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Down Memory Lane - Art Webster Down Memory Lane Articles - by Stan Shillington Webster's dictionary defines lacrosse not merely as a sporting activity but, moreover, as a lifelong passion. The definition, of course, doesn't grace the pages of Daniel Webster's thick tome of antonyms and synonyms but, rather, in the heart and soul of art Webster. Truly, it is his life! Born July 13, 1953, in Brampton, Ontario, little Artie began playing lacrosse at the tender age of five. "My dad coached the team I played for," Webster recalled. "In Ontario, it seemed the thing to do -- play lacrosse all summer and hockey all winter" Art spent 1974 participating in the Eastern Hockey League but gave up his professional hockey ambitions to concentrate on his first love -- summer lacrosse. While he still enjoyed recreational hockey during the winter, Art's senior boxla career began in 1975 when he lined up with the Brampton Excelsiors; however, after three straight losses to WLA teams in the Mann Cup national finals, he decided to head west, choosing Victoria as his new home-base. Over the next 17 years, Art honoured the Victoria Shamrock and Payless uniforms for 16 seasons. He sat out the 1985 playing year to compete in triathlons; but the siren call of his first love drew him back to lacrosse. "I missed lacrosse, so I came back the next year," he explained. "It's hard to train for triathlons when you're playing because lacrosse takes a lot out of you physically." Upon his return, Webster was immediately named the team captain, replacing the retiring Larry Bell. It was a leadership toll that Art held until he, too, retired in 1993 at the age of 40. But wait -- did he really hang up his stick and settle into a soft rocking chair? Not likely! Art signed on as Victoria's assistant coach, teaching Shamrock youngsters the fine art of defense and team commitment. Commitment, indeed -- when the club found itself short of players for back-to-back encounters in 2003, Webster again resurrected his old pads and wooden stick to play, at the age of 50, in both contests. When one of his young opponents complained that Webster's hard whacks with a wooden stick hurt his arms, Art merely deadpanned: "I'm just trying to make the team." Over his 558-game senior career with Victoria and Brampton, Webster amassed 174 goals and 447 assists for 621 points. And how many can say they've been involved in 15 Mann Cup finals? As a player, Art saw action with Brampton in the 1975, 1976 and 1977 national finals, then with Victoria in 1978, 1979, 1983 and 1984, capturing the coveted trophy in 1979 and 1983. Then, as an assistant coach, his Victoria charges saw action in another eight Canadian finals, winning four times. "I knew I would never be a Kevin Alexander, or Wayne Goss, or Ivan Thompson around the other team's net, so I always played within my own ability, doing the things I could do," Webster once explained in an interview. "You can't be something you're not, so you try to excel at the things you can do."
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