Canadian lacrosse legend Terry Sanderson dies

The Canadian lacrosse world is in mourning following the death of longtime player, coach and manager Terry Sanderson. He was 62 years old.

It was announced earlier this month that Sanderson was taking a leave of absence from his role as general manager of the National Lacrosse League's Toronto Rock after he was stricken by illness. The nature of the illness was not revealed.

Nothing more was heard from the team regarding Sanderson's absence until Thursday evening, when Rock owner and president Jamie Dawick sent out a tweet:

Sanderson had a long involvement with the Rock, first serving as head coach and GM from 2004 to 2006, winning the National Lacrosse League Champion's Cup in 2005. He returned to the Rock in 2009 as GM and assistant coach, and earlier this year signed a two-year extension with the club.

He has been a fixture in the NLL, having served as a head or assistant coach with six different clubs in addition to Toronto. He won a second Champion's Cup as an assistant with Calgary in 2009, and a third with the Rock in 2011.

Sanderson and his family first made their names in their adopted hometown of Orangeville, ON, where they have organized, played for, coached and managed numerous teams under the Northmen banner. He and three of his brothers played several seasons of Senior B lacrosse together in the 1970s and '80s.

As a player, the Nova Scotia-born Sanderson won three Canadian Senior B championships with Orangeville and a fourth with Owen Sound, as well as the prestigious Senior A-level Mann Cup with Brampton in 1980. He finished in the top five of league scoring nine times, capturing three scoring titles between 1973 and 1984. Sanderson was also the most valuable player of the 1982 Canadian Senior B championship tournament.

He retired after the 1989 season and turned to coaching, where he immediately found success with Orangeville's Junior A Northmen, leading them to three Canadian championships in four years. He later stepped up to the Senior A bench and won two more Mann Cups with Brampton before coming to the NLL.

But he also remained active in provincial lacrosse ranks, winning an additional two Mann Cups as an assistant coach with Brampton before taking the GM reins with a rival club in nearby Oakville, a job he still held at the time of his death.

Sanderson is a member of the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and, in 2005, was among the first group of inductees into the Orangeville Sports Hall of Fame. He owned and operated a sporting goods store in Orangeville that specializes in high-end lacrosse and hockey equipment.

Tributes poured in on Twitter following news of his death.

Terry Sanderson is survived by his family, including his son Josh, a veteran NLL star who often played for his father's teams.