NLL Insider

One of the best experiences that a fan in the NLL can enjoy–apart from the action on the field–is to venture to an opponent’s city to follow their NLL team. Now there are stories throughout the years of beer baths in Buffalo, battery chuckers in Philly, teenagers talking like truckers in Toronto, and rude grandmas in Rochester. Some of these are factual and some just add to the legendary tales from the road. One thing stands above all of this, though: to truly experience the NLL, you must go on roadtrips.

I would say the team that taught the rest of us how to do it is the PWFC in Philadelphia. Obviously they’ve been doing it the longest and have the most stories to share, but as the years roll along other cities have grown their roadtrip resumes. In Rochester, we are proud to boast that there has never been an advertised game without at least one Knighthawks fan in attendance. From Moline, IL to Charlotte, NC there has always been Knighthawks fans there to cheer on our guys.

Some NLL fans have gone to cities where there isn’t even a game, like when Philly ventured to Albany and the players and fans made it to the city only to have the game cancelled because of a blizzard hitting the area. No problem, the players ponied up and treated the fans to a great No-Game party at Jillian’s. Every NLL city has their one roadtrip must stop, Pearl Street or Anchor Bar in Buffalo, Nick Tahou’s Garbage Plate in Rochester, Jim’s/Geno’s or Tony Luc’s Cheesesteaks in Philly, Joe Badali’s in Toronto, ESPNZone in Times Square.

This season I took a poll to see where NLL fans were going in 2008 and I came across something surprising and exciting at the same time. The Eastern Division fans are used to travelling to all of the other cities within a 10 hour drive, like Philly to TO and TO to Chicago, but something else caught my eye. Western Division fans are starting to catch the roadtrip addiction like Mammoth fans heading up to Portland, Portland fans going to San Jose and Calgary fans making the 15 hour drive to Portland for the second year in a row. We are starting to see the establishment of the western division as NLL addicts just like the Eastern Division with, in most cases, much more difficult travel arrangements.

There are even instances where home games are road games for some fans. Take “StealthDragon” from the Wingszone message boards who will be flying in for all of the Stealth home games since moving from San Jose, and Dave Grieco who drives 6 hours each way from Philly to Rochester to watch his hometown Knighthawks every home game. There are countless stories like this around the NLL, such as a gentleman who now lives near Boston that is a lifelong Wings fan and drove to all of the Wings home games for years, no matter what the weather.

No matter if you are a fan of many years or just getting into the NLL, you must make a roadtrip to an opponent’s city in 2008. Just a couple of pointers for you rookie roadtrippers: don’t take the Walt Whitman from the Holiday Inn in Philly, you’ll end up in Jersey getting yelled at for trying to pump your own gas, and a must have in TO is Bangers and Beans at the Flatiron and Firkin on Front Street. One last thing to avoid, “Street Meat” in any city looks very appetizing at 3am, but by the time you wake up you’ll wish you hadn’t had two of them.

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