Wild ride of a regular season about to kick it up a notch as NLL playoffs get...
That was one helluva regular season! While the nay-sayers will continue to lament on the perceived uselessness of it, I’d argue we got exactly what we paid for and hoped for: Some amazing lacrosse with...
View ArticleDivision finals promise plenty of intrigue
Say what you will about the National Lacrosse League playoff format but once the post-season arrives the games never disappoint. Last weekend’s four playoff tilts covered the gambit for fans: Two close...
View ArticleSuccess of Swarm based on an old recipe
Mark Miyashata's winning goal against the Toronto Rock in this 2006 game was a big step for the development of a young Minnesota Swarm team. (Photo: Courtesy of Marty O'Neill) I thought about writing...
View ArticleCalgary’s Dickson is a talent to behold
I hate ‘Coulda, Woulda, Shouldas’ in sports. When a team loses, folks (most often the losing team’s fans) will point out how an extra goal here, a big stop there, a converted breakaway here, another PP...
View ArticleNot much separates the Knighthawks and Stealth as they battle for NLL supremacy
Marty O'Neill The National Lacrosse League championship game is 24 hours away and it is a true statement that the season has come full circle from the stand-alone game that was played in Everett on...
View ArticleVoting for National Lacrosse League award winners is about more than just...
What does Calgary's Geoff Snider have to do to win the NLL Transition Player of the Year award? (Photo: Larry Palumbo) The National Lacrosse League season has come and gone and what remains to be...
View ArticlePlayer safety: CLA needs to rethink Policy 12.4 when it comes to mandated...
The summer lacrosse season is well underway and the road to provincial and national championships are being heavily contested all across this great country by thousands of lacrosse players. But there...
View ArticleTime for NLL to rethink its playoff format
Marty O'Neill Back in December when training camps wrapped, I listened to chatter of teams not wanting to peak too soon or essentially place a high value on the coming National Lacrosse League regular...
View ArticleNew rules in Canada: Help or hindrance?
Are the new fighting rules in Canada having the desired effect on the game? (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax.com) Fighting. Cages. Controversy. There’s been plenty of it this summer in Canada, and a...
View ArticleShifting landscape means priorities need to change if pro indoor lacrosse is...
Marty O'Neill In recent years, the professional indoor lacrosse world has suffered from a bottleneck of labour since the departure of the Orlando Titans and the Boston Blazers. The feeder system to the...
View ArticleStealth movement brings mixed emotions, but it’s time to consider the bigger...
The news wasn’t expected, but it wasn’t really a surprise, either. The Stealth are on the move — as the Stealth — to their third locale. From San Jose to Everett, Wash., in 2009, and now from Everett...
View ArticleSky is the limit for box lacrosse in the U.S., but it needs to create a need...
Box lacrosse needs a movement in the U.S. to make it grow, and it's happening in Northern California. In our last segment we talked about bringing indoor lacrosse to a new level of participation and...
View ArticleWhitby put on powerhouse display at Minto, put your cell phone away, why Jeff...
Jeff Shattler's ability to cover the floor makes him the best in the game today. (Photo: Victoria Shamrocks) For the vast majority of Canadian box laxers, the hangover of another season coming and...
View ArticleMake your own box of dreams for lacrosse and you’ll discover more than just a...
Future NLLer Nolan Heavenor gets some work in the cage in Marty O'Neill's backyard in 1992. (Photo: Marty O'Neill) The initiation into the sport of box lacrosse for me was as a goalie and because of...
View ArticleIt’s time for NLL to expand … carefully
Among many in National Lacrosse League circles it’s considered a particularly vile word. More offensive than any four-letter-friend-getter you can think of, this three-syllable word causes anger, angst...
View ArticleWith new CBA pending, an old question still hounds NLL: How do we find new fans?
Marty O'Neill Talks about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the National Lacrosse League have been hush-hush until recently when a few details have surfaced, giving us a picture of what is to...
View ArticleCan NLL fill unexpected void for TSN?
The talk in every Canadian work place break room last week was either on the four federal by-elections or, seemingly more important, the TSN/NHL TV fallout. The $5.2 billion 12-year deal sees TSN,...
View ArticleTen things to watch this NLL season, part I
The 2014 National Lacrosse League season is just around the corner, so let’s look at some things we should be keeping our eyes on. Today kicks off a 2-part series in which we’ll pose some questions...
View ArticleTen things to watch this NLL season, part II
Last week, we looked at the top 5 things we should keep an eye on as the 2014 National Lacrosse League season dawns. Today, let’s take a look at 5 more, including the overhaul in Buffalo and whether it...
View ArticleImpressive start won’t go to Jordan Hall’s head as Wings navigate uncharted...
After Week 1 in the National Lacrosse League, Philly forward Jordan Hall leads the league in goals with five. During an opening slate of games that featured such scoring studs as John Grant Jr., Mark...
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