NLL Insider

Back in the Day

Box Lacrosse on the Reservation

This weekend I am headed to Six Nations, Ontario, for the 2008 Warrior’s Cup pre-season box lacrosse tournament.  US Indoor Lacrosse has put together a team with the intention of getting American field players box experience.  The whole process of working with Americans with little to no box experience has got me thinking about my early days learning the game.

When I was in high school and college I would play in an indoor league in Potsdam, N.Y.  Most of the players had no real box experience and the goalies were field players playing in a modified field net.  I think it was 5 feet high by 4 feet wide.  It was a ton of fun and got me used to playing in a hockey rink, but was far from box lacrosse.  I think this is a pretty typical experience for Americans playing “indoor” lacrosse.  So when I tried out for the Boston Blazers in the fall of ‘93 I thought I knew something about the game.  Obviously I was wrong, and I got cut from that team.

READ MORE »

Back in the Day, Inside the Numbers

Best starts = Champion’s Cup? Not lately

There’s been a lotta chatter lately about the slick O-fer runs Minnesota, Colorado and to a lesser extenet Philly are running out the gates with, and for good reason.

Minny’s offense is the deadliest we’ve seen in this L for years, Colorado’s D and press are probably tops in the bigs right now and the Wings are playing a high tempo brand of ball we haven’t seen in The City of Brotherly Love in forever. It’s all beautiful stuff for sure.

With that said though, what does a smokin’ start outta the gates get ya in the NLL? READ MORE »

Back in the Day

Box Lacrosse Is A “Stunning” Game

That’s the brief headline you’ll see at the beginning of this week’s vintage lacrosse clip, featuring a 1931 game between Toronto and Montreal. 

“The first match between Toronto and Montreal causes sensation - already threatens popularity of the comparatively mild excitement in All of Wrestling.”

Being the history junkie that I am, this clip blows my mind. Absolutely insane, and thanks to Gary Mark at www.lacrosseinsidethegame.com for posting this clip, we can enjoy some lacrosse action that’s really from back in the day.

Check out the crease, which extends to the wall behind the cage so no runners could make a play to a teammate cutting straight down from the top. Check out the ref, all decked out in a necktie. Check out the checks, especially the one toward the end of the clip that leaves one of the poor fellas a bit dazed before he gathers his senses and retaliates. It’s a TOTAL bummer that the clip ends where it ends, because you just know the fists were flyin’.

There isn’t much out there in terms of specific history for this clip or game, but I was able to track down some Canadian box lacrosse history for 1931 in Donald M. Fisher’s book, Lacrosse: A History of the Game, so if you wanna read that, click on the “Read More” tag.

If ya don’t, that’s cool too. You’ll still enjoy the clip.

READ MORE »

Back in the Day

Kickin’ it 1974 style

You remember 1974, right? Yeah, right. Most of you reading this weren’t even born yet, but believe it or not, fellas were playing lacrosse back then.

And get this: They did it without off-set heads, shafts that were made of (gasp!) wood, and shorts so tight that it’s a complete mystery as to how anyone even moved in those things.

With all praise to the internet, we are blessed with this clip of the 1974 Philadelphia Wings, who were led by John Grant Sr. This 20-second video shows Grant Sr. playing against the Rochester Griffins and if you want to know a little more about the NLL back then, click on the “read more” tag after you watch this video.

READ MORE »

Back in the Day

Old-school CrosseFire

Before the Mammoth were the Mammoth, they were the Power and before that, they were the CrosseFire.

Lacrosse in Pittsburgh? You bet. Head back to 2000 and the Y2K scare was nothing when you break down the CrosseFire’s one season in the NLL. With Lucifer prominently displayed as the team’s mascot, perhaps it’s not surprising that the team won 6 games, lost 6 games and finished in 6th place.

6-6-6. Coincidence? Who knows. But if you watch this 6-minute clip against the Knighthawks long enough, you’ll get past the empty seats to the healthy co-ed who encouraged Pittsburgh goals by removing clothing, one piece at a time.