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Chris Hall given place in lacrosse hall of fame

The late Chris Hall of Victoria, who made a significant contribution to the sport as a player, builder and coach, was among the 10-member Class of 2015 inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in New Westminster last week.

The late Chris Hall of Victoria, who made a significant contribution to the sport as a player, builder and coach, was among the 10-member Class of 2015 inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in New Westminster last week.

Hall won three Mann Cup national championships with the Victoria Shamrocks, one as a player and two as head coach. During his nearly two decades with the Shamrocks, nine seasons were as a player and 10 as coach. Hall also won two National Lacrosse League championships with the Calgary Roughnecks and Washington Stealth during 12 seasons coaching in the pro league and became the third-winningest coach in NLL history.

Hall was also a dominant figure in field lacrosse, founding and building the Victoria Seasprays/Waxmen dynasty of the 1980s and 1990s as player-coach and winning 14 Ross Cup national championships. Hall represented Canada in three world field-lacrosse championships and was selected an all-world defenceman. Hall, who died of cancer in 2014 at age 64, also coached Canada in two more world field-lacrosse championships.

Inducted with the Class of 2015 were box players Jim Veltman from Stouffville, Ont., Tom Patrick from Brampton, Ont., Curt Malawsky of Maple Ridge, Chris Gill from Pitt Meadows, Ed Goss of New Westminster, Larry Lloyd from Whitby, Ont., and field-player Jeff Gombar from Port Coquitlam. The builders enshrined were Hall, and Terry Sanderson and Lindsay Sanderson from Orangeville, Ont. The 1981-1983 national junior champion Peterborough James Gang was enshrined in the team category.

There are 356 players, 149 builders and 19 teams inducted in the hall.

— Times Colonist