The National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced yesterday that they were coming back to Edmonton for one neutral site game on January 16th at Rogers Place. The last professional lacrosse game played in Edmonton was June 5, 2015 when the Edmonton Rush won the NLL Championship at Rexall Place.
As a former season ticket holder turned office employee of the now named Saskatchewan Rush, it was commonplace to have to explain the basics of the game to new fans. The purpose of this piece to reach out to fans curious about yesterday's announcement and explain to them in simple terms what a NLL style lacrosse game is about and why you absolutely should by tickets to watch the game live.
Hockey Comparison
Being Canadian, lacrosse is obviously compared to hockey. Lacrosse is similar to hockey in the sense it is 5-man units going up and down the floor but in lacrosse everyone changes at centre. Forwards only play offence and defencemen only play defence. When the team on defence gets possession of the ball, you will see forwards from that team coming off the bench at the door closer to centre to help achieve a breakout.
You will hear the word “transition” a lot in lacrosse and it boils down to a team trying to move the ball up the floor before the other team can change players. Think of it as trying to catch the other team on a line change. Any defender who gets possession of the ball can charge into the opposing zone but do not be surprised if or when he circles back and tosses it back to a forward coming off the bench. Reason being is if the “transition” player does not feel he will get a good scoring opportunity, he will give the ball to the offence in hopes that they can set up in the offensive zone and score a goal. The long lead pass from the goalie is an element in every lacrosse game.
Be warned, the first few times you see the mass changes occurring at centre it can be confusing. Soon enough you will be able to predict the long outlet pass before it happens.
Basketball Comparison
Lacrosse is also similar to basketball in the sense of set plays. When watching a basketball game you will often hear the terms “pick and roll” or “iso ball”. When a lacrosse player at the top of the zone (think top of the key) has the ball, he will sometimes have a teammate come up to try to set a pick to give him some room or he will square up with his defender as he evalutes if it is best to shoot, pass, or try to go around the defender for a higher percentage shot. Some offenses are based more on movement, the "ball don't stick" mentality basketball fans have heard stated time and time again.
The shot clock is also much more recognizable to basketball fans than hockey fans. To ensure pace of play, NLL has an 8-second rule to get it over centre.
Unique to Lacrosse
For all of us in attendance, it will be the first ever lacrosse game at Rogers Place. If it is your first game, please know the lacrosse family you did not know you had is here to help you through the learning curve. This is a good start. Hope to see you on January 16th as we all become Georgia Swarm fans for a night. Well most of us, Calgary Roughnecks fans travel well.