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Bruce McCullough during practice at the Beaconsfield Recreation Centre. (MARIE-FRANCE COALLIER/The Gazette)
With The Coach: Bruce McCullough
Sharing the spirit of lacrosse
John Meagher
The Gazette
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Bruce McCullough during practice at the Beaconsfield Recreation Centre. (MARIE-FRANCE COALLIER/The Gazette)
With the Coach is a weekly series featuring a conversation with a local coach.
Coach: Bruce McCullough, 54-year-old Dollard resident and purchasing supervisor for Aero Inventory
Team: West Island lacrosse novice/tykes team
Years coached: Eight
Playing experience: None
Best coaching tip: I want all the kids to develop and have fun.
Bruce McCullough played all the sports while growing up in the Valois neighbourhood of Pointe Claire. But lacrosse was not on the menu.
Now, he coaches youth lacrosse and presides over the West Island Lacrosse Association.
When did you start coaching lacrosse?
McCullough: I started coaching a peewee team in 2001, when my son was first playing. They were looking for coaches and convenors, so I’ve coached a team and a division every year since.
How much lacrosse experience did you have?
McCullough: Not much. I played maybe a couple of times in high school at Lindsay Place, but that was it. I wish I had played more though. (Laughs.)
How many players are in WILA?
McCullough: About 170, which is up from last year. I’ve been president for four years and this will be my last year. I think I’m leaving WILA in a good state. The growth is here. It was stagnant the first year I took over in 2006, but we’re getting a good influx. Every year, about a third of our players are new to lacrosse.
Why did lacrosse eventually catch on in the West Island?
McCullough: I’ve been a hockey guy most of my life, but there’s a feeling of the game in lacrosse that I don’t see in hockey. They call it the spirit of lacrosse, or whatever. There is something about lacrosse that when kids get into it, they can’t let go of it. Now kids are playing lacrosse in high school, and John Abbott College has a team.
What struck you most about lacrosse?
McCullough: I just love the game. What excited me about it, especially box lacrosse, is the speed and intensity of the game. The finesse. When you watch hockey, you might see four or five passes on a play. When you watch lacrosse, you see that the whole game. The movement of the ball is constant. The hand-eye co-ordination, the number of shots. Body contact is also a big part of it.
It also compliments hockey.
McCullough: For sure. Look at the number of NHL guys who played lacrosse at a competitive level growing up: Joe Nieuwendyk, Wayne Gretzky, Brendan Shanahan and Gary Roberts. When you hear them talk, they used to put away their hockey skates in the spring and get out their lacrosse sticks. John Tavares, the junior hockey player, played lacrosse as well, and his uncle is a big lacrosse star, too.
Is it a relatively short season?
McCullough: The season runs from May 2nd and we’ll finish July 12th. It’s about an 11- or 12-week season.
What equipment do you need to get started?
McCullough: A hockey helmet, cage, gloves, mouth piece, a cup and hockey shoulder pads are okay, but you’ll need rib protection and more serious arm protection.
Do your sons still play?
McCullough: Both my sons – Mike, who turns 19 next week, and Sean, play Shamrocks.