Media Guide 2019/20 2019-20 Schedule
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Team Information Team Information Digital Home Arena Capacity: 12,920 www.SealsLax.com Pechanga Arena San Diego Floor Dimensions: 200’ x 85’ @SealsLax 3500 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110 Colors: Purple, Black, Gold, Gray 619-224-4171 Founded: August 29, 2017 PechangaArenaSD.com Press Box Location: Terrace Level, Section 1 San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 2019-20 Schedule DATE OPPONENT ARENA TIME (PACIFIC) Saturday, Dec. 7 Buffalo KeyBank Center 4:30 PM Saturday, Dec. 14 Toronto Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:00 PM Friday, Dec. 27 Calgary Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:00 PM Sunday, Dec. 29 Vancouver Rogers Arena 1:00 PM Sunday, Jan. 12 Saskatchewan Pechanga Arena San Diego 1:00 PM Saturday, Jan. 18 Halifax Scotiabank Centre 3:00 PM Saturday, Jan. 25 New York NYCB Live 4:00 PM Saturday, Feb. 1 Colorado Orleans Arena - Las Vegas 7:00 PM Saturday, Feb. 15 Colorado Pepsi Center 6:30 PM Saturday, Feb. 22 Vancouver TBA 1:00 PM Saturday, Feb. 29 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome 6:00 PM Saturday, Mar. 7 Rochester Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:00 PM Friday, Mar. 13 Vancouver Rogers Arena 7:00 PM Friday, Mar. 20 New England Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:30 PM Saturday, Mar. 28 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 4:00 PM Saturday, Apr. 4 Georgia Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:30 PM Saturday, Apr.11 Saskatchewan SaskTel Centre 6:30 PM Saturday, Apr. 25 Calgary Pechanga Arena San Diego 7:00 PM Home games are listed in bold. San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Staff Directory Executive Staff Owner Joe Tsai President & Governor Steve Govett Vice President, Business Operations & Alternate Governor Josh Gross Coaching & Support Staff General Manager & Head Coach Patrick Merrill Offensive Coordinator & Director of Player Personnel Josh Sanderson Defensive Coordinator Bill Greer Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Inga Assistant General Manager Sean Walsh Operations Specialist Erin Dutcher Medical Staff Athletic Trainer PW Mahlow Team Doctor Dr. David Bazzo Team Doctor Dr. Catherine Robertson Communications Director, Marketing, Promotions and Fan Development Sheri Mendon Manager, Public Relations and Brand Narrative Hannah Kosh San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Executive Staff Joe Tsai Owner Joe Tsai is one of the founders of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), a global Internet company founded in 1999. He served as chief financial officer of the company until 2013 and is now executive vice chairman, overseeing the company’s strategic acquisitions and investments. Tsai has been a member of the company’s board of directors since its inception. Formerly a tax lawyer and a private equity investor, Tsai was an associate with Sullivan & Cromwell and worked for Sweden’s Investor AB, the Wallenberg family holding company. Originally from Taiwan, Tsai started playing lacrosse at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. He went on to play college lacrosse at Yale, where he earned a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies in 1986. Tsai received his JD from Yale Law School in 1990. San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Executive Staff Steve Govett President & Governor Steve Govett was named president of the San Diego Seals when the expansion team was awarded by the League and publicly announced on August 30, 2017. From 2002 to June 2017, Govett was the president, general manager and governor of the Colorado Mammoth, owned and operated by Denver-based Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE). In Govett’s tenure, he built one of the League’s most successful organizations both on and off the field. The Mammoth was one of just two teams to make the playoffs 14 times in his 15 seasons, and the city took notice. Colorado finished first or second in League attendance 14 times. He was instrumental in bringing the National Lacrosse League and the former Washington Power franchise to Colorado, just as he was in bringing professional lacrosse to southern California in 2017. Under Govett’s direction, the Mammoth claimed three division titles and won the NLL championship in 2006. His leadership helped grow downtown Denver’s sports and entertainment economy, while the team made a positive impact on area youth with various charitable donations and community outreach programs including player clinics, school appearances and hospital visits. Govett was named the NLL’s Executive of the Year in 2004, and has served as a long-time contributor to the League on multiple business fronts. He works closely with the Commissioner to ensure the long-term vitality of the NLL and its teams, and has served as the NLL’s Chairman of the Board of Governors on two occasions. Govett has extensive experience in international competition, currently serving as the general manager of Team Canada for Men’s Field Lacrosse. Under his leadership at the 2018 FIL Men’s Field Lacrosse World Championship in Israel, the team came in second place after a close finals where the winning goal was scored in the last second. He served on the staff of the 2006 Team Canada world champion outdoor team, and helped assemble the roster that won the world title in the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships. In the 1990s, Govett was a medal-winning player for his native Canadian squad. San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Executive Staff Josh Gross Vice President, Business Operations & Alternate Governor Josh Gross is now in his 17th season in professional lacrosse, and his third year with the San Diego Seals. He was formally named the vice president of business operations when the team was announced on August 29, 2017. Gross is a veteran of the professional sports industry, having previously overseen ticket sales, sponsorship, public relations, fan development and marketing efforts across multiple sports properties. He spent 13 seasons with the Colorado Mammoth, a division of Denver-based Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE). The Mammoth shattered NLL attendance records during his tenure, while becoming the model franchise in the League. As vice president of business operations for the Mammoth, Gross was responsible for providing a superior fan experience while connecting departments within KSE to ensure consistent messaging and information-sharing. His work included growing the Mammoth brand in the marketplace while leading the team’s public relations and fan development initiatives. His 2017 ‘Lacrosse Out Cancer’ effort was recognized by NLLTV as the League’s top community moment of the year. Gross represented the Mammoth while serving as Alternate Governor on the NLL’s Board of Governors, and has similar responsibilities in San Diego. He’s a member of the league’s marketing committee, helping craft a narrative that grows the League on both micro and macro levels. The New Jersey native also served on the commercial properties task force, assisting in the establishment of sponsorship assets for league and team-based sales. San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Coaching Staff Patrick Merrill General Manager and Head Coach Patrick Merrill will lead the Seals for his second season after being named the first general manager and head coach in San Diego Seals history on April 3, 2018. In his first year, Merrill led the Seals to a 10-8 finish, good for second in the West Division. The Seals clinched a home playoff berth on April 19 with a 12-7 win over the Colorado Mammoth. Merrill, 39, spent 15 years as a defender in the National Lacrosse League. The Toronto, Ontario native was the first-overall pick in the 2002 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. He played in 194 games in the league, registering 18 goals, 65 assists, 570 penalty minutes and 818 face-off wins. Merrill won two Minto Cups (Canadian Junior ‘A’ national championship) in three seasons as the head coach of the Six Nations Arrows. A co-founder and coach at The Hill Academy (Ontario), a perennial lacrosse powerhouse, Merrill claims multiple (U.S.) national titles to his resumé. A graduate of Mercyhurst College, Merrill won three NLL titles and four Mann Cup championships (Canadian Senior ‘A’ national) as a player. At the international level, he was part of Team Canada’s silver-medal-winning team at the 2010 World Field Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England. A year later, he brought home the gold at the FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. San Diego Seals Media Guide 2019/20 Coaching Staff Josh Sanderson Offensive Coordinator & Director of Player Personnel Josh Sanderson entered his second season on the Seals bench after being named the offensive coordinator and director of player personnel on May 1, 2018. No stranger to the NLL, Sanderson spent 19 seasons as one of the most dangerous players in the league and the last two as the Assistant General Manager with the Toronto Rock. The Orangeville, Ontario native ranks second in National Lacrosse League history in assists (908), assists per game (3.39), and games played (268). Known by his peers and teammates as “Shooter,” Sanderson was a first-ballot NLL Hall of Fame inductee. He won two NLL championships (2005 & 2009) and was a nine-time All-Pro. He recorded 60 or more points in every season from 2002 to 2015, including five 100-plus point campaigns (which ranks tied for first in NLL history). Bill Greer Defensive Coordinator NLL champion Bill Greer will oversee the Seals defense after being named the defensive coordinator on May 1, 2018. In his second season in San Diego, Greer will use his 15-season tenure in the NLL to guide a strong defensive unit. The Oshawa, Ontario native was the 9th overall pick in the 2001 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. He played in 190 career games, registering 59 goals, 99 assists and 165 penalty minutes. The savvy defenseman won a NLL championship with Rochester in 2007 and scored the game-winning goal in the championship game.