2012 NLL season

Team movement

The Boston Blazers announced in September 2011 that they would not participate in the 2012 season. A dispersal draft was held on September 9, 2011, as the Philadelphia Wings took Blazers captain and top scorer Dan Dawson first overall.

Teams

necks](calgary-roughnecks)**}}

Final standings

Playoffs

| RD1-group1= Eastern Division | RD1-group2= Western Division | RD1-seed1=E1 | RD1-team1=Toronto Rock | RD1-score1=7 | RD1-seed2=E4 | RD1-team2=Buffalo Bandits | RD1-score2=6 | RD1-seed3=E2 | RD1-team3=Rochester Knighthawks | RD1-score3=14 | RD1-seed4=E3 | RD1-team4=Philadelphia Wings | RD1-score4=13 | RD1-seed5=W1 | RD1-team5=Calgary Roughnecks | RD1-score5=11 | RD1-seed6=W4 | RD1-team6=Edmonton Rush | RD1-score6=19 | RD1-seed7=W2 | RD1-team7=Colorado Mammoth | RD1-score7=10 | RD1-seed8=W3 | RD1-team8=Minnesota Swarm | RD1-score8=14 | RD2-seed1=E1 | RD2-team1=Toronto Rock | RD2-score1=13 | RD2-seed2=E2 | RD2-team2=Rochester Knighthawks | RD2-score2=17 | RD2-seed3=W3 | RD2-team3=Minnesota Swarm | RD2-score3=3 | RD2-seed4=W4 | RD2-team4=Edmonton Rush | RD2-score4=15 | RD3-seed1=E2 | RD3-team1=Rochester Knighthawks | RD3-score1=9 | RD3-seed2=W4 | RD3-team2=Edmonton Rush | RD3-score2=6

Milestones and events

Pre-season

• September 1, 2011: The Boston Blazers announced that they would not be participating in the 2012 season.
• September 23, 2011: The NLL announced that there would be several rule changes for the 2012 season. The major changes were:
  • For major penalties, the team will be short-handed for five minutes or if the opposing team scores three (rather than two) goals.
  • When a team gains possession of the ball in their own end, they now have eight seconds (rather than ten) to get the ball over centre.
  • When the whistle is blown to indicate a loss of possession, the player with the ball must immediately put it on the floor. Throwing it or rolling it away is now a penalty.
  • Goaltender pads will be one inch narrower.
• October 26, 2011: The playoff format has changed for the 2012 season. Eight teams will still make the playoffs, four from each division, and the single-game elimination format is retained. However, if the fifth-place team in the West Division has a better record than the fourth-place team in the East, the West division team will take its place. This "crossover" rule is already in use in Major League Soccer and the Canadian Football League.
• November 29, 2011: The NLL announced several more rule changes for the 2012 season:
  • Challenges to on-field calls will be limited to one per team per half
  • The maximum length of a stick is reduced from 46 to 42 inches.
• The Philadelphia Wings announced that during the February 12 game against the Buffalo Bandits, the Wings players will wear special jerseys with their Twitter user names instead of their last names. The game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after the game, with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

Regular season

• January 21, 2012: John Grant, Jr. became the fifth player in NLL history to score 1000 points with an assist on a Derek Hopcroft goal in Colorado's 13–12 overtime win over the Calgary Roughnecks. Grant started the season with 30 points in three games.
• January 26, 2012: Toronto Rock captain Colin Doyle suffered a lower body injury early in the Rock's 13–11 defeat of the Knighthawks. The injury kept him out of the lineup during the Rock's game against the Calgary Roughnecks the next night, ending his consecutive game streak at 188 games. Doyle is now tied with Steve Toll for the NLL record.
• February 13, 2012: The Edmonton Rush traded holdout Athan Iannucci and a second-round draft pick to the Washington Stealth in exchange for Paul Rabil and a first-round pick. Iannucci was acquired from the Philadelphia Wings in the off-season for Brodie Merrill, but never signed with the Rush.
• February 15, 2012: Five members of the Rochester Knighthawks were suspended indefinitely by the league after a "brawl" at a restaurant in Bloomington, Minnesota. Cody Jamieson, Tyler Burton, Sid Smith, Travis Hill, and Jordan Hall were arrested, charged with various misdemeanors, and released. The suspensions were lifted a week later.
• February 17, 2012: Former NLL Goaltender of the Year Anthony Cosmo was traded from the Minnesota Swarm to the Buffalo Bandits for first-round draft picks in both 2013 and 2014. Cosmo was selected by the Swarm in the Boston Blazers dispersal draft but had not played with the Swarm.
• February 22, 2012: The Minnesota Swarm named Associate General Manager Joe Sullivan head coach, replacing Mike Lines. No reason was given for the move.
• March 2, 2012: John Grant, who reached the 1,000-point milestone earlier in the year, scored his 500th career goal in a 16–13 win over the Buffalo Bandits. Grant became only the third player in NLL history to reach 500 goals, the other two being Gary Gait and John Tavares.
• March 10, 2012: Shawn Williams became the sixth player in NLL history, and second this season, to reach the 1,000-point plateau as his Edmonton Rush lost 16–9 to the Calgary Roughnecks. Williams joins NLL legends Gary Gait, John Tavares, Colin Doyle, Josh Sanderson, and Williams' former Knighthawk teammate John Grant, Jr., who reached the milestone in January.
• March 17, 2012: John Tavares scored the game-winning goal in a 13–10 win against the Minnesota Swarm. The goal was Tavares' 1,600th point in his 21-year NLL career.
• April 7, 2012: Dan Dawson recorded his 75th and 76th assists of the year, breaking the single-season assists record of 74 previously held by Dawson and Josh Sanderson.
• April 23, 2012: Garrett Billings recorded his 79th assist, surpassing Dan Dawson for the league lead and setting a new mark for assists in a season.
• April 28, 2012: John Grant set a new single-season scoring record, recording his 116th point with a goal in Colorado's 16–14 loss to the Minnesota Swarm. Grant surpassed the record of 115 points, set by John Tavares in 2001.
• April 28, 2012: Garrett Billings finished the season with 82 assists, setting the new single-season assist record.

Media Coverage

Beginning with the 2012 NLL season, U.S. broadcast rights shifted to CBS Sports Network, which carried eight regular season games, all of them live.

A new weekly one-hour radio show called "Toronto Rock Total Access" about the Toronto Rock began on January 2, 2012, on TSN Radio. Rock Communications and Public Relations Coordinator Mike Hancock hosts the show, which airs at 8pm on Monday nights. The Rock also announced that 11 of their games would be televised on TSN or TSN2.

The Edmonton Rush and Calgary Roughnecks announced on January 19, 2012, that their four "Battle of Alberta" games would be televised on Sportsnet.

All-Star game

The 2012 All-Star Game was held at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo on February 25, 2012. The West came back from a 9–2 deficit in the second quarter to win the game 20–18. The Calgary Roughneck's Geoff Snider was named Game MVP, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists, and winning 22 of 26 faceoffs.

All-Star teams

• • Not playing due to injury

** - Not playing due to holdout status

Awards

Annual

All-Pro teams

First Team

• John Grant, Jr., Colorado
• Garrett Billings, Toronto
• Dan Dawson, Philadelphia
• Andrew Suitor, Minnesota
• Kyle Rubisch, Edmonton
• Mike Poulin, Calgary

Second Team

• John Tavares, Buffalo
• Cody Jamieson, Rochester
• Shawn Evans, Calgary
• Brodie Merrill, Philadelphia
• Jeff Gilbert, Minnesota
• Mike Carnegie, Calgary
• Aaron Bold, Edmonton

All-Rookie team

• Adam Jones, Colorado
• Kevin Crowley, Philadelphia
• Jordan MacIntosh, Minnesota
• Evan Kirk, Minnesota
• Johnny Powless, Rochester
• Stephen Keogh, Rochester

Weekly awards

The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best offensive player, best transition player, best defensive player, and best rookie. The "Best Overall Player" award is no longer being given out.

Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.

Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

Attendance

Regular season

Playoffs

References

References

1. (September 12, 2011). "2012 season to open on January 8". NLL.com.
2. Stamp, Stephen. (May 20, 2012). "Knighthawks ride Matt Vinc and second-half surge to Champions Cup title, plus the links". ILIndoor.com.
3. Jenner, Teddy. (September 1, 2011). "Boston Blazers will not take the rug in 2012". ILIndoor.com.
4. Chavez, Bob. (September 9, 2011). "NLL Dispersal Draft: Philadelphia takes Dawson with No. 1 pick; Sanderson traded to Toronto; Casey Powell to Rochester". ILIndoor.com.
5. Ingemi, Marisa. (March 28, 2012). "Darris Kilgour: Bandits Are Pathetic". In Lax We Trust}}{{Dead link.
6. (April 28, 2012). "Swarm looking to end regular season with four straight wins". Minnesota Swarm website.
7. (September 23, 2011). "Rule changes for 2012 season announced". NLL.com.
8. (October 26, 2011). "2012 playoffs format announced". NLL.com.
9. (November 29, 2011). "Changes to replay challenge rules". NLL.com.
10. (December 20, 2011). "PHILADELPHIA WINGS PLAYERS' TWITTER HANDLES TO REPLACE LAST NAMES ON BACK OF JERSEYS FOR FEBRUARY 12 GAME AT WELLS FARGO CENTER". Philadelphia Wings web site.
11. Nikulin, Pol. (January 22, 2012). "Colorado completes two-game sweep in Alberta". NLL.com.
12. Millerson, Justin. (January 27, 2012). "Friday's action, Rock use late flurry to beat Knighthawks".
13. Nikulin, Pol. (January 28, 2012). "Wild game ends with OT winner for Toronto, 14-13 over Calgary". NLL.com.
14. Lefkowitz, Andy. (February 1, 2012). "Williams close to record for Consecutive Games Played held by Doyle & Toll". NLL.com.
15. (February 13, 2012). "Rabil & Iannucci moved in West Division blockbuster".
16. (February 15, 2012). "League Suspends Five Knighthawks Players Indefinitely". NLL.com.
17. (February 15, 2012). "Pro lacrosse players, 2 others charged in TGI Friday's brawl near Mall of America". [[KARE (TV).
18. (February 22, 2012). "League Reinstates Five Knighthawk Players". NLL.com.
19. (February 17, 2012). "Bandits acquire Cosmo from Minnesota". Buffalo Bandits web site.
20. (February 22, 2012). "Minnesota Names Joe Sullivan Head Coach". NLL.com.
21. Rosenhoch, Alan. (March 3, 2012). "Grant hits 500-goal milestone as Mammoth edge Bandits". NLL.com.
22. Galliver, Kyle. (March 11, 2012). "Shawn Williams scores 1,000th point but Edmonton falls to Calgary". NLL.com.
23. Frederick, Jace. (March 17, 2012). "Buffalo completes much-needed weekend sweep". NLL.com.
24. Lefkowitz, Andy. (April 7, 2012). "Bandits rip Wings 17-7 in CBS Sports Network opener". NLL.com.
25. (April 23, 2012). "Billings moves into lead for assists record with 79". NLL.com.
26. (April 28, 2012). "BREAKING NEWS: Grant sets new single-season scoring record". NLL.com.
27. (April 28, 2012). "Billings sets two scoring records in Rock's 12-11 win over Rush". NLL.com.
28. Bailey, Budd. (November 14, 2011). "Bandits notebook: New TV package". [[Berkshire Hathaway]].
29. (December 20, 2011). "Toronto Rock Total Access on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto". Toronto Rock web site.
30. (December 16, 2011). "TSN to broadcast 11 Toronto Rock games". NLL.com.
31. (January 19, 2012). "Rush & Roughnecks announce TV partnership with Sportsnet". NLL.com.
32. (February 8, 2012). "Full lineups for NLL All-Star Game announced". NLL.com.
33. Rosenhoch, Alan. (February 26, 2012). "Calgary's Snider helps West Division end All-Star losing streak". NLL.com.
34. (2012-05-03). "John Grant Jr. wins Most Valuable Player Award, presented by Reebok Lacrosse". NLL.com.
35. (2012-05-10). "Calgary's Mike Poulin wins Goaltender of the Year". NLL.com.
36. (2012-05-14). "Rush's Rubisch wins Defensive Player of the Year". NLL.com.
37. (2012-05-15). "Swarm's Suitor wins Transition Player of the Year". NLL.com.
38. (May 4, 2012). "Adam Jones wins Rookie of the Year Award, presented by Thunder Tribe". NLL.com.
39. (May 7, 2012). "Knighthawks rookie Powless wins Sportsmanship Award". NLL.com.
40. (May 8, 2012). "Minnesota Swarm's John Arlotta wins General Manager of the Year Award". NLL.com.
41. (May 9, 2012). "Swarm's Joe Sullivan wins Bartley Award". NLL.com.
42. (June 5, 2012). "Minnesota Swarm's Andy Arlotta wins Executive of the Year Award". NLL.com.
43. (June 6, 2012). "Jake Elliott wins Borrelli Award". NLL.com.
44. "National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".
45. "National Lacrosse League - attendance | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".