thompson Wins Fifth Straight Sportsmanship Award, Dawson Wins Second Teammate Award - NLL
- Albany FireWolves Re-Sign Doug Jamieson for 2023-24 Season - Albany FireWolves
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