National Lacrosse Association
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Ceased | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries |  United States and  Canada |
| Last champion(s) | New Westminster Salmonbellies |
The National Lacrosse Association was a professional box lacrosse league that operated in 1968-1969 with teams from both the United States and Canada.
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
The 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
EASTERN DIVISION
- Detroit Olympics
- Montreal Canadians
- Peterborough Lakers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
WESTERN DIVISION
1968 Season
| 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
- ^ 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.