Les Norman

Leslie D. "Les" Norman (December 2, 1939 in Sexsmith, Alberta – December 2010) was a Canadian professional and amateur box lacrosse goaltender. A long-time member of the New Westminster Salmonbellies franchise, Norman was a winner of three Mann Cups as a Canadian Lacrosse Champion, the 1968 National Lacrosse Association professional championship, and the 1965 Mann Cup's most valuable player. Norman was also the first goaltender to post a shutout in a Western Lacrosse Association (then ICLL) game. Les Norman was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1989.

Career In 1958, Norman played for both the Senior and Junior teams in New Westminster. In the 1959 season, he was chosen to replace legend Bunny Joseph. By the end of the season, Norman was named a First Team All-Star and Rookie of the Year of the ICLL. He capped off the season by leading the O'Keefes to a 4-games-to-none Mann Cup victory over the Peterborough Mercurys. The Mercurys's legendary goaltender Moon Wootton proclaimed after the series, "That guy Norman is some goalie. He'll be getting the name I've had for some years."

In 1962, Norman, now a veteran of the team, helped the O'Keefes to a second ICLL championship and another 4-games-to-none sweep in a Mann Cup final, this time against the Brampton Ramblers. On May 3, 1962, he led the O'Keefes to a 27-save shutout over the Victoria Shamrocks, the first shutout in ICLL/WLA history.

In 1968, Norman went professional when his Salmonbellies joined the Western Division of the National Lacrosse Association. Despite being passed over for all major awards and all-star teams and a third-place finish in the West, Norman would lead the Salmonbellies to a seven-game victory over the Vancouver Carlings and a six-game victory to knock off the first-place and Joe Comeau-less Portland Adanacs to win the West. The Salmonbellies would meet Gaylord Powless the Detroit Olympias in the NLA final and beat them four games to two.

Statistics Source: Wamper's Bible of Lacrosse and Stan Shillington's "Who's Who in Lacrosse 1933–2013: Goaltending Records". Season Team League GP G A P PIM Sv% Team GAA1958 New Westminster ICLL 2 0 1 1 0 0.630 10.00 - New Westminster P/O 1 0 0 0 0 0.718 -1959 New Westminster ICLL 18 0 1 1 0 0.736 10.20 - New Westminster P/O 9 0 0 0 0 0.780 -1960 New Westminster ICLL 27 0 0 0 7 0.750 9.63 - NWM/Nanaimo P/O 6 0 1 1 2 0.761 -1961 New Westminster ICLL 28 0 3 3 2 0.791 8.20 - New Westminster P/O 5 0 0 0 0 0.677 -1962 New Westminster ICLL 30 0 3 3 2 0.789 8.22 - New Westminster P/O 16 0 2 2 2 0.797 -1963 New Westminster ICLL 28 0 1 1 16 0.750 8.77 - New Westminster P/O 8 0 0 0 10 0.695 -1964 New Westminster ICLL 19 0 2 2 11 0.771 9.31 - New Westminster P/O 7 0 2 2 0 0.753 -1965 New Westminster ICLL 27 0.763 - New Westminster P/O 12 0.774 1966 New Westminster ICLL 26 0.732 - New Westminster P/O 2 0.714 1967 New Westminster ICLL 23 0.709 1968 New Westminster NLA 32 0.762 - New Westminster P/O 16 0.741 1969 New Westminster NLA 8 0.737 1970 Did Not Participate1971 New Westminster WLA 14 0.792 - New Westminster P/O 4 0.767