Johnny on the Spot: The Story of a Lacrosse World Champion
By Antranig Dereyan
Armenian Weekly
December 30, 2009
Born on Aug. 17, 1952 in the largest city in Canada’s Niagara region
and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, also known as St.
Catharines, he went on to Ithaca College in New York on a lacrosse
scholarship and later lead Canada to an upset win over the U.S. at the
1978 World Lacrosse Championships in Stockport, England.
Johnny Mouradian
`I fell in love with the sport at a young age by playing little league
box [indoor] lacrosse with my Armenian and non-Armenian friends. And
also by being the ball boy for the locally Armenian-owned Junior A
Athletics. From there, I got better and better. I was able to get into
Ithaca and then on the Canadian National Team, in 1974 and 1978. After
my playing days, I coached the national team, helped coach at Ithaca,
and was the head coach of my local college in Canada, Brock
University’ said Mouradian to the Weekly.
His playing career saw him excel in not only two forms of lacrosse – box
and outdoor – but also in hockey. This in itself would equal an
accomplished life; but for John Mouradian, who’d gained a master’s
from Ithaca to become a teacher, the itch of lacrosse was still
prevalent in his heart.
`I was helping out the National League Lacrosse (NLL) and in 1992, my
good friend, who grew up in Canada and played with me on the 1974 and
1978 national teams, Mike French, asked me if I would be interested in
becoming the general manager for the expansion team, the Buffalo
Bandits of the National League Lacrosse. It was something I was
interested in, so I agreed. And while I was finishing up my master’s
degree for my teaching, I was also, with the help of the assistants,
putting together the team for our first year in the NLL,’ explained
Mouradian.
For most players, heading into a coaching role or a front office role
is a tricky transition, but for coaches, the switch from behind the
bench to being in the office is a little more comfortable.
`I think it was a natural transition for me. Though, I had only
coaching jobs before. At the time, there was no official GM, so I, as
the coach, was also doing the job of the GM for the teams I coached.
Plus, I always want to have new challenges and it was great because I
was able to take all the sports psychology techniques that I had
learned at Ithaca and build a team, basically from scratch. Along with
my staff, we scouted the players we wanted and learned from each
other,’ Mouradian reflected.
His hard work preparing for the season paid off nicely, with the first
of back-to-back championships for the Bandits. He also set the mark
that still stands today – 22 straight victories.
Looking back on this time in his life, Mouradian had to laugh. `It was
a busy time for me,’ he said.
Why? Well, he was still teaching, so after putting together a
professional team and winning two championships, he had to go home,
prepare his teaching plans, and grade papers.
`At the time, all the jobs were part time, the league wasn’t able to
handle full-time positions. So, I was still teaching. And being the
GM…that was my side job,’ he said.
In 1998, Mouradian, along with Bandits coach Les Bartley and team
captain Jim Veltman, went up to Canada to take the Ontario Raiders
into Toronto, rename them the Toronto Rock, and see what they could
do.
`This was another great experience for me because I had my coach with
me and I had some ownership in the club as well. I was not only the
GM, but also the VP of operations,’ Mouradian said.
It was a new team, in a new town, but the result was the same: The
Rock won its first NLL championship and would repeat the feat the
following year, making it another back-to-back title run for
Mouradian.
>From Toronto, it was off to another new experience for the now
well-traveled Mouradian. The Albany Attack was moving to San Jose
under the name of the Stealth. Mouradian fit in perfectly, first as
the coach and then, after two seasons behind the bench (where he again
put on both hats) he moved back up to the GM role.
His time in San Jose saw no titles. The closest to a title – the 2007
and 2009 seasons – saw a Stealth loss in the division finals. But
Mouradian was finally able to be a part of the NLL, full-time, so it
was goodbye to his teaching career.
At the start of the 2009 season, however, new team owners decided it
was time to move on. Effective immediately, the San Jose Stealth would
be known as the Washington Stealth, making their new home in Everett,
Wash., a town just 30 minutes outside of Seattle.
`The San Jose days will always be looked upon as good days, but it
just didn’t work out,’ said Mouradian.
The team’s failure in San Jose? A combination of everything.
`We played in the Shark tank, which is where the San Jose Sharks of
the NHL play, and one of the biggest challenges was getting good dates
to play there because it is such a big and busy building. So many
events take place there…not just the hockey, but other sports, such as
the Arena Football League’s Sabercats. So the dates were an issue and
due to us not getting good dates, the fan base dwindled. So, though
unfortunate, a move had to be made and Everett was the best choice for
that move.’
`In Everett, the lacrosse community was already expanding with a Major
League Lacrosse field team (the Washington Bayhawks) before we decided
to move. The Comcast Arena, where we play now, really made us feel
welcomed. They really showed us that they wanted us to go there and we
made the right choice,’ Mouradian remarked.
The decision to move to Washington was not an easy one, as the owners
had many other suitors.
`There was a short list, but our owners really felt more comfortable
in Washington.’
Not only has Mouradian made a name for himself in the NLL – he received
the GM of the Year Award in 2004, and was inducted into the Ithaca
Hall of Fame and the NLL Hall of Fame in 2008 – but he is also the GM of
Team Canada.
`I am very grateful for everything,’ Mouradian is quick to remark.
`I am proud of my Armenian heritage and the people I have met.’
Mouradian, who is half-Armenian, grew up in St. Catharines, an
Armenian community, and only minutes from St. Gregory, the Armenian
Church where he went to Sunday School. `I always go to the Armenian
Church when I can,’ he said. `I have been to Armenia and want to go
back again soon. My biggest goal now is to start an Armenian lacrosse
team, maybe play in the World Lacrosse Championships. It will be hard,
but with some financial backing and a few good people who want to go,
teach, and expand the game to Armenians, I don’t see why this cannot
be a reality.’
Armenia Competing in the World Lacrosse Championships?
Although it’s possible Armenia could one day compete in lacrosse on an
international level, the difficulty lies in getting there and what to
do once the process starts.
John Mouradian, the general manager of Team Canada Lacrosse and the
Washington Stealth of National League Lacrosse, wants to start the
process of getting Armenia a national lacrosse team.
`It would be great for Armenia to be a part of this sport,’ says
Mouradian. `In 1978, when Canada won the championship, there were only
four countries. Now, there are 33. So, there has been a lot of growth
in the game internationally.’
For Armenia to be one of those 33 nations, it first needs to submit a
developmental application to be an associate nation. Out of the 33
nations, only 24 are member nations, while the other 8 are associate
nations, that is, they have a developing program in their country but
it isn’t fully up to par with the member nations. Completing the
application is vital and necessary for any country who wants to
compete in the world championships. It is done through the Federation
of International Lacrosse and according to their website
(), `resources will be given if: The sport is being
introduced within an educational system or solid organizational
structure. A clear, unified leadership group within the nation is
identified. A completed development application is submitted by the
developing nation. A development plan is submitted by the developing
nation and submitted to the Development Committee (the Development
Committee can provide assistance, if necessary).’
It’s not an easy process, but it’s doable.
`We would probably target the 2014 World Championships to get this
dream into a reality. Players need to have an Armenian passport to
play, doesn’t mean the players need to be living in Armenia, but we
would also want to go to Armenia, introduce the game and grow national
players as well,’ explained Mouradian.
The issue lies with the Armenians who want to play, but don’t have an
Armenian passport. Although Canada allows its citizens to have a
passport in addition to their Canadian passport – either first or
secondary – other nations, such as the United States, don’t allow their
citizens to carry another passport if they’re American first. The only
way a person can be a dual-citizen in America is if their American
passport is their secondary passport. `This is a problem we can deal
with once the initial process is taken,’ says Mouradian, meaning, once
the development application is submitted and the Armenian team is off
the ground.
One thing that is needed is a leadership group, or people who can
financially back the efforts, he says. `Someone to sponsor the
Armenian lacrosse program would be great and would really help us get
out of the `just talking about it’ stage to, actually the `doing it’
stage.’
`My plan is, when I get over to the World Championships this summer,
to do some due diligence, see where some of these other associate
countries are in their developmental process and how far it took for
them to get to where they are now. I also want to talk about what
their thoughts are about starting a program. But, the first key is to
get the paperwork from the Federation, round up some Armenians from
North America (U.S. and Canada) who have played lacrosse, or are
playing lacrosse now, whether it be in high school or college, have
them get interested in this, and have them be the key contacts for the
player research and financial aid. Basically, this is a lifetime
project, but something that is well worth it for Armenians and
Armenia.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
