If you’re anything like me, you were taught in school that our national sport wasn’t hockey, like we all assumed, but lacrosse. Snooze. No one got excited about the high school lacrosse team. Actually, I don’t even think we had a team. I’m not even sure lacrosse was a module in school gym classes.
So I was a little skeptical when attending a Halifax Thunderbirds professional lacrosse game was suggested to me as a fun thing to do in Halifax. But I’m always up for trying something new so I said, “Sure, let’s get tickets.” Well! It only took one game but I’m a convert.
Take the higher scoring, quick shots of basketball and mix it with the speed and hard hits of hockey and you’ll start to get an idea of what it’s like to watch a professional lacrosse game in Halifax.
Say Hello to Canada’s National Summer Sport
It turns out my schooling was a bit slow (or I’m just that old), but in 1994 Parliament passed the National Sports of Canada Act which declared lacrosse to be “Canada’s National Summer Sport”, with ice hockey as the National Winter Sport. So you can be a fan of both. The irony is that the indoor lacrosse season actually directly overlaps with hockey but since they need to share rink time, you can cheer for both the Mooseheads and the Thunderbirds without any question of allegiance.
Sure, you might have a juvenile sense of humour like me and think that it looks like they’re playing with jockstraps on sticks and the goalie looks like someone in a blow up sumo costume wielding a fishing net, but you’re quickly going to get past that. Because box lacrosse is exciting! It’s got speed. It’s got high scores. It’s got hard hits.
Photo: Halifax Thunderbirds
What is Box Lacrosse?
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse, is played on a covered hockey rink. Like hockey, there are five players and a goalie on each team. The net looks different and there are no skates but the idea is similar, get the ball passed the goalie and into the net.
I won’t get into intricacies of rules because I’m only a new fan myself but if you have a basic understanding of hockey, you’ll be able to figure out what’s going on during an indoor lacrosse game. You’ll recognize face offs, two minute penalties, and the occasional fight.
However, instead of a puck, you have a small rubber ball. Instead of a hockey stick, lacrosse players use a stick with a net on the end to catch and throw the ball. Helmets, jerseys, and gloves will look familiar.
Instead of three 20 minute periods, you get four 15 minute quarters. Since there’s no ice resurfacing needed, you’ll only have a two minute break between quarters and a 12 minute break at the half to go pee and get your stadium fries. The short breaks really keep the momentum of the game going.
The shot clock will also be new if you’re coming over from the hockey world, but if you’ve watched even a little basketball, you got this. A team has 30 seconds to make a shot on net or they forfeit the ball. This is just another thing that helps make the game so exciting.
The game of lacrosse is currently most popular in Western Canada and Ontario but I think that once Atlantic Canadians get a taste of it, they’ll be hooked.
Photo: Halifax Thunderbirds
How to See Professional Lacrosse in Halifax
The National Lacrosse League is the highest level of box lacrosse competition on the go and lucky for you, Halifax has a brand new team for the 2019-20 season. The Halifax Thunderbirds have been thrilling crowds since their first face off in Atlantic Canada and are one of the best teams in the league. You can watch them take on teams from across Canada and the USA at the Scotiabank Centre downtown Halifax most weekends between December and April. Be sure to get your tickets early since the games are quite popular.
What to Expect at a Halifax Thunderbirds Game
Expect a full house of lively, engaged fans. Expect to rock out with music during and between gameplay. Imagine how exciting hockey would be set to an AC/DC soundtrack? Expect to cheer on a lot of goals and recoil from a lot of hard hits. Expect exciting scoring runs and to never be out even when the team is down.
Expect a good time.
Fact Sheet
- Who: Halifax Thunderbirds of the NLL
- What: Professional box lacrosse
- Where: Scotiabank Centre, Halifax
- When: Regular season runs December – April
- Cost: Tickets range from $28.75-$80.50 plus fees
- See Schedule
