A former star with the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs is joining his brother in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (CLHOF).
Derek Malawsky is one of four players, one veteran, two builders and a team that comprise the hall’s latest inductees. His brother, Curt, was similarly honoured in 2015.
Derek Malawsky played for the Jr. Adanacs for four years, from 1991 to 1994.
In his final season, he was named to the BC Junior A Lacrosse League’s (BCJALL) first all-star team after he led all its scorers with 41 goals and 42 assists in 19 games.
Malawsky then went on to play 12 seasons in the Western Lacrosse Association — the first three with the New Westminster Salmonbellies, followed by stints with the North Shore Indians, Okanagan Thunder and five years with the Victoria Shamrocks, where he was a part of two Mann Cup champions, in 2003 and 2005.
In the 164 games he played in the WLA, he scored 202 goals and added 381 assists. He was the league’s top scorer in 2000 and a first all-star in 2000 and 2001.
Malawsky also had a successful career at the pro level. After graduating from Sonoma State University, he was selected 11th overall in the 1997 National Lacrosse League draft by the Ontario Raiders, where he scored 28 points in his rookie season in 1998.
He also played in Buffalo, Rochester, San Jose, Arizona and Portland before finishing out his career in Colorado in 2010. In 169 games, he amassed 679 points. He added another 66 in 13 playoff games.
Malawsky was able to play with his brother, Curt, who’s three years his senior, for two seasons in Rochester, a little more than a season in San Jose and one season in Arizona. In fact, Derek finished his pro career with 142 more points than Curt despite playing only an additional 10 games.
Derek Malawsky also wore the red and white of Canada’s national lacrosse team, helping it win a silver medal at the 2002 world championships in Perth, Australia.
Other inductees to the CLHOF this year include:
- Erico Perroni, who played junior lacrosse in Whitby followed by 15 seasons with the Brooklin Redmen
- Lyle Robinson, former Burnaby Cablevision and New Westminster Salmonbellies star where he won three Mann Cup national championships in the 1980s
- Bob Watson, who won six NLL championships in 15 seasons
- Chuck Li, in the veteran category
- Pierre Filion and onetime Coquitlam Adanac Steve Govett, in the builder category
- The 1980-’89 New Westminster Salmonbellies that competed in seven Mann Cup senior championships, winning three times
All will be enshrined at the CLHOF in New Westminster at a ceremony scheduled for November.
