Major League Lacrosse
 

Professional outdoor lacrosse could be coming to Hamilton

http://www.thespec.com/sports/articl...ng-to-hamilton

The Toronto Nationals of Major League Lacrosse could be on their way to Hamilton.

The Spectator has learned the club is in negotiations with McMaster University to play its games at Ron Joyce Stadium. The Nationals have also had discussions with Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. (HECFI) to handle some of their business operations.

“At this point in time, we haven’t concluded and papered any deal yet,” said Lewis Staats, president of the Rochester Americans of the AHL and Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. Staats said he was brought into the negotiations about five weeks ago to represent Curt Styres of Ohsweken, who owns both the Amerks and Knighthawks and is financially involved with the Toronto Nationals franchise.

“I’ve been in Hamilton and met with both HECFI and McMaster but, at this point in time, we’re still in negotiations over use of the venue and with HECFI over some of the business operations.”

Stuart Brown, president of the Nationals, a professional outdoor field lacrosse team, didn’t return calls from The Spectator.

McMaster’s director of athletics and recreation Jeff Giles confirmed university officials have talked to the Nationals.

“It would be strictly a rental agreement for us,” said Giles, who noted the timing is good for McMaster with games in May, June and July.

“It would bring people onto the campus at a time of the year when we’re generally not that busy.”

Duncan Gillespie, CEO of HECFI said he has another meeting with the Nationals scheduled for later this week.

“I’m hoping that we can finalize something then that I can take to the HECFI board on Dec. 2,” said Gillespie. “And, if the board approves it, we can finalize moving the team here.”

Major League Lacrosse has six teams, the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Long Island Lizards and the Nationals.

Teams play a 12-game schedule, six at home and six away.

David Gross, commissioner of the MLL, said there has been no formal request to move the team from Toronto yet but he is aware that talks are taking place.

“All the league is doing is making sure that, if they do reach terms, our requirements are taken care of,” he said. “There’s always things that leagues want to look at in terms of venues and that’s all we’re doing.”

The Nationals played their home games last year at Lamport Stadium in Toronto.

A Toronto team moving to Hamilton!? I almost don't believe it.

Seems like a good fit though. RJS is a solid stadium and its seating capacity seems about right for NLL.

It's no NHL team, but it's a start.

Looks like the Nationals are about as good as every other Toronto team. They were dead last this season.

It's not like everything has to be in Toronto...might free up some breathing room in Hogtown. I'd say giver and hump our stadium for as many advantages as we can.

But how exciting would it be for Hamilton to see the Nationals move in? Big yawn from me.

I looked up last year's Nationals attendance --- it was right around 3000 on average, which is much higher than I would have thought. My guess is that it would be a fair bit lower in Hamilton.

But it's a full contact sport with weapons! I know I'd go to a game or two.

I'm sure it's fine and might be fun to watch. But I bet that a very low percentage of people in Toronto have even heard of the Nationals and I bet that that number is much lower in Hamilton.

NLL [Indoor Lacrosse] would be nice to have again, though I haven't followed the league for a while and have no idea if it's still thriving.

MLL [Field Lacrosse] is a different animal and it's not going to make a damn bit of difference to the city. Nobody's going to watch it or even know it exists.

Having said that, I hope it does well :cool:

So we'll have a Bulldogs game at one end of the stadium, and a Nationals game at the other on the same night. Attendance MIGHT crack 7,000 lol

^This is outdoor lacrosse. They played at Lamport in Toronto. This is not the same league that 'the Rock' play in.

Hamilton gets a professional field lacrosse team

http://www.thespec.com/sports/local/...-lacrosse-team
Torstar News Service
Garry McKay

Hamilton’s newest professional sports team is to be unveiled at a press conference Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Copps Coliseum.

The Toronto Nationals of the Major Lacrosse League will be moving here to become the Hamilton Nationals.

The professional (outdoor) field lacrosse team will play its home games at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University this summer. Tuesday’s press conference is being held at Copps Coliseum because the lacrosse team is contracting with Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc., to handle ticket sales and marketing. HECFI has a similar arrangement with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Hamilton Nationals will be owned by Curt Styres, the Ohsweken businessman who also owns the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Nighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. Styres was part owner of the Toronto Nationals last year.

The Nationals were originally located in Rochester before relocating to Toronto in 2009. They won the MLL Championship that season but slumped to a 3-9 record last year.

The Hamilton team is expected to play six home games in a schedule that rums from May to August. Other teams in the league are the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers, Denver Outlaws, Long Island Lizards and the defending champion Chesapeake Bayhawks who play in Annapolis, Maryland.

Hamilton lacrosse team not quite ready

Torstar News Service
http://www.thespec.com/sports/local/...ot-quite-ready

The deal to bring the Toronto Nationals to Hamilton could be just a week or so away.

Hamilton’s newest professional sports team will have to wait a little bit longer.

A news conference scheduled for Tuesday to announce that the Toronto Nationals of the Major Lacrosse League will be moving here to become the Hamilton Nationals has been postponed, likely until early February.

Lewis Staats, who will be the president of the new club, said that he made the decision to postpone the news conference to give the club’s lawyers a little more time to finalize all the necessary contracts.

It’s expected that the professional (outdoor) field lacrosse team will play its home games at Ron Joyce Stadium at McMaster University this summer. Tuesday’s news conference was also expected to announce that Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc., was going to handle the new team’s ticket sales and marketing. HECFI has a similar arrangement with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Hamilton Nationals will be owned by Curt Styres, the Ohsweken businessman who also owns the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Nighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. Styres was part owner of the Toronto Nationals last year.

The Nationals were originally located in Rochester before relocating to Toronto in 2009. They won the MLL Championship that season but slumped to a 3-9 record last year.

The Hamilton team is expected to play six home games in a schedule that runs from May to August. Other teams in the league are the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers, Denver Outlaws, Long Island Lizards and the defending champion Chesapeake Bayhawks who play in Annapolis, Maryland.

Hamilton lands pro lacrosse franchise

http://www.thespec.com/sports/local/...osse-franchise

Forget about the bone-chilling blizzard, the treacherous driving conditions and being stuck inside the house as a result.

Think spring, instead. Visualize being outdoors watching professional field lacrosse at McMaster University’s Ron Joyce Stadium. That’s coming soon.

Beginning in April, the Hamilton Nationals will call the 6,000-seat Mac site home for their 2011 Major League Lacrosse season. The franchise played its first two campaigns in Toronto — at BMO Field and then Lamport Stadium — before Arrow Express Sports came on board as the sole ownership group.

The Nationals home opener will be Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. against the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Four of the remaining five regular-season home dates for Hamilton will be Saturday evenings, however, at 7 p.m.

Field lacrosse goals are 85 yards (78 metres) apart, unlike the indoor game at arenas where the playing surface is 85 feet (26 metres) by 200 feet (61 metres). In the field game, some position players are also allowed to use long-handled sticks. There is a 60-second shot clock, similar to the box game.

“We’re excited about bringing the team to Hamilton,” said Lewis Staats, president of the Nationals. “I have lived on Six Nations my whole life. And I know, from my own personal perspective, having the Nationals in Hamilton will make it easier for some families to jump into the car and drive to watch a professional lacrosse game.

“I have driven the 403 and QEW corridor enough to know that one of the main influences on whether you’re going to do something in Toronto is whether or not you want to fight the traffic on that particular day. We believe Hamilton offers a better venue. It’s much more accessible. I looked at the demographics and the majority of our season-ticket base was from west of Toronto. I believe Hamilton will be a benefit for them. And it will help us bring in new fans, as well.”

Staats said it will be “much cheaper” for the Nationals to rent McMaster than either of their previous homes in Toronto.

The players receive less than half the salary of those who play the National Lacrosse League indoor game.

Staats also oversees the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. For more than 10 years, he’s also been president of the Six Nations Arrows Lacrosse Association.

A news conference to formally announce the arrival of the Nationals in Hamilton was cancelled this week because of the winter storm. The club is now in partnership with Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc.

“For us at HECFI,” chief executive Duncan Gillespie said, “it’s an opportunity to bring to Hamilton a new sports/entertainment venture that the people of the region will have an opportunity to take advantage of. We (HECFI) are leveraging the expertise that we’ve already developed in terms of managing, marketing and promoting the (American Hockey League) Hamilton Bulldogs. When we entered into the Bulldogs arrangement it was with the view to expand the corporation into these kind of ventures.

“The lacrosse team is moving close to where its core fan base is located. The arrangement allows them to focus on on-field performance and we will deal with the marketing, promoting and ticketing, etc.”

Gillespie said his expectation is for the team to get back to the average attendance figures (just over 2,000) it enjoyed during its championship season of 2009. Those numbers fell dramatically last season at Lamport.

The Nationals are owned by Curt Styres, the Ohsweken businessman who also owns the AHL’s Rochester club and the NLL’s Nighthawks. He was part owner of the Toronto Nationals last year when the club missed the playoffs with a 3-9 record.

Former Hamilton junior hockey player Jody Gage will be the Nationals general manager. Gage, who serves as director of player personnel for the Rochester Americans, was the Knighthawks general manager for 12 seasons. From 1997 to 2008, his teams advanced to five championship games, winning two. The Nationals assistant GM duties will be handled by Randy Chrysler.

Regy Thorpe takes over the head coaching job — his first in the pro ranks. The assistant coach is Jason Johnson. Gary Gait, one of the all-time greats in lacrosse, joins the nationals as an assistant coach.

The club’s consultant will be Oakville minor lacrosse product Stuart Brown, whose role was president and general manager for the past two seasons in Toronto.

Season ticket prices are as low as $78. Individual ticket prices range from $15 to $25. For more information, call 905-546-2391 or visit nationalslacrosse.com. Training camp begins in April at Mac. Other home dates are: June 18, Denver; June 25, Rochester; July 1, Long Island; July 16, Chesapeake; and Aug. 6, Boston.

So, anyone else want to go see a Nationals game?

I'll probably go one day after work.

May 19th is the first home game.

I picked up a pair of Season Tickets in the SpecAuction last month.

There's supposed to be a preseason party sometime before the season opener, haven't gotten the details yet.

The Spec's season ticket deal is back, for anyone who missed it the first time:

$99 for a pair of season tickets.

https://specauctions.com/item.cfm?ca...item=985125754

There's also Bulldogs season ticket packages available for half price.

Makes me wonder: What will it mean to regular season ticket holders if a team gets regularly Grouponned?

On paper, at least, lacrosse looks like a serious contender. Apples and oranges, maybe, but...

Toronto Rock
Air Canada Centre
Playoff tickets: Lower deck (equiv to Copps’ 100s) runs $25-$68; upper deck (equiv to Copps’ 200s) $15.

Toronto Marlies
Ricoh Coliseum
Tickets $39-19 (end-zone nosebleeds $10)
Walk-up tickets $43-23 (end-zone nosebleeds $14)

Hamilton Bulldogs
Copps Coliseum
Walk-up tickets $26-16

And yet most Hamiltonians would still rather not break a $10 bill to go see their hockey team.

Yeah, I go to a few Bulldogs games during the regular season (and more in the playoffs), and it consistently disappoints me how empty Copps is. Except when we're playing the Marlies, then it's a full house.

Unrelated: Anyone remember the Hamilton Canucks? I saw them back in '93, playing the St. John's Maple Leafs. My little eight-year-old mind was blown.