Colin Doyle tallied 111 points in 2005 en route to being named NLL MVP. (CP FILE PHOTO)

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967, and the Toronto Raptors haven't made the playoffs since 2002. But the Air Canada Centre's "other" pro sports team, the Toronto Rock, continues to win big on the field and at the gate.

On Saturday, before a sellout crowd of 19,432 at the ACC, the Rock captured its third National Lacrosse League championship in four years. The team, which has been in Toronto just seven seasons, now has a remarkable five National Lacrosse League Champions Cups to its name.

The team is also chock-full of individual talent. The Rock has produced the past two NLL MVPs: captain Jim Veltman won the award in 2004 and star forward Colin Doyle took the prize this year. Doyle also led the NLL in scoring this season with 111 points.

With a perennial powerhouse team and plenty of star players, the Rock is, not surprisingly, doing exceptionally well at the gate.

In 2005, the team led the NLL in regular season attendance while averaging more than 17,000 fans per game. The 19,432 who attended the Champions Cup final is a league record.

In an era of escalating ticket prices and player salaries in other sports, the Rock appears to have struck a chord with fans pining for the "good old days". 2005 regular season ticket prices ranged from $21 to $52, and the NLL caps individual player salaries at $22,500.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the team and the sport continues to grow. Registration in minor lacrosse leagues is climbing in Ontario and North America.

The Rock has nurtured, and capitalized on, this trend by offering discounted tickets to kids who come to the games with adults, usually parents, aunts or uncles.

With a loyal and growing fan base, the Rock appears to be on solid footing for years to come. However, the success of professional lacrosse in Toronto wasn't always a given.

Before the Rock, the city hosted two professional lacrosse teams. The Shooting Stars of the National Professional Lacrosse League folded, along with the league, in 1969. The Tomahawks of the old National Lacrosse League (unrelated to the current NLL) went belly-up in 1974.

In 1999, then-Leafs executive Bill Watters bought the NLL's Ontario Raiders and moved the team from Hamilton to Toronto, where they were rechristened the Rock.

For help in financing the purchase, Watters recruited several high-profile investors. The group included Leafs enforcer Tie Domi, CBC commentator Don Cherry, and Detroit Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan.

Playing their home games at Maple Leaf Gardens, the Rock was an immediate success in its inaugural season. No doubt, the novelty of the team and the imminent closure of the Gardens played roles in that success.

The Rock won its first-ever home game in front of over 11,000 fans at the Gardens. From there, the team cruised to a league-best 9-3 record, including a 6-0 mark at home.

In that year’s NLL title game, more than 15,000 fans watched the Rock capture the Champions Cup at the Gardens. That title began the Rock’s domination of the league.

After the championship inaugural season, the team won league titles in 2000, 2002, and 2003 before capturing the Champions Cup again this year.

The Rock's five championships are just one shy of the NLL-high of six, won by the Philadelphia Wings, who have been in existence since the league's inception in 1987.