Lacrosse Legends

There are a number of families that are synonymous with the game of lacrosse. The Thomas family is one of them. Join Steve and Ron Thomas as they tell stories of their lacrosse careers at the local to international levels as both amateurs and professionals. Steve ‘s playing career went from 1960 -1984. He played for Akwesasne/St. Regis through Bantam,Midget, Junior and Senior. During this time he helped to organize the St. Regis Lacrosse Program. He was offered a full scholarship to Syracuse University in 1967. Steve played on championship teams with the St. Regis Jr. Braves in 1969, 70 and 71 and was a Canadian Jr. B finalist in 1971. He was known as a “hardroc k” defenseman playing for Ross Powless in 1971 and 1972 on the Rochester Iroquois in the Can-Am Pro League. In 1974 he was drafted by Montreal in the National Lacrosse League. Steve continued to play on many Championship teams in the Quebec Sr. League for the Akwesasne Warriors. He was presented with the John Ferguson Best Defenseman Trophy 3 times. After his playing days were over he continued to contribute to the game as a coach, certified referee, Indigenous Director for the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of fame and Co-founder of the Akwesasne LacrosseHall of Fame in 1998. Ron Thomas lists renowned ancestors as those who helped mold his game. His father was Angus Thomas and grandfather was Thomas P. Thomas – both Hall of Famers. Ron played for the St. Regis Indians Lacrosse Club and the Valleyfield Braves in the 60’s. He excelled at defense and played with Frank Benedict, Abe Thomas, and Larry Martin. He was employed as an ironworker and spent a great deal of time and energy driving from jobs in the USA to make games on the weekends. There are currently 17 Thomas family members in the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Walter “Butch” Goodleaf received his first lacrosse stick at age 7 from his Grandmother. This humble start lead to his well-deserved induction into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He would display unique leadership skills as a Player, Coach and Builder in the Kahnawake community along the way. “Butch” is known for being a team player and possessing great defensive skills, with the ability of creating offense for his Minor and Senior teams. He played on teams that won Quebec Provincial Championships and participated in President Cups and the Commonwealth Games. Goodleaf collected team and league awards that include MVP and All Star team selections. He was well respected by his teammates and was selected Captain many times. He is representative of a by-gone era of Mohawk players that earned their living as steel workers on the eastern seaboard of the USA. Goodleaf is proud of working on the original World Trade Center in New York City and traveling back to Quebec and Ontario overnight on the weekends to play lacrosse. One of his greatest personal off-floor achievements was serving as the sub-chief on the Council responsible for building the Kahnawake Sports Complex and Arena which will be the home of local lacrosse teams for many years to come. Walter Goodleaf’s story is one you want to hear- a tale from a time where love of the game was the main reward for playing.

Joe Curotte is known as one of the toughest defensemen to come out of Kahnawake. His playing career stretched from 1965 through 1980 for both the Junior and Senior Caughnawaga Indians teams. He played against the best including Gaylord Powless, Johnny Davis, Bruce Roundpoint, Frank Benedict and Mike Benedict. As a Junior he received the Best Defenceman Award in 1966 and 1968 and a similar award as a Senior player in 1976. He was a Junior All Star in 1967 and 1969. Joe was a member of the Junior team that won the Provincial Championship in 1966. He also won Silver with the Seniors in 1969. A crowning achievement was capturing the Thorpe Longboat Trophy at the North American Lacrosse Championship in Vancouver in 1969. This accomplishment and his career in general led to his induction into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dennis Joseph descends from a long line of lacrosse players. His father, Willard Joseph, played box and field lacrosse for the famed North Shore Indians teams. Dennis Joseph’s grandfather , Andrew Paull was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Paull was the founder/coach/manager of the North Shore Indians and the Squamish box and field teams. Paull was able to build capacity crowds of over 10,000 fans in the historic Denman Arena in the 1920’s and 30’s. Outside of lacrosse Paull was the well known activist and lawyer who battled for First Nation rights and advancement. Dennis Joseph followed these footsteps with class and dedication. His minor years were with the North Shore Indians. He has played box and field lacrosse for over 54 years. He has almost exclusively played goalie and continued to star in Masters and Grand Master divisions years after others had retired. A most memorable moment in a colourful career was playing against Gaylord Powless and his father Ross Powless who coached when Joseph was 15 years old . These days he coaches goaltending and serves as an elder at the Senior Level with three different organizations. Join us in hearing the unique story about Dennis Johnson and West Coast lacrosse.

Barry Powless has made his mark in lacrosse on both sides of the border as a player, coach and manager in both the box and field versions of the game. While at Lafayette H.S. near Syracuse he was named a USLA High School All American. He went on to play attack at Syracuse University. After Syracuse he played in the 1980 World Lacrosse Championship and won the Silver Medal as part of the Can-Am Warriors squad in Vancouver. After getting a taste of West Coast life he would play for the next decade in the Vanocuver area. In 1981 he would play and star for both the North Shoe Indians and the New Westminster Salmonbellies who would win the Mann Cup. In 1984 he captured a Presidents Cup with the North Shore Indians. He would join the Vancouver Burrards and the Coquitlam Adanacs during that time.He even made his mark in Field Lacrosse playing for the Vancouver Field Lacrosse Club and won a Provincial Championship and made the All-Star Team. In 1990 he would head back east and he helped propel the Fergus Thistles to a Presidents Cup Championship. That same year Powless played for the inaugural Iroquois National team in the World Championships in Perth, Australia. In 1992 he was picked up by the Buffalo Bandits and would win an MILL Championship. Powless would play at the Senior B level until his retirement at the advanced age of 50 years! This lengthy career brought him many honours including induction into the Ontario Lacross Hall of Fame in 1999, US Lacrosse Upstate New York Chapter Hall of Fame in 2015, the Akwesasne Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of the Salmonbellies Organization . His coaching and managing endeavours included Head Coach of the MLL Rochester Knighthawks from 1995-1997, VP of Lacrosse Operations for the NLL from 2000-2002 and Assistant Coach for the Iroquois 2003 World Indoor Finalists. Barry Powless Jr. Has done just about everything a lacrosse person can do!