The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in the 1930s in Canada, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport. Box lacrosse is played between two teams of five players and one goalie each, and is traditionally played on an ice hockey rink once the ice has been removed or covered. The playing area is called a box, in contrast to the open playing field of field lacrosse. The object of the game is to use a lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by shooting a solid rubber lacrosse ball into the opponent's goal. The highest level of box lacrosse is the National Lacrosse League.
The Philadelphia Wings were a member of the National Lacrosse League, a professional box lacrosse league in North America starting in 1987. They played at the Spectrum (1987–96) and then at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Toronto Rock are a Canadian professional men’s box lacrosse franchise based in Hamilton, Ontario. They are members of the Eastern Conference of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. The Rock play their home games at FirstOntario Centre.
The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). They play at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, then in its successor the NLL since 1998.
Gary Charles Gait is a Canadian retired Hall of Fame professional lacrosse player and currently the head coach of the men’s lacrosse team at Syracuse University, where he played the sport collegiately. On January 24, 2017, he was named the Interim Commissioner of the United Women's Lacrosse League.
Anthony Cosmo is a former professional lacrosse goaltender and current goaltending coach in the National Lacrosse League. Cosmo is a three-time NLL All-Star, and was named NLL Goaltender of the Year in 2007. Cosmo also plays for the Brampton Excelsiors (MSL) Major Series Lacrosse Senior A Men's league.
John Tavares is a Canadian former professional box lacrosse player and current head coach of the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Six Nations Chiefs of the Major Series Lacrosse League. He is the NLL's all-time leading scorer and also a mathematics teacher at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He attended D'Youville University in Buffalo, New York.
Josh "Shooter" Sanderson is a Canadian former professional lacrosse player. Sanderson played 19 seasons in the National Lacrosse League including nine with the Toronto Rock.
Paul Rabil is an American sports executive and retired professional lacrosse player. He is currently the president of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), which he co-founded with his brother, league CEO Mike Rabil.
Marty O'Neill is a former lacrosse player and former General Manager of the Minnesota Swarm (2004-2011) and Philadelphia Wings (2001-2004) of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). O'Neill, a goaltender, joined the Boston Blazers of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League in 1993.O'Neill played eight season of Pro lacrosse, five seasons with the Boston Blazers, one with the Syracuse Smash, and two with the Buffalo Bandits before retiring after the 2000 season. He was voted the Blazer's MVP by his teammates in Boston for both the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
Clay Hill is a professional box lacrosse player. He was a member of the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits for seven seasons, where he won a NLL Championship in 2008. He also played from 1997 until 2012 as a member of the Mann Cup-eligible Six Nations Chiefs. Now, late in his career, he plays in the semi-professional Canadian Lacrosse League during the winter and the OLA Senior B Lacrosse League in the summer.
Dhane Smith is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League and Chaos Lacrosse Club in the Premier Lacrosse League. He also plays for the Canadian men's indoor lacrosse team and the Canada men's lacrosse team.
The 2019 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2018–2019 season, is the 33rd in the history of the NLL. It was originally scheduled to begin on December 1, 2018 and ending with the NLL final in late spring of 2019. This season is the inaugural season for the expansion teams San Diego Seals and Philadelphia Wings. This is also the final season for the Rochester Knighthawks under owner Curt Styres, as the team's operations are being relocated to Halifax for the 2019–20 season while Pegula Sports and Entertainment takes over the Knighthawks moniker with a new expansion team.
Tom Schreiber is an American professional lacrosse player with Archers LC of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. He attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, and played collegiate lacrosse at Princeton University. Schreiber is the only player to have won the professional outdoor lacrosse MVP award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league with teams in the United States and Canada. Games have been broadcast on television in some capacity since the league's first season in 1987.
The 2022 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2021–2022 season, was the 35th in the history of the NLL. The season began on December 3, 2021, and ended with the NLL final in late spring of 2022. This was the inaugural season for the expansion team Panther City Lacrosse Club, and the Albany FireWolves who relocated from New England. The NLL returned after missing a season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zach Currier is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who currently plays as a midfielder for Waterdogs Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and as a transition player for the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League.
Graeme Hossack is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays as a defenseman for the Halifax Thunderbirds of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Archers Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). In 2020, Hossack became the second player to be named the NLL Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years after Kyle Rubisch won four straight from 2012–15.
The 2023 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2022–2023 season, was the 36th in the history of the NLL. The season began on December 2, 2022, and ended with the NLL final on June 3, 2023. This was the inaugural season for the expansion team Las Vegas Desert Dogs.