Six years after replacing Dallas Eliuk, Matt Roik tries to fill Bob Watson’s shoes

Imagine a baseball player replacing both Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken. A hockey goalie taking over for Jacques Plante and then Martin Brodeur. A quarterback filling the shoes of Peyton Manning and Joe Montana.

That's pretty much the scenario facing Matt Roik when he steps between the pipes Sunday as only the second starting goaltender in the history of the Toronto Rock. Roik takes over from Bob Watson, a first ballot hall-of-famer who retired last spring after leading the Rock to the franchise's sixth National Lacrosse League championship. Watson was the only starting goalie in the Rock's first 14 seasons.

Fortunately, Roik has some experience with this; when Dallas Eliuk left Philadelphia in 2006 after 15 seasons and four championships, it was Roik who took over the Wings' goaltending duties. So it shouldn't be much of an issue to take over from the game's all-time best, right?

"I'm pretty anxious," Roik tells Eh Game.

"I try not to focus on it, but obviously, it's there. I think the coaching staff has put their trust in me, but trying to replace the greatest goaltender of all time is a big thing."

Don't mistake Roik's words for nerves; it's more of a combination of focus and humility. He's facing an unenviable situation: he has to replace one of the franchise's most beloved players, while battling a past that didn't always endear him to fans, and a rumour mill that won't stop throwing another goalie's name into the mix.

History

This isn't Roik's first go-round with the Rock. Toronto drafted him in 1999, but Roik was buried behind Watson and then-backup Anthony Cosmo. While Roik didn't see any game action, he got to be a part of the organization as it built its reputation as one of the NLL's first-class franchises.

"There's a lot of familiarity," he says of being back with the Rock.

"It makes it easier to walk in and go to work. They had such a winning formula back then, just being able to be a part of the organization, it definitely puts my mind at ease."

Roik speaks with a certain reverence of Les Bartley, the architect of those early Rock teams. He also sees a distinct similarity between how Bartley worked, and how current general manager Terry Sanderson and coach Troy Cordingley put their teams together; the word "professional" comes up a lot. That admiration also illuminates how difficult it was in 2002 to go from Toronto to the New Jersey Storm, a franchise known more for off-floor silliness than on-floor success (you may recall Jayson Williams, the former NBAer who shot his limo driver? He owned the Storm back then.)

Roik spent two seasons in New Jersey, and two more in Anaheim, before his ill-fated stint in Philadelphia. While replacing Eliuk was never going to be easy, the task was made all the harder since Eliuk was still playing — and well — in Portland. Meanwhile, Roik, known to wear his heart on his sleeve, didn't always endear himself to the Philly faithful with outbursts of emotion.

"I didn't help myself," he says.

"I stigmatized myself. If I were a fan, I don't think I'd appreciate how I acted sometimes."

Looking back, Roik thinks his biggest mistake in Philadelphia was in overthinking. He'd analyze each play, and try to memorize each offensive system and every tendency of every player in the league. As a result, whenever he made a mistake, it weighed heavily on his shoulders. That's a lot of pressure for a position where even the best goalies give up a goal every six minutes.

"I tried to do too much," he says.

"I was overthinking everything. I cared too much about scenarios. I didn't realize it then but you can't control everything. Terry has a good saying: 'shut up and stop the ball'."

In 2007, the Arizona Sting closed up shop, and Philadelphia snagged Rob Blasdell, then one of the best goalies in the league, in the dispersal draft. That sealed Roik's fate in the City of Brotherly Love, he said back then.

Success

Roik was traded to Chicago halfway through the 2008 season (disclosure: I was Chicago's head scout that year), and his career finally started to flourish. The Shamrox were 1-7 when he arrived; he went 5-3 the rest of the way. Because of travel issues, that fall he was traded to San Jose — ironically, for Anthony Cosmo (the goalie now rumoured to be lying in wait in Toronto). With the Stealth, he split time with young goaltender Tyler Richards, and the two shared duties en route to the 2010 NLL championship. The duo also led the New Westminster Salmonbellies to three straight Western Lacrosse Association titles from 2009-2011.

While he was happy to stay with the Stealth, Roik jumped at the chance to move back to where it all began. When the Rock sent Kyle Ross to Washington for Roik's rights, he got a transfer from his job with Pepsi back to Ontario, and moved home to take another shot at a ring.

"I'm in a position now where I want to go to winning environments," he says.

"I kind of wish I'd had that mentality from the start. I've accumulated enough losses in Barrie and St. Catharines (in the Ontario Lacrosse Association) and Anaheim, New Jersey, Chicago. I want to win."

Moving on

Roik is a calmer version of his old self, by his own admission. He knows he has a reputation as an emotional player, and it doesn't help that he's coming back to the east after three professional and summer seasons spent out West. The only time anyone's really seen him play recently was in the 2010 Mann Cup in Peterborough, where he lost all three games he started, so he understands that all some people can remember is the 2007-era Roik that sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.

"Over the years, I guess you calm down," he says.

"Hopefully people have an open mind. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wish people had a better image of me, but you move on. It's a lot of growing up."

Now what?

After all these years, Roik's back in Toronto — and there's Anthony Cosmo, again, leering over his shoulder. Fans and media keep speculating that Cosmo — who's holding out from reporting to Minnesota — is headed to Toronto. The speculation adds up; Cosmo won Mann Cups with Cordingley and Sanderson in Brampton, and he wants to play closer to his Orangeville home. And Toronto fans have never really accepted that he left in the first place, as if one of the best goalies in the world would have been happy playing backup until Watson ran out the string.

It's a scenario Roik is very realistic about.

"I'm sure Coz is a guy who'd be champing at the bit to come to a city like Toronto," Roik says.

"There was talk at the beginning (of Cosmo's holdout) and it's like 'uh-oh' but what do you do? Troy and Terry have said 'you're our guy.' If I can't do my job, they're going to replace me. All I can do is focus on my job and continue on what Bob (Watson) has done. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a bit at the beginning, but it pushes you to do better."

So here's Matt Roik, finally in the spotlight, back home, with all the pressure in the world, and an invisible replacement seemingly looming, and a reputation that may or may not be fair, and all he has to do is take over from the best goalie to ever play the game and win another title. Why not?

"I'm really looking forward to getting some wins. I love being able to go to work with a guy like Paddy Campbell, who's the ultimate team guy. I didn't think this opportunity would ever arise. I didn't see it on the radar. If you're going to play lacrosse, where else would you want to play?"

For more lacrosse coverage, follow Andrew McKay on Twitter: @apmckay