Scott Campbell: Still Grinding

PHOTO: COLLEEN GRIMES

When you look at the National Lacrosse League’s all-time games played leaders, there’s definitely a noticeable narrative.

Sure, there’s the odd meat & potatoes player up there (we see you Derek Suddons & Sandy Chapman), but most that have played upwards of 250 professional lacrosse games, are offensive goats, not defensive grinders.

The Halifax Thunderbird’s Scott Campbell is most definitely a grinder. Between the regular season & playoffs combined, he’s played in a total of 251 games in the NLL. He also just turned 40.

Other language for the word “grind”: crush, pound, pulverize, shred, mash, smash, and gnash. Ditto for Scott Campbell.

Before the start of this season, Campbell will or maybe already has told himself that he’ll do this for just “one more year”.

Heading into a Halifax 2021/22 NLL season where hopes out east are higher than high, The Lax Mag sat down with the Thunderbirds Assistant Captain to find out just exactly how much longer he can keep this up. One more year? Maybe. Or maybe more.

TLM: Before the big boom of Canadians going south on scholarships, you played at Elmira College. How’d you end up there?

Scott: In high school, I wasn't a great student, so I didn't really have Canadian university opportunities. My old man was like, "Hey, there's probably an opportunity for you to play lacrosse and go to school." I had never played field lacrosse. My first game of field lacrosse was at Elmira. Before that I actually went to Morrisville, got my grades up, and played hockey there. John Grant Jr. was there too. Mighta heard of him.

I did a campus visit at Elmira with my folks, and my mom actually was like, the moment we walked on campus at Elmira, she said, "You're going here." I was like, "Okay, sounds good."

TLM: With Ian Hawksbee retiring earlier this year, that leaves you as the lone player still in the league from the 2004 NLL Entry Draft, where you went 10th overall to Minnesota. What were your expectations heading into the draft?

Scott: I was totally naive. I had no idea, really. I didn't really have any expectations. I think the only other team that was really interested in taking me was Philly, so I had heard from Lindsay Sanderson. They had the 5th overall pick, but explained that they’d likely want me to move there if they took me. I just started a new job, so that wasn’t going to work.

Being in Minny worked out perfectly for me though. To be a rookie and get drafted by an expansion team, that's the best-case scenario, from a standpoint of getting the opportunity to play. If you go to an established team, you've got to beat somebody out, might not play at all, and then how do you get better?

TLM: You went onto your hometown Toronto Rock, where you played for five head coaches (Terry Sanderson, Glenn Clark, Terry Bullen, Jamie Batley and Troy Cordingley) in just five seasons there.

Scott: I think even with that chaotic coaching situation, there were always amazing veterans in Toronto. Jim Veltman and I lived near one another, so I got to drive back and forth to practice and the airport with him. And then my roommate was Dan Ladouceur. To get kind of mentored by those two alone is an amazing opportunity. Looking back, I wish I had soaked up way more than I did.

TLM: You’ve described yourself as a grinder in the past. Are you still grinding?

Scott: I hope I still am! I think that moment I'm not a grinder anymore, there's not a place for me in this league. Case in point, Boston. The four games I played there, maybe thinking I'm a little bit better than I was, you find yourself packing pretty quickly.

For me, I just have to be one of the hardest working guys on the floor. That's kind of my mindset. I have to be working as hard or harder than everybody else on the floor to make sure that there's a spot for me in the lineup.

TLM: Where’d that work ethic & mindset come from?

Scott: My old man. One of my uncles too. I’ve just always sort of been rough & tumble, I guess. Even playing hockey growing up, like I was a duck-and-chase guy. I enjoyed the physical aspect. I enjoyed hitting. Me and my brother are really close in age, so I don't know if that kind of plays into it, where we were always battling and beating on one another.

Then again, I was usually not as skilled, hands-wise, lacrosse IQ-wise. That was the way I sort of leveled the playing field a little bit. I try to work hard and be physical. I think that’s the main reason I’m still on an NLL roster today.

TLM: Why did Boston go so badly?

Scott: Things were kind of sliding a little bit when I was in Toronto. Mentally I was kind of slipping, I guess. I wasn’t having a ton of fun. I was in Terry’s (Sanderson) & Troy’s (Cordingley) doghouse, which for those that have been there, isn’t fun.

Getting traded to Boston, a team that was getting so much positive press & hype, it was like, “Oh, we're going to be amazing.” I felt I did't really need to take this seriously, and I wasn't. I wasn't working hard. I wasn’t doing what needed to be done.

I remember getting a call from a 519 number, and obviously knew that was (Boston Head Coach) Matt (Sawyer) on the other line. He told me they we're going in a different direction, I think trying to soften the blow, but I knew what was up.

I talked a lot of shit about Matty Sawyer, and now I almost feel like I have to thank him. Thank you for basically telling me I wasn’t doing things right. I look back now and realize it wasn’t him who was wrong, it was me. I used that phone call as motivation to get my shit together, get in better shape, and take my NLL career a little more seriously than I had previously. It was turning point for sure. So, thank you Matty Sawyer.

TLM: That led you to the Rochester Knighthawks, where you experienced the most success you’ve had in this league. What a trip, right?

Scott: It was unbelievable in Rochester obviously. I'll never forget those years. I think just all the pieces started fitting together for us. The team was really close. All the stuff you hear about championship teams, we had it. It seemed like a lot of the guys were sort of castaways a little bit and kind of didn't fit in other spots. I think we felt like we had something to prove. It helps when you have the best goalie in the world (Matt Vinc) covering up your mistakes too!

Mike Hasen, who hadn’t been coaching long at that point, was growing & evolving as a coach, just like many of us were at that time as players. He learned a lot having played for Terry (Sanderson) for so many years, I’m sure. I think he was also a players’ coach too, and kind of was able to mesh both those styles well. He listened to us and I think valued our feedback & thoughts. He was a great coach.

It was such a magical group, where we maybe weren’t always the best regular season team, but we figured it out when it mattered most.

TLM: You’re back with the franchise, but after the move to Halifax obviously. Any similarities between those Knighthawks teams and today’s Thunderbirds?

Scott: They obviously hit reset on some of that core Rochester group, and obviously Cody (Jamieson) is still here, but you look at the roster, and they’ve picked up some really outstanding players from that reset.

I think we, again, have some of those castoffs or guys that have something to prove, but with really solid pieces around that. It’s what we had in Rochester too.

There’s some similarities between Hazer and (Halifax Head Coach) Mike Acurrsi for sure. Acurrsi is just kind of starting his head-coaching career here like Hazer did in Rochester. I think Accursi probably learned a lot from Hazer about how to approach guys and communicate with team. I think he's also taken it to another levell. I think his background as a teacher & counselor has helped get an understanding of different personalities and how to approach players. Like Hazer, Accursi is a no bullshit kind of coach too.

TLM: You beat Brodie Merrill out by about two weeks as the oldest player in the NLL this year. When will you know when you’ve played your last game?

Scott: Probably for the last five years, I'd be like, "One more year. I'm going to do one more year," like to my wife and friends and family. It’s been “one more year” for a bit now.

Then I get partway through the season and I'm having such a good time. If I feel good health-wise and I can look at myself in the mirror and be like, I can still compete, I'll continue to do it. I still love it.

It's when it becomes a chore or I'm looking to the mirror and think, "Ooh, I don't have it anymore," compared to the guys I'm playing with. Even this year, my parents, they want to come to the Halifax opener, and months ago were like, "Okay, we're going to book now." I told my mom, "Just let me get at least through the first weekend of training camp to see where I'm at. It's been two years, I'm 40 years old. Let me just make sure I can still compete with these younger kids."

So to answer your question… at least one more year.