Overview:
The 2023 off-season saw the retirement of several of the games greatest stars. Read more to visualize just how dominant these players were.
A major chapter in the NLL history closed on June 12, 2023 when Dan Dawson officially announced his retirement.
Another closed on September 13, 2023 when Brodie Merrill officially stepped away from his career.
The same was true on November 27, when legendary forward Shawn Evans followed in the footsteps of the aforementioned warriors.
There were many others in between, and it is safe to say that the 2023 retirement class is one of the greatest in NLL history. Future voters will legislate a ferocious battle for the NLL hall of fame in a couple years.
As pointed out by lacrosse journalist Adam Levi, there were several high profile retirements this off season:
The accolades for this group speak for themselves: Ten championships, three MVP awards, one Defensive Player Of The Year award, three Transition Player Of The Year awards, two Rookie Of The Year Awards, two Teammate Of The Year Awards, and most importantly… one Sportsmanship Award winner (Dan Dawson in 2009).
Cumulatively, this group played in more than almost 2,000 career games, scoring more than 5,000 points and contributing almost 9,000 loose balls. The below charts show the individual and cumulative statistics of these recently retired players.
This group of recently retired legends features prominently in the NLL record books for all time statistics. Three of them end their careers in the top ten all-time games played list. Note that players highlighted in Orange below retired this off-season.
Two of them also find themselves on the top ten list for all-time points. Again, 2023 retirees are marked below in orange.
As a side note, John Tavares’ points record is one of the most remarkable achievements in professional lacrosse history. Even in an era of long seasons and high scorers, that record will be hard to touch.
These players were special not just because of their production but because of how long they sustained that success. In a league that changed in nearly every way over the last 20 years, they adapted to different eras and regimes, and succeeded at every stage.
The below chart shows a cumulative, real-time look at the players and their progression through their careers. Notice the year at the top of the chart, and follow the players progressing through time.
Spoiler alert: Dan Dawson was doing it long before anyone else.
Congrats to these greats on legendary careers, and all the best in retirement. Thank you for all you have done for the game!
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