The National Lacrosse Association was a professional box lacrosse league that operated in 1968–1969 with teams from both the United States and Canada.
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Ceased | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries |  United States and  Canada |
| Last champion(s) | New Westminster Salmonbellies |
Due to poor attendance, the league folded in March 1969.[1] After the folding, two teams (the Maple Leafs and Peterborough Lakers) joined the ill-fated Eastern Professional Lacrosse League which went defunct after one season. The NLA was the first attempt at a professional box lacrosse league in history. After cessation in 1969, the next popular pro lacrosse league would be the National Lacrosse League (1974–75).
History
editThe National Lacrosse Association was founded in 1968 by entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the game's exciting aspects. Most of the teams in the NLA were amateur-level teams from Canada that decided to make their teams professional.
Some organizations drew considerable crowds and had games televised[2] while other teams struggled to bring in even a couple hundred fans. Players' salaries averaged between $3000 and $4000 per year.[3]
In the league's one and only season, The New Westminster Salmonbellies emerged as the champions by beating the Detroit Olympics four games to two.
Teams
edit
EASTERN DIVISION
- Detroit Olympics
- Montreal Canadians
- Peterborough Lakers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
WESTERN DIVISION
1968 season
edit| Division | Team | Wins | Losses | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAST | Detroit Olympics | 24 | 14 | 511 | 441 | 48 |
| EAST | Peterborough Lakers | 21 | 17 | 478 | 397 | 42 |
| EAST | Montreal Canadians | 14 | 24 | 410 | 514 | 28 |
| EAST | Toronto Maple Leafs | 13 | 25 | 375 | 452 | 26 |
| WEST | Portland Adanacs | 24 | 14 | 413 | 365 | 48 |
| WEST | Vancouver Carlings | 22 | 16 | 410 | 379 | 44 |
| WEST | New Westminster Salmonbellies | 19 | 19 | 437 | 426 | 38 |
| WEST | Victoria Shamrocks | 15 | 23 | 337 | 397 | 30 |
Source[4]
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Olympics | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Olympics | 4 games | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Peterborough Lakers | 0 games | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Peterborough Lakers | 4 games | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Montreal Canadians | 3 games | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Olympics | 2 games | ||||||||||||
| 5 | New Westminster Salmonbellies | 4 games | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Portland Adanacs | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Portland Adanacs | 2 games | ||||||||||||
| 5 | New Westminster Salmonbellies | 4 games | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Vancouver Carlings | 3 games | ||||||||||||
| 5 | New Westminster Salmonbellies | 4 games | ||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Fisher, Donald (2002). Lacrosse: A History of the Game. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 278.
- ^ Lewis, Wendy (2008). Lacrosse Warrior: The Life of Mohawk Lacrosse Champion Gaylord Powless. Toronto: James Lorimer. p. 82.
- ^ "ROUGH? RIGHT. THAT'S LACROSSE | Maclean's | AUGUST 1968". Maclean's | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
- ^ "1968 National Lacrosse League". wampsbibleoflacrosse.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.