Hall of Fame builder Wayne Finck dies at 69

The Nova Scotia lacrosse community is mourning the loss of legendary builder Wayne Finck.

Finck died on Nov. 29 at the age of 69 and the loss will have a major impact on the sport, said Donna Goguen, the executive director of Lacrosse Nova Scotia.

“I think Wayne's impact is so significant that I don't think there are too many people in the lacrosse world, especially the volunteers in every club in every league across Nova Scotia, who couldn't trace their involvement back to Wayne.

“He almost single-handedly kept alive lacrosse alive throughout the nineties where the sport came close to dying in Nova Scotia.”

Finck was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame as a builder in 2008.

The Halifax native was the driving force behind the Metro Minor Lacrosse League, which has grown to over 800 members.

“When lacrosse had a resurgence back in the late 1090s and early 2000s, Wayne spearheaded the expansion of the Metro league and at the time that league was the most significant organized body for lacrosse in Nova Scotia.

Finck began his illustrious playing career as a member of Nova Scotia's Canada Games team in 1969. In 1975 he was drafted into the National Lacrosse League by the Montreal Quebecois.

Goguen said Finck's fingerprints were all over lacrosse in the province.

“His involvement was at every level of lacrosse. He was on the Lacrosse Nova Scotia's board, he interacted with especially the development from the Canadian Lacrosse Association point of view. For many decades Wayne was the development person for Lacrosse Nova Scotia, He was a referee, coached, did all the certification courses for coaching and officiating in Nova Scotia.

"This is definitely a big loss.”

He passed on the love for lacrosse to his children Dan and Julie (Doucette). Dan Finck played three seasons in the National Lacrosse League, scoring 12 goals in 36 games. He now lives in Colorado and coaches women's university lacrosse.

Doucette is Lacrosse Nova Scotia's learning facilitator for women's field lacrosse and umpire certifications.

He is also survived by his wife Peggie.

Finck was a lifelong educator who retired from teaching in 2011.

A memorial fund has been established by Lacrosse Nova Scotia and can be found at www.lacrosse.ca.