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**truebluefan** · 06-11-2008, 02:51 PM

Colorado Mammoth defenseman and assistant captain Pat Coyle has announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the National Lacrosse League.

Coyle, who played the last four years of his career in Colorado, won five NLL championships. He won titles with the Toronto Rock in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003, before helping the Mammoth to the 2006 title in his second season with the team.

"It has been a real honor to play with so many great teammates, to have the chance to compete with my brothers and I will miss that the most," Coyle said. "I was lucky to have played most of my career with the two best teams in this league, Toronto and Colorado. I really want to thank the Mammoth and Steve Govett for all the support and faith they've showed in me over the past four years. I feel very blessed to have been able to play this great game for so long and I'm really going to miss it."

Coyle, 38, was one of the NLL's most physical and effective defenders. He led the league in penalty minutes in 1998 and 2001 and was named the league's defensive player of the year and a first-team All Pro in 2002. He appeared in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 All-Star games.

"Pat was a big asset to our team and will never be replaced. He was a true leader that inspired veterans and young players alike," Mammoth general manager Steve Govett said. "Although he only played the last third of his career here in Colorado, he helped shape the identity of the Mammoth franchise and will be remembered as one of the best."

Coyle retires with 375 regular season penalty minutes, the second most in league history. He played 60 of his 156 career regular season games for the Mammoth and six of his 18 postseason games.

A native of Orangeville, Ontario, Coyle played both collegiate lacrosse and hockey at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology. He lives in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

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