MAN UP WITH….Drew Petkoff

When did you decide you wanted to be a pro lacrosse player?
When I started playing junior and I realized that lacrosse was for me a lot more fun for me than playing hockey was.  Up until then lacrosse was just a summer activity because it was fun.

Best lacrosse memory?
My best lacrosse memory would be either winning the Founder’s Cup in 2006 or the Mann Cup in 2009.  Both are special to me for different reasons, but when you can go out and achieve the goal you set as a team then it’s definitely something special.

If you could change or add a rule to box lacrosse what would it be?
I’m not a huge fan of the over and back rule, so I would probably take that out.

Best pump-up song?
State of the Union by Rise Against.  But I love listening to anything by the bands Rise Against, Brand New, and Slipknot pre-game.

Have any pre-game rituals?
Not really, I just like to make sure I’m mentally and physically ready to play.  

Your best lacrosse workout…
My best lacrosse workout would have to be either playing basketball at school or some outdoor plyometrics. My roomate is the captain of our university team and my neighbours are real good so it’s a great workout for me and a lot of the movements are the same, but it’s a way for me to train out of my comfort zone. Training explosive movements outside really help with building foot strength and stability because I can train on different terrains, inclines etc.

One goalie you don’t want to go one-on-one with?
I don’t like going one-on-one with any goaltenders, period.

Describe your game style…
I would say aggressive and unorthodox.

Who is the best player to ever hold a stick?
I think skill wise I would give that to John Grant Jr. but I think John Tavares overall is the best player.

Best fight you’ve been in/seen?
The 2009 Mann Cup brawl that my summer team was in was pretty exciting.  Other than that my best buddy Kyle Hagel had two great fights in junior; one against Kyle Termini, and one against Rory Smith.

In one word describe your “game face”.
Loose.

What’s the worst injury you’ve had?
Probably broken hand or concussion.

Favourite thing about Toronto…
The diversity in cultures.

Do you play any other sports?
Growing up I pretty much played every sport you could as a kid.  Eventually I narrowed it down to basketball hockey and lacrosse and now I still try and play anything for fun.  Especially volleyball and basketball.