SASKATOON – He’s one of the best lacrosse goaltenders in the world, but Aaron Bold’s career could have taken a much different path. The Saskatchewan Rush netminder had no plans to play the position when he first took up the sport.
“My buddy had just moved to a new school and he got me into lacrosse. I reluctantly put up my hand when we needed a goaltender and I’ve been a goaltender ever since,” Bold laughed.
That reluctant decision is looking pretty good these days. After winning the National Lacrosse League Champions Cup with the Rush last season Bold went on to capture the Mann Cup as a member of the Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association, then capped off an incredible year by helping Canada win the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
“It was great of course, winning three championships. But it’s not all about personal accolades,” said Bold. “I had great teams to play behind.”
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Rush head coach Derek Keenan knows how important the 10-year NLL veteran is to his team.
“He gives the guys a lot of confidence. When you have a competent guy back there who has experience in winning championships, (it’s) a calming influence on the guys. They know if they do make a mistake a lot of times they’re going to get help back there,” he said.
In fact it was Keenan who drafted Bold in 2006 when he was with the Portland Lumberjax, seeing in the Victoria, B.C. native the potential to become a special player.
“Since then he’s grown a lot. It took a while for him to become a number one (goaltender), until he got with (the Rush), but I was pretty sure he had the makeup to be that guy.”
All three of the championships he won this year are special to Bold, but he doesn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the past. Like any good goaltender his focus is squarely on the next challenge: winning an NLL title in Saskatchewan.
“I’m really looking forward to opening night and all the fans coming out to support us. I know it’s going to be a growing situation and we all know that, so I’m just really looking forward to hopefully bringing another championship back here,” he said.
The once-reluctant goaltender is now eager to face whatever comes his way.
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