Crowley Holds ‘Soft Spot’ For Philly as Warriors Take on Wings

It’s been a while since Kevin Crowley played in the Wells Fargo Center. 

The New Westminster native called Philadelphia home for nine years after being drafted by the Wings in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft. After finishing a successful collegiate career at Stony Brook University, he stepped into the real world in Philadelphia, played for his first NLL team there and started his company Fusion Lacrosse. 

As the Warriors take on the Wings this weekend in Philly it will be a homecoming for the Vancouver forward. 

“I’m looking forward to it, especially playing back in the Wells Fargo Center. It’s been a couple years now since I last played there, and always got a soft spot in my heart for Philadelphia,” Crowley said. 

“When I played there, looking through the glass and seeing so many kids that I coached, and now seeing them all grown up. A lot of them have moved on to college and that’s pretty cool to see. It’ll be a familiar experience seeing the season ticket holders that made my time in Philly so special.” 

The Philadelphia fan base has a reputation for being passionate and Crowley says the fans were so passionate it drew crowds and had the vibes of the atmosphere at Flyers, Eagles and Sixers games. Wings fans are fittingly called the Loyal, Loud and Proud and he knows he might get boo’d by the Wings’ fans, but it’s all love from where he stands. 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he laughed. 

His fondest memories of living in Philly are starting Fusion Lacrosse in 2013 with his former Wings’ teammate Steve Holmes to teach box lacrosse in the United States. Fusion still operates today in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Fusion West in British Columbia. 

“Building a great network there through coaching lacrosse is what I’m grateful for in my time there. I met a lot of people in the community through coaching, including the Loyal, Loud, and Proud,” he said. 

It will be a reunion to see the fans and all of his friends that will be coming to watch. 

He’s got a lot of great memories on the floor, including that of his 300th NLL goal. Coincidentally it was also the last time the Warriors and the Wings matched up, January 4, 2020, and Crowley had a 5-point night for Philadelphia with 3 goals and 2 assists and he scored the best goal of his career. 

“It was a behind the back catch, and I remember it because the lacrosse convention was in town that weekend, Philadelphia was hosting it and there were people from all over the United States and Canada there for the convention. I remember Gary Gait came up to me and saying ‘I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but I haven’t done that.’ That was a pretty special day for me too,” Crowley said. 

With the Warriors, Crowley is hoping to build on the offensive momentum they’ve put together and battle against the Wings this weekend.  

With five games left in the season, there are currently two games separating teams competing for a playoff spot and the ‘Big Cat’ enjoys the intensity of the back end of a season. 

“You don’t get to the professional level by not being competitive. You live for those moments when the stakes are higher and every shift, every quarter means that much more so I think the whole locker room is looking forward to this last stretch here with a little bit of confidence. Walshy’s playing great in there for us, so that always helps, it’s going to be an exciting end to the season,” he said. 

As Crowley prepares to return to Philadelphia, he carries with him memories of past successes and determination to create new ones with the Warriors. He’s embracing the tough part of the season and will look to leave his mark once again on the floor where his NLL journey began.