Box lacrosse
Encyclopedia
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse
played mostly in North America
. The game originated in Canada
, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse
game. It is played between two teams
of six players 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 long handled racket, known as a lacrosse stick
, to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling a solid rubber lacrosse ball
into an opponent's goal.
At the highest level box lacrosse is represented by the Senior A divisions of the Canadian Lacrosse Association
(Western Lacrosse Association
of the British Columbia Lacrosse Association
and Major Series Lacrosse
of the Ontario Lacrosse Association
), and the National Lacrosse League
.
While there are thirty-one total members of the Federation of International Lacrosse
(FIL), only eight nations have competed in international box lacrosse competition. Only Canada
, Iroquois Nationals
and the United States have finished in the top three places at the ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
s.
game which was first encountered by Europeans when French
Jesuit missionaries
in the St. Lawrence Valley witnessed the game in the 1630s. Box lacrosse is a modern version of the game that was invented in Canada during the 1930s as a way to promote business for ice hockey arenas during the summer months. Joseph Cattarinich
and Leo Dandurand
, owners of the National Hockey League
's Montreal Canadiens
in the 1920s, led the participating ice hockey arena owners to introduce the new sport. Canadians adopted the new version of the sport quickly. Eventually it became the more popular version of the sport in Canada, supplanting field lacrosse. However, many field lacrosse enthusiasts viewed the new version of the sport with negativity. Lacrosse was officially declared Canada
's National Summer Sport with the passage of the National Sports Act (Bill C-212) on May 12, 1994.
Lacrosse for centuries was seen a key element of cultural identity and spiritual healing to Native Americans. It originated as a field game and was adopted first by Canadian, American, and English athletes as a field game, eventually settling on a 10 v 10 format. In the 1930s, 6 v 6 indoor lacrosse, played in the summer in unused hockey rinks, became popular in Canada. This "Box" form of was also adopted as the primary version of the game played on Native American reservations in the US and Canada by Iroquois
and other Native peoples., Itthe only sport in which the American indigenous people are sanctioned to compete internationally, participating as the Iroquois Nationals
.
The first professional box lacrosse games were held in 1931. That summer the arena owners formed the International Lacrosse League featuring four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Cornwall Colts. The league only lasted two seasons. In the wake of the original International Lacrosse League opened the American Box Lacrosse League featuring six teams: two in New York City, and one each in Brooklyn, Toronto, Boston, and Baltimore. The league played to small crowds on outdoor fields such as Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park
, before closing midway through its inaugural season.
The Canadian Lacrosse Association
began sponsoring more and more box lacrosse. In 1935, the Mann Cup
, the most prestigious lacrosse trophy in Canada, was contended for under box lacrosse rules for the first time. Previously, the national senior men's lacrosse championship, awarded since 1901, was competed for under field lacrosse rules. The Mann Cup is an annual tournament that presents the champion of the Western Lacrosse Association
and Major Series Lacrosse
in a best of seven national championship. A few years later, in 1937, the Minto Cup
, began being awarded under box lacrosse rules to the junior men's champions. Currently the Canadian Lacrosse Association oversees the Mann Cup, the Minto Cup, the Presidents Cup
(Senior B national championship) the Founders Cup
(Junior B national championship) all under box lacrosse rules.
Briefly in 1939, a professional box lacrosse league started up in California, called the Pacific Coast Lacrosse Association. This four team league league also folded shortly after opening. Professional box lacrosse did not return to the United States again until 1968 when the Coquitlam Adanacs
franchise played one Western Lacrosse Association
season in Portland, Oregon
.
A new professional indoor lacrosse league was created in the 1970s with the formation of the National Lacrosse League (this league is not related to the National Lacrosse League
created in 1986). This league opened in 1974 with teams in Montreal, Toronto, Rochester, Syracuse, Philadelphia, and Maryland. For the 1975 season, Rochester moved to Boston, Syracuse moved to Quebec City, and Toronto moved to Long Island. Thus, by its second year, the original NLL was playing in all major league arenas: The Quebec Colliseum, Montreal Forum, Boston Garden, Long Island Arena, Philadelphia Forum, and Capital Centre. When the two wealthier '75 NLL franchises, Philadelphia and Maryland, finished out of the playoffs, and with Montreal losing access to the fabled Montreal Forum in the upcoming season due to the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the league folded after two seasons due to financial uncertainty.
The rebirth of professional box lacrosse in the United States came on March 13, 1986, with the formation of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League, which was incorporated by Russ Cline
and Chris Fritz
. The league originated with four teams: the Philadelphia Wings
, New Jersey Saints
, Washington Wave
, and Baltimore Thunder
, and unlike box lacrosse generally, was played during the winter. The league rebranded itself as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) immediately after its second season, and in 1998 renamed itself again, this time to the National Lacrosse League
. In 1998, the National Lacrosse League entered into the Canadian market for the first time with the Ontario Raiders
. Although 10 of the league's 13 teams are based in American cities, more than two-thirds of the players are Canadian
.
A player's lacrosse stick must be between 40 inches (1 m) and 46 inches (1.2 m) in length (youth levels may use shorter sticks). In most box lacrosse leagues, the use of a traditional wooden stick is allowed. However, almost no lacrosse players use wooden sticks anymore, preferring aluminum or another metal, and a plastic head. In the National Lacrosse League, wooden lacrosse sticks are not allowed. Besides a lacrosse stick, each player must also wear a certain amount of protective equipment, including a lacrosse helmet
with facemask, lacrosse gloves, arm and shoulder pads, and back/kidney pads (rib pads, optional in some leagues).
During a typical game the number of officials can range from one to three, depending on the league and level of play. In most games there are at least two referees: a lead official and a trail official. In National Lacrosse League games there are three officials per game.
The 9 feet (2.7 m) to 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) diameter area surrounding the net is called the "crease". Players except for the goaltender may not enter the crease while playing the ball. Punishments for crease infractions include a change of possession, resetting of the time-clock, or a possible two minute penalty depending on the infraction. Opposing players may not make contact with the goaltender while he is in the crease. Once he leaves the crease, however, he loses all goaltender privileges.
Even as box lacrosse grows in the United States, the American goalkeeper is a rarity. The skills required to be a successful field lacrosse goaltender
and a successful box lacrosse goaltender are very different and do not lend well to one another.
Box lacrosse goals are dimensions are traditionally 4 feet (1.2 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. In the National Lacrosse League, the dimensions are slightly larger at 4 in 9 in (1.45 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. These nets are significantly smaller than in field lacrosse nets which measure 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 6 feet (1.8 m) tall.
consists of three periods of 20 minutes each (similar to ice hockey), with the teams changing ends each period. The National Lacrosse League plays four 15-minute quarters rather than three periods. If the game is tied at the end of regulation play, overtime can be played. Overtime may or may not be sudden victory, depending on the league.
During play, teams may substitute players in and out freely. Sometimes this is referred to as "on the fly" substitution. Substitution must occur within the designated exchange area in front of the players bench in order to be legal. The sport utilizes a shot clock
and the attacking team must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds of gaining possession of the ball. In additional, players must advance the ball from their own defensive end to the offensive half of the floor within 10 seconds.
For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the penalty box
and his team has to play without him and with one less player for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for two minutes unless a major penalty has been assessed. The team that has taken the penalty is said to be playing shorthanded
while the other team is on the power play
.
A two-minute minor penalty is often called for lesser infractions such as slashing, tripping, elbowing, roughing, too many players, illegal equipment, holding, or interference. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, as well as for fighting. Players are released from the penalty box when either the penalty time expires, or the opposition scores a goal (or two goals for the instance of a major penalty).
At the officials' discretion a ten-minute misconduct penalty may be assessed. These are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the playing area unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with the misconduct (a "two-and-ten" or "five-and-ten"). In that case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent. A player who receives a game misconduct is ejected and may not return to play. Receiving two major penalties in a game will result in a game misconduct.
A penalty shot, where a player from the non-offending team is given an attempt to score a goal without opposition from any defending players except the goaltender, may be awarded under certain circumstances. By rule, teams must have at least three runners in play. If a team commits a third penalty resulting in a "three man down" situation a penalty shot is awarded in favor of having the offending player serve in the penalty box. A penalty shot may also be awarded, at the referee's discretion, if a defensive player causes a foul to prevent a goal (by throwing his stick, holding, tripping, or by deliberately displacing the goal, or a defensive player intentionally falls and covers a ball in his own team's crease).
, fighting is illegal in box lacrosse. However, what separates box lacrosse and ice hockey from other sports is that at the top levels of professional and junior lacrosse, a five-minute major penalty is given and the players are not ejected for participating in a fight.
Fighting in youth or club level box lacrosse is typically penalized with expulsion and suspensions. In 1990, when the Six Nations
created the new Mohawk lacrosse league, fighting was specifically targeted as unacceptable. Violators were ejected from the game in which the altercation occurred and given a minimum three game suspension.
. It is also played to a marginal degree in Australia
, primarily by players who have played field lacrosse
. Club level box lacrosse leagues in the United States have increased the number of players exposed to the sport, including the: Baltimore Indoor Lacrosse League, the Philadelphia Box Lacrosse Association, and the Metro Area Box Lacrosse League.
The first ever world championship of box lacrosse, "The Nations in 1980", was staged in several arenas in British Columbia, Canada in July 1980 involving teams representing the United States, Australia, Canada East, Canada West and the Iroquois Nationals. Canada West (Coquitlam Adanacs) defeated the Iroquois in the nationally televised world championship game from Pacific Coliseum
in Vancouver
. This was the first time in history that Indigenous peoples of the Americas
people represented themselves in an athletic world championship competition. In a spirited contest at the other end of the bracket, the USA defeated Australia for bragging rights.
The second international box lacrosse tournament was held in 2003, with the inaugural World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
s. The competitors were national teams from Australia
, Canada
, the Czech Republic
, the Iroquois
Nation, Scotland
, and the United States. The 2007 Championships had eight nations participating, the previous competitors plus England and Ireland
. Canada
, Iroquois Nationals
and the United States have won gold, silver, and bronze respectively in each of the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
s held.
Other international tournaments have been played. Annually, the European Lacrosse Federation
holds the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial tournament in Prague
. This is the largest European box lacrosse tournament. In 2002 and 2004, the Heritage Cup was played between the United States and Canada featuring mostly players that were members of National Lacrosse League teams.
version. Recently, Ontario
, Alberta
and British Columbia
have established girls' and women's box lacrosse leagues.
During the 2003 NLL season
, goaltender Ginny Capicchioni
appeared in two preseason and one regular season game to become the only woman to make an appearance in the National Lacrosse League.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
played mostly in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The game originated in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
game. It is played between two teams
Team sport
A team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
of six players each, and is traditionally played on an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
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 long handled racket, known as a lacrosse stick
Lacrosse stick
A lacrosse stick or crosse is a long-handled racket used to play the sport of lacrosse. Players use the lacrosse stick to handle the ball and to strike at opposing players...
, to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling a solid rubber lacrosse ball
Lacrosse ball
A lacrosse ball is the solid rubber ball that is used, in conjunction with a lacrosse stick, to play the sport of lacrosse. It is typically white, but is also produced in a wide range of colors.The old NCAA specifications are:Weight: 140g - 147g...
into an opponent's goal.
At the highest level box lacrosse is represented by the Senior A divisions of the Canadian Lacrosse Association
Canadian Lacrosse Association
The Canadian Lacrosse Association , founded in 1867, is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada. It conducts national junior and senior championship tournaments for men and women in both field and box lacrosse...
(Western Lacrosse Association
Western Lacrosse Association
The Western Lacrosse Association is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
of the British Columbia Lacrosse Association
British Columbia Lacrosse Association
British Columbia Lacrosse Association is a sanctioned sports body in British Columbia, Canada. Empowered by the Canadian Lacrosse Association, the BCLA controls and regulates Minor level, Junior level and Senior level Lacrosse.-Leagues:...
and Major Series Lacrosse
Major Series Lacrosse
Major Series Lacrosse is a Senior A box lacrosse league based out of Ontario, Canada sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Most of the players in the league play or have played in the National Lacrosse League. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
of the Ontario Lacrosse Association
Ontario Lacrosse Association
Ontario Lacrosse Association is a sanctioned sports body in Ontario, Canada. Empowered by the Canadian Lacrosse Association, the OLA controls and regulates Minor level, Junior level and Senior level Lacrosse...
), and the National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
.
While there are thirty-one total members of the Federation of International Lacrosse
Federation of International Lacrosse
The Federation of International Lacrosse, shortened to FIL, was established in August 2008 in a merger of both the men's and women's international lacrosse associations. It's located in Wilmington, Delaware in United States...
(FIL), only eight nations have competed in international box lacrosse competition. Only Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Iroquois Nationals
Iroquois Nationals
The Iroquois Nationals are the national lacrosse team of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League that competes in international competition. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation in 1990 and is the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport...
and the United States have finished in the top three places at the ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
The World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is an international box lacrosse tournament that is held every four years an is sponsored by the Federation of International Lacrosse . First held in 2003, the tournament was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation until 2008, when the ILF became...
s.
History
Lacrosse is a traditional Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
game which was first encountered by Europeans when French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jesuit missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in the St. Lawrence Valley witnessed the game in the 1630s. Box lacrosse is a modern version of the game that was invented in Canada during the 1930s as a way to promote business for ice hockey arenas during the summer months. Joseph Cattarinich
Joseph Cattarinich
Joseph "Joe" Cattarinich , was a professional hockey player, and co-owner of horse racing tracks in Canada and the United States as well as a co-owner of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League....
and Leo Dandurand
Leo Dandurand
Joseph Viateur "Léo" Dandurand , was a sportsman and businessman. He was the owner and coach of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team in the National Hockey League...
, owners of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 1920s, led the participating ice hockey arena owners to introduce the new sport. Canadians adopted the new version of the sport quickly. Eventually it became the more popular version of the sport in Canada, supplanting field lacrosse. However, many field lacrosse enthusiasts viewed the new version of the sport with negativity. Lacrosse was officially declared Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's National Summer Sport with the passage of the National Sports Act (Bill C-212) on May 12, 1994.
Lacrosse for centuries was seen a key element of cultural identity and spiritual healing to Native Americans. It originated as a field game and was adopted first by Canadian, American, and English athletes as a field game, eventually settling on a 10 v 10 format. In the 1930s, 6 v 6 indoor lacrosse, played in the summer in unused hockey rinks, became popular in Canada. This "Box" form of was also adopted as the primary version of the game played on Native American reservations in the US and Canada by Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and other Native peoples., Itthe only sport in which the American indigenous people are sanctioned to compete internationally, participating as the Iroquois Nationals
Iroquois Nationals
The Iroquois Nationals are the national lacrosse team of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League that competes in international competition. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation in 1990 and is the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport...
.
The first professional box lacrosse games were held in 1931. That summer the arena owners formed the International Lacrosse League featuring four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Cornwall Colts. The league only lasted two seasons. In the wake of the original International Lacrosse League opened the American Box Lacrosse League featuring six teams: two in New York City, and one each in Brooklyn, Toronto, Boston, and Baltimore. The league played to small crowds on outdoor fields such as Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, before closing midway through its inaugural season.
The Canadian Lacrosse Association
Canadian Lacrosse Association
The Canadian Lacrosse Association , founded in 1867, is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada. It conducts national junior and senior championship tournaments for men and women in both field and box lacrosse...
began sponsoring more and more box lacrosse. In 1935, the Mann Cup
Mann Cup
The Mann Cup is the trophy awarded to the senior men's lacrosse champions of Canada. The championship series is played between the Western Lacrosse Association champion and the Major Series Lacrosse champion...
, the most prestigious lacrosse trophy in Canada, was contended for under box lacrosse rules for the first time. Previously, the national senior men's lacrosse championship, awarded since 1901, was competed for under field lacrosse rules. The Mann Cup is an annual tournament that presents the champion of the Western Lacrosse Association
Western Lacrosse Association
The Western Lacrosse Association is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
and Major Series Lacrosse
Major Series Lacrosse
Major Series Lacrosse is a Senior A box lacrosse league based out of Ontario, Canada sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Most of the players in the league play or have played in the National Lacrosse League. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
in a best of seven national championship. A few years later, in 1937, the Minto Cup
Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's lacrosse team of Canada.It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto, and from 1901 until 1909 awarded to the senior men's champion of Canada...
, began being awarded under box lacrosse rules to the junior men's champions. Currently the Canadian Lacrosse Association oversees the Mann Cup, the Minto Cup, the Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup (box lacrosse)
The Presidents Cup is the National Senior level box lacrosse championship for the Canadian Lacrosse Association. The Championship is annual and awards a "Gold", "Silver", and "Bronze" placing. The skill levels have been adjusted in recent years, Senior "B" teams from across Canada now compete for...
(Senior B national championship) the Founders Cup
Founders Cup
The Founders Cup is the championship trophy of Canada's Junior "B" lacrosse leagues. The custodial duties of this trophy fall upon the Canadian Lacrosse Association. The National Champions are determined through a round robin format with a playdown for the final in a host city...
(Junior B national championship) all under box lacrosse rules.
Briefly in 1939, a professional box lacrosse league started up in California, called the Pacific Coast Lacrosse Association. This four team league league also folded shortly after opening. Professional box lacrosse did not return to the United States again until 1968 when the Coquitlam Adanacs
Coquitlam Adanacs
The Coquitlam Adanacs are a Canadian box lacrosse team based in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The Adanacs play in B.C.'s seven team Western Lacrosse Association , whose champion competes against Ontario's Major Series Lacrosse champion for the Mann Cup every September.The Adanacs originally started...
franchise played one Western Lacrosse Association
Western Lacrosse Association
The Western Lacrosse Association is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
season in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
created in 1986). This league opened in 1974 with teams in Montreal, Toronto, Rochester, Syracuse, Philadelphia, and Maryland. For the 1975 season, Rochester moved to Boston, Syracuse moved to Quebec City, and Toronto moved to Long Island. Thus, by its second year, the original NLL was playing in all major league arenas: The Quebec Colliseum, Montreal Forum, Boston Garden, Long Island Arena, Philadelphia Forum, and Capital Centre. When the two wealthier '75 NLL franchises, Philadelphia and Maryland, finished out of the playoffs, and with Montreal losing access to the fabled Montreal Forum in the upcoming season due to the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the league folded after two seasons due to financial uncertainty.
The rebirth of professional box lacrosse in the United States came on March 13, 1986, with the formation of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League, which was incorporated by Russ Cline
Russ Cline
Russ Cline was a co-founder of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League on March 13, 1986. Russ is President/Owner of the Philadelphia Wings organization. They actually Operated as The Major Indoor Lacrosse League on all their Programs and Advertising.Cline served as Executive Vice President for the...
and Chris Fritz
Chris Fritz
Chris Fritz was a co-founder of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League on May 13, 1987.Fritz was the league's first President. In June 2005, it was announced that Chris would be inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame along with Russ Cline, Paul Gait, Gary Gait and Les Bartley...
. The league originated with four teams: the Philadelphia Wings
Philadelphia Wings
The Philadelphia Wings are a member of the National Lacrosse League, a professional box lacrosse league in North America. They play at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, New Jersey Saints
New Jersey Saints
The New Jersey Saints were one of the founding teams in the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League . They played at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Saints won the 1988 Eagle Pro championship...
, Washington Wave
Washington Wave
The Washington Wave was an American lacrosse team. They were a member of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1987 to 1989. They were based in Washington, D.C. and played in the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The team's first coach, Bud Beardmore, was...
, and Baltimore Thunder
Baltimore Thunder
The Baltimore Thunder were a member of the National Lacrosse League from 1987 until 1999. They were based in Baltimore, Maryland, and won the first Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League championship in 1987...
, and unlike box lacrosse generally, was played during the winter. The league rebranded itself as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) immediately after its second season, and in 1998 renamed itself again, this time to the National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
. In 1998, the National Lacrosse League entered into the Canadian market for the first time with the Ontario Raiders
Ontario Raiders
The Ontario Raiders were a member of the National Lacrosse League during the 1998 NLL season. The Raiders played at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. After only one season in Hamilton, the franchise was moved to Toronto, becoming the Toronto Rock....
. Although 10 of the league's 13 teams are based in American cities, more than two-thirds of the players are Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Players, equipment and officials
During play, a team consists of six players: a goalkeeper and five "runners". A runner is any non-goalkeeper position player, including forwards, transition players, and defenders. When the sport originated teams played with six runners. However, in 1953 the sixth runner, a position called rover, was eliminated. Team rosters are typically a total of as many players as a team can carry. The goalkeeper can be replaced by another runner (often when a penalty has been signaled by the referee or at the end of a quarter).A player's lacrosse stick must be between 40 inches (1 m) and 46 inches (1.2 m) in length (youth levels may use shorter sticks). In most box lacrosse leagues, the use of a traditional wooden stick is allowed. However, almost no lacrosse players use wooden sticks anymore, preferring aluminum or another metal, and a plastic head. In the National Lacrosse League, wooden lacrosse sticks are not allowed. Besides a lacrosse stick, each player must also wear a certain amount of protective equipment, including a lacrosse helmet
Lacrosse helmet
A lacrosse helmet is a protective headpiece worn primarily in men's lacrosse, but also worn optionally by women's lacrosse players in Australia. Modern helmets consist of a hard plastic, non-adjustable shell with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of metal bars, and a chinstrap used to...
with facemask, lacrosse gloves, arm and shoulder pads, and back/kidney pads (rib pads, optional in some leagues).
During a typical game the number of officials can range from one to three, depending on the league and level of play. In most games there are at least two referees: a lead official and a trail official. In National Lacrosse League games there are three officials per game.
Goaltender
The goaltender's responsibility is to prevent the opposition from scoring goals by directly defending the net. Box lacrosse goaltenders equipment includes upper body gear (measuring no more than 3 inches (7.6 cm) up and 5 inches (12.7 cm) out off the shoulder—much larger than similar gear for field lacrosse or ice hockey goaltenders), large shin guards that must measure no more than 11 inches (27.9 cm) at the knee, 9 inches (22.9 cm) at the top of the shin and 7 inches (17.8 cm) at the ankle, and a field lacrosse helmet or ice hockey goalie mask according to the rules set by the CLA for the 2012 season.The 9 feet (2.7 m) to 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) diameter area surrounding the net is called the "crease". Players except for the goaltender may not enter the crease while playing the ball. Punishments for crease infractions include a change of possession, resetting of the time-clock, or a possible two minute penalty depending on the infraction. Opposing players may not make contact with the goaltender while he is in the crease. Once he leaves the crease, however, he loses all goaltender privileges.
Even as box lacrosse grows in the United States, the American goalkeeper is a rarity. The skills required to be a successful field lacrosse goaltender
Goalkeeper (field lacrosse)
In field lacrosse the goaltender, also referred to as goalkeeper, goalie, or keeper but most often referred to as the Goalie, is the last line of defense between the opposing offense and his team's goal. The primary role of the goaltender is to defend opposing team's shots on goal. The other main...
and a successful box lacrosse goaltender are very different and do not lend well to one another.
Defenders
A defender is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring. Unlike in field lacrosse where some defensive players carry "long poles" (a lacrosse stick with a 5 feet (1.5 m) shaft or handle), all box lacrosse defenders play with a maximum 46 inches (1.2 m) long stick. Defensive tactics include cross checking (where a player uses the shaft of his stick to push the opposition player off balance), body checking (where a player makes contact with the opposition player in order to slow him down), and stick checking (where a player makes contact with the opposition player's stick in order to knock the ball loose).Transition
A transition player is a player whose responsibility is primarily to play during defensive situations with an offensive mindset. The goal of this player is to create fastbreaks and scoring opportunities.Forwards
A forward is a player position on the field whose responsibility is primarily offensive. Typically, a forward is dominant throwing with one hand or the other, and will primarily play on that side of the floor. Some players, known as creasemen, do not focus on one side or the other. These players instead focus their offensive attention near the crease area in front of the goaltender.Playing area
The playing area of box lacrosse is typically an ice hockey rink during the summer months. The playing surface is usually the concrete floor underneath the melted ice. Generally the playing area is 180 feet (54.9 m) to 200 feet (61 m) in length and 80 feet (24.4 m) to 90 feet (27.4 m) in width. The National Lacrosse League plays on artificial turf placed on top of the ice. Some leagues, and teams that have dedicated box lacrosse arenas (such as the Iroquois), have outfitted their playing surface with artificial turf similar to the National Lacrosse League.Box lacrosse goals are dimensions are traditionally 4 feet (1.2 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. In the National Lacrosse League, the dimensions are slightly larger at 4 in 9 in (1.45 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. These nets are significantly smaller than in field lacrosse nets which measure 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 6 feet (1.8 m) tall.
Duration and tie-breaking methods
A traditional game played under the rules of the Canadian Lacrosse AssociationCanadian Lacrosse Association
The Canadian Lacrosse Association , founded in 1867, is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada. It conducts national junior and senior championship tournaments for men and women in both field and box lacrosse...
consists of three periods of 20 minutes each (similar to ice hockey), with the teams changing ends each period. The National Lacrosse League plays four 15-minute quarters rather than three periods. If the game is tied at the end of regulation play, overtime can be played. Overtime may or may not be sudden victory, depending on the league.
Ball in and out of play
Each period, and after each goal scored, play is restarted with a face-off. If a ball travels over the boards and outside of the playing area, play is restarted by possession being awarded to the opposing team to that which last touched the ball.During play, teams may substitute players in and out freely. Sometimes this is referred to as "on the fly" substitution. Substitution must occur within the designated exchange area in front of the players bench in order to be legal. The sport utilizes a shot clock
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
and the attacking team must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds of gaining possession of the ball. In additional, players must advance the ball from their own defensive end to the offensive half of the floor within 10 seconds.
Penalties
Penalty box
The penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
and his team has to play without him and with one less player for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for two minutes unless a major penalty has been assessed. The team that has taken the penalty is said to be playing shorthanded
Shorthanded
Short handed is a term used in ice hockey and refers to having fewer skaters on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. The player removed from play serves the penalty in the penalty box for a set amount of time proportional to the severity of the infraction...
while the other team is on the power play
Powerplay
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...
.
A two-minute minor penalty is often called for lesser infractions such as slashing, tripping, elbowing, roughing, too many players, illegal equipment, holding, or interference. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, as well as for fighting. Players are released from the penalty box when either the penalty time expires, or the opposition scores a goal (or two goals for the instance of a major penalty).
At the officials' discretion a ten-minute misconduct penalty may be assessed. These are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the playing area unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with the misconduct (a "two-and-ten" or "five-and-ten"). In that case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent. A player who receives a game misconduct is ejected and may not return to play. Receiving two major penalties in a game will result in a game misconduct.
A penalty shot, where a player from the non-offending team is given an attempt to score a goal without opposition from any defending players except the goaltender, may be awarded under certain circumstances. By rule, teams must have at least three runners in play. If a team commits a third penalty resulting in a "three man down" situation a penalty shot is awarded in favor of having the offending player serve in the penalty box. A penalty shot may also be awarded, at the referee's discretion, if a defensive player causes a foul to prevent a goal (by throwing his stick, holding, tripping, or by deliberately displacing the goal, or a defensive player intentionally falls and covers a ball in his own team's crease).
Fighting
Similar to fighting in ice hockeyFighting in ice hockey
Fighting in ice hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play and including some notable individual fights. Although a definite source of criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport, and some fans...
, fighting is illegal in box lacrosse. However, what separates box lacrosse and ice hockey from other sports is that at the top levels of professional and junior lacrosse, a five-minute major penalty is given and the players are not ejected for participating in a fight.
Fighting in youth or club level box lacrosse is typically penalized with expulsion and suspensions. In 1990, when the Six Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
created the new Mohawk lacrosse league, fighting was specifically targeted as unacceptable. Violators were ejected from the game in which the altercation occurred and given a minimum three game suspension.
International competition
Box lacrosse is the most popular version of the sport in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It is also played to a marginal degree in Australia
Lacrosse in Australia
Lacrosse is a minority sport in Australia. It has a long and proud history dating back to 1876, with a small but dedicated community of participants and volunteers. The established centres for the game are in the greater metropolitan areas of Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth...
, primarily by players who have played field lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
. Club level box lacrosse leagues in the United States have increased the number of players exposed to the sport, including the: Baltimore Indoor Lacrosse League, the Philadelphia Box Lacrosse Association, and the Metro Area Box Lacrosse League.
The first ever world championship of box lacrosse, "The Nations in 1980", was staged in several arenas in British Columbia, Canada in July 1980 involving teams representing the United States, Australia, Canada East, Canada West and the Iroquois Nationals. Canada West (Coquitlam Adanacs) defeated the Iroquois in the nationally televised world championship game from Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. This was the first time in history that Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
people represented themselves in an athletic world championship competition. In a spirited contest at the other end of the bracket, the USA defeated Australia for bragging rights.
The second international box lacrosse tournament was held in 2003, with the inaugural World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
The World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is an international box lacrosse tournament that is held every four years an is sponsored by the Federation of International Lacrosse . First held in 2003, the tournament was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation until 2008, when the ILF became...
s. The competitors were national teams from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Nation, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and the United States. The 2007 Championships had eight nations participating, the previous competitors plus England and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Iroquois Nationals
Iroquois Nationals
The Iroquois Nationals are the national lacrosse team of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League that competes in international competition. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation in 1990 and is the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport...
and the United States have won gold, silver, and bronze respectively in each of the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
The World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is an international box lacrosse tournament that is held every four years an is sponsored by the Federation of International Lacrosse . First held in 2003, the tournament was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation until 2008, when the ILF became...
s held.
Other international tournaments have been played. Annually, the European Lacrosse Federation
European Lacrosse Federation
European Lacrosse Federation is the sport governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the Europe. The twenty-one member federation has its headquarters in London, England....
holds the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial tournament in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. This is the largest European box lacrosse tournament. In 2002 and 2004, the Heritage Cup was played between the United States and Canada featuring mostly players that were members of National Lacrosse League teams.
Women
Historically, box lacrosse has been exclusively a men's sport. Women who played the sport of lacrosse typically played the more genteel women's field lacrosseWomen's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first tribe to play it was the Hauser tribe, of the Great Plains. The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St...
version. Recently, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
have established girls' and women's box lacrosse leagues.
During the 2003 NLL season
2003 NLL season
-Awards:-Weekly Awards:The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best defensive player, and best rookie.- Monthly Awards :Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie....
, goaltender Ginny Capicchioni
Ginny Capicchioni
Ginny Capicchioni is a lacrosse goaltender. She played at Sacred Heart University, and was then signed by the New Jersey Storm of the National Lacrosse League, and was the first woman to be named to an NLL roster...
appeared in two preseason and one regular season game to become the only woman to make an appearance in the National Lacrosse League.
External links
- Box Lacrosse at Lacrosse-Information.com
- Box Lacrosse Rules at LaxRules.com
- Rules Overview at Lacrosse 2.0