The Edmonton Rush are pleased to announce today that the club has re-signed Derek Keenan, the reigning National Lacrosse League General Manager and Head Coach of the Year, to a new two-year contract. Keenan directed the Rush to its best-ever season in 2010, reaching a 10-6 regular-season record and the franchise's first berth in the NLL playoffs. In the playoffs, the Rush knocked off the defending Champion's Cup title-holders, the Calgary Roughnecks, in the West Division semifinal, and then took the eventual league-champion Washington Stealth to overtime in the West Division final. "Having Derek remain at the helm of the Rush is essential to our continued growth and to reach the heightened expectations we have for the 2011 NLL season," said Rush President Gord Sawyer. "The Rush made tremendous strides in 2010 and Derek was a major reason for our success. He put together a great roster of talented players and then went out and guided them behind the bench. To have this team go so far this past season was a terrific accomplishment and a superb reward to our loyal fans who have stuck with us for the past seasons. With Derek remaining in charge, we can all look forward to more incredible results in 2011. "We reached a major goal in earning a playoff spot this past season but fell just short of making it into the Champion's Cup final. I know that all of our players, coaches, and staff are anxious for next season's quest for our ultimate goal of a championship coming home to Rexall Place to begin." In addition to a first-ever playoff spot, the Rush set several new team records during the regular season and enjoyed a pair of three-game winning streaks - the longest in franchise history. The Rush also won three of four overtime games including back-to-back OT victories over Washington and Minnesota on the same weekend. The season's highlights for the Rush included wins over rivals Toronto and Calgary, a tie for the second-best road record in the league (5-3), and a tie for the second-best winning percentage in the league (.625). By turning the Rush into a formidable foe against the rest of the league, Keenan was duly rewarded at the end of the 2010 season by being named the NLL's General Manager of the Year on top of sharing the honor of receiving the Les Bartley Award as the NLL Coach of the Year with Washington's Chris Hall. Both head coaches tied with seven first-place votes and a total of 43 points in voting cast by the league's coaches, general managers, and governors. "I'm thrilled that we got the contract formality out of the way. There was never any doubt in my mind as to where I wanted to be for the next two seasons and hopefully beyond that. From top to bottom the Edmonton Rush is a tremendous organization. With the support of Owner, Bruce Urban, President Gord Sawyer and all of the front office staff they provided me with all of the assistance and resources required to build the Rush." states Keenan. With that recognition, Keenan became the first two-time winner of the Les Bartley Award in league history, and he also became only the second two-time winner of the GM of the Year Award. Keenan previously won both the GM and Head Coach of the Year Awards in 2006 while guiding the expansion Portland LumberJax. "Now it's time to get back to it and focus on the unfinished business of winning an NLL championship. We had a good season but I believe true success is measured with championships and that will be our objective over the next two seasons. I can't wait to get started!"
