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 box lacrosse league that was founded in 1968 and had teams from both the United States and Canada.
Due to poor attendance, the league folded in March 1969.[1] The NLA is recognized as being the first attempt at a professional box lacrosse league in history. After its folding in 1969, the next popular pro lacrosse league would be the NLL(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. 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. Some teams drew considerable crowds and had games televised[2] while other teams struggled to bring in even a couple hundred fans. Due to the small crowds and profits, the league folded in March 1969. 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.
Teams
EASTERN DIVISION
- Detroit Olympics
- Montreal Canadians
- Peterborough Lakers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
WESTERN DIVISION
- New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Portland Adanacs
- Vancouver Carlings
- Victoria Shamrocks
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[3]
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.
- ↑ "http://wampsbibleoflacrosse.com/newstats/1968nllproWEST.txt". wampsbibleoflacrosse.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12. External link in
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