When the NLL season kicks off this weekend, the Toronto Rock will return to the floor with a new home, and some new faces. The biggest change, of course, is a return to the city of their birth. Sort of. The Ontario Raiders joined the NLL in 1998 and played one season at then Copps Coliseum before moving down the QEW in 1999 to become the Toronto Rock, playing at…
2021-22 PREVIEW: Buffalo Bandits
Well, a new season is upon us, and Buffalo Bandits fans have a lot to be excited about. First and foremost, it will be the first full season since the shortened 2019-2020 campaign. The last game the Bandits played was March 8th 2020, which was an 11-9 loss to Halifax. If you compare the roster from that game to present day, a lot is the same. However, there were many…
2021-22 PREVIEW: Calgary Roughnecks
With the National Lacrosse League season set to get underway this weekend, NLL teams released their 21-man rosters on Monday. Head coach Curt Malawsky and assistant coaches Bob McMahon and Brian Beisel had only a month of training camp to sort through two years’ worth of draft picks, trades and free agents. Competition was fierce as there were a number of open roster spots to be filled on both sides…
2021-22 PREVIEW: Philadelphia Wings
The Philadelphia Wings are set to take flight in Philadelphia this Saturday night as they open their 2021-22 season against the Panther City Lacrosse Club. In some ways, it seems like the Philadelphia Wings never left. In other ways, a lot has changed since the Wings last played a professional lacrosse game in Philadelphia. Certainly the world has changed. For Philly fans, a lot of the names remain the same.There are several…
2021-22 PREVIEW: Halifax Thunderbirds
The Halifax Thunderbirds look to pick up where they left off last season as one of the best teams in the NLL. When the 2019-20 season was abruptly suspended on March 12th, 2020 and cancelled a month later, the Thunderbirds sat on top of the North Division and third in the league with eight wins and four losses. Only the New England Black Wolves (8-3) – now Albany Firewolves –…
ALL: West Division completes draft, sets schedule for inaugural season
Mark it down for the history books: the first-ever player selected in the Arena Lacrosse League West Division draft was Matteo Tack. The goaltender from Burnaby was chosen by the Sea Spray at Saturday’s ALL West Draft, which was held on Saturday afternoon at Langley Events Centre as the four teams shaped their rosters ahead of the league’s inaugural season in British Columbia. Tack was humbled by his selection. “It…
PHOTOS: Rochester Knighthawks @ Philadelphia Wings, January 19, 2020
We’re dipping into the archives today to relive THAT game – you know the one. Sunday, January 19th, 2020 at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia Wings and Rochester Knighthawks combined for 103 penalty minutes in a 12-4 Wings’ win. Things got a little nuts in the third period with several different scrums. We love lacrosse for the skill, but a little silliness isn’t always a bad thing. Click the link…
NLL: League announces partnership with Ontario Junior Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League Announces Partnership with Ontario Junior Lacrosse League Player, coach, and official development and collaboration PHILADELPHIA, November 8, 2021 – The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, announced a partnership with the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (@TheOJLL) of the Ontario Lacrosse Association, focusing on game-related matters, from coaching and officiating development to marketing and sponsorship initiatives. Although details of…
ALL: Team names connect to west coast and local Indigenous culture
When the time came to choose names for the new teams for the inaugural season of the Arena Lacrosse League’s West Division, the goal was to create names with connections to both the west coast and the area’s Indigenous culture. “It is really about representing the water, land, mountains and sky,” explained Tewanee Joseph, a member of the Squamish Nation who aided in the team-naming process. “And those names are…
Editorial: Lacrosse needs more Andrew Suitors
NLL games will be a little less meaningful this season without Andrew Suitor on the floor. The heart-and-soul player announced his retirement from the game last month. Suitor scored 58 goals and 63 assists throughout his 10-year-career – pretty good for a defenseman who wasn’t expected to be a big contributor on the scoreboard. He had a knack for transition-style highlight-reel goals that made him memorable. He might have won…