Supernova Series: Peet Poillon
An Ode to the Forgotten Hipster Magi
Welcome to the Supernova series, a breakdown (and build-up) of some of the most influential players in the history of professional lacrosse. The catch? These are the guys you probably haven’t heard of mostly because their impact, while notable, was also short-lived.
Let’s talk about one of the most electrifying players in the history of professional lacrosse: Peet Poillon. The man known as “Pistol Peet” has nothing to do with basketball if you’re a pro lacrosse fan and/or not a boomer. Actually, I’m not sure if anyone (other than yours truly) called Peet Poillon “Pistol” per se, but if they didn’t it was a missed opportunity. Unlike Pistol Pete Maravich, Poillon didn’t get the recognition that he sorely deserves as one of the most mesmerizing players to watch in his respective sport. Whether he was winding up for a huge bomb that turned into a masterful face-dodge fake mid-range snipe or dodging in circles waiting for a double to split and bury into the ground, Poillon’s game was the definition of swaggy before anyone (in lacrosse) even knew what that term was.
College: Howard Community College, Ohio State and, UMBC
That’s a lot of schools. HCC birthed some legends (like Dan Kaplan), and Poillon is one of them. Ohio State? Never heard of it. UMBC - Great school, even if the campus looks like it could double as a training base for a rogue Utilitarian government campaigning for mass sedition. It’s that circular campus design - students need the pandemonium of a surrounding society that is not of their own making. Trust no one that loves circles or concurrence. Or concurrent circles.
Pro: Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Charlotte Hounds
Peak Seasons: 2010, 2012, 2013
How Good Was He?
How does one describe the precocious and preposterous nature with which Peet Poillon held his stick? He carried it with the same careless reverence that a martial artist handles their weapon of choice just before they dispatch an army of goons. That knowing comfort was always so disquieting - the only other player I can think of that holds their stick that way is Lyle Thompson - like the stick is part of their body. The main difference being that Thompson uses his stick like an extension of his body and Poillon used his stick like a damn lightsaber. If you put the right lighting effect on any Peet Poillon highlight package you would see how chaotically fluid his motions were - it’s almost careless how much his stick waved around like a crazy blow up balloon man at a used car dealership. Observe:
Do you remain unconvinced? I have found another compilation of his accomplishments here:
Best Game in the Pros?
This is actually way harder to choose than it is for most players. With Poillon, one must choose between sheer volume of shots and points and overall effectiveness - there aren’t a ton of games that fit both of those criteria. Such is life as a magisterial scorer. However, his best game was probably in 2013 as a member of the Charlotte Hounds in a 15-8 win over the Rochester Rattlers. Poillon dropped the bouillon with 2 two-pointers and a regular hat trick for a total of 7 points on 10 shots to lead all scorers. Also of note in this particular game was a New England centric battle at the face-off X as Tim Fallon and John Ortolani engaged in solo combat; Orto eked out the FO advantage by two wins, but Fallon took home the victory. It was supah sick dood. Adam Ghitelman got the W for the Hounds and John Galloway took home an L despite making 12 saves. Also, Mark Millon played in this game for the Ratts as part of his comeback bid. Another Supernova Series, another mention of Mark Millon. Take a drink.
But this dude had 8 game-winning goals in his career. That might not seem like a lot, but it actually is - longtime Poillon teammate Brendan Mundorf played for 11 seasons and he had 12 G-dub-G’s. Poillon played in 69 MLL games and dropped 178 points - of those 178 points, 119 were goals. That’s not just respectable; that’s reliable and resplendent. The man’s scoring acumen was downright sumptuous. Did he screw dodge a lot? Sure. Did the ball sometimes die in his stick? Yes, but name me another shooter that loves to create their own look that doesn’t do that? As a player, Poillon doesn’t have a lot of comparative avatars in today’s game. His entire playing style represents an era of the game that was decidedly more freeform and languid but also completely reckless. I loved it. I still love it.
What’s He Doing Now?
Poillon currently serves as the offensive coordinator for the men’s lacrosse team at Marquette. He was also an assistant coach at Hobart, Delaware, and UMBC. In 2012 he won a Pennsylvania state championship as the head coach of his alma mater, Seneca Valley HS. According to his coach bio, Poillon is also the founder and CEO of Low and Away Lacrosse which offers lacrosse instruction in the greater Pennsylvania area and does not describe Poillon’s actual playing style at all. He would try to jam a nearside pipe needle right into your eye as a shooter, but it must be said that players tend to skew completely different from their coaching personas than their playing style. “Do as I say, not as I do” is not just a cliche in the coach life; it is a harsh and brutal reality. Like do you think Tucker Durkin teaches defenders to maim their opponents? I mean, uh, probably? That’s a bad example...
There are hundreds of players that I truly enjoy watching at any given point in time. But there are only a handful of players that I actually stop and spend time to reminisce about with friends and colleagues. Peet Poillon was both. He was flashy and feral and fearless all at the same time, sometimes all in the same possession. I wonder if his players even know who is coaching them because the man is notorious. You can catch up with Peet Poillon on Twitter at @CoachPoillon and check out more of his highlights by simply typing his name into your google machine.