Lacrosse players ready to fill NHL void

[Drinking Duck]

Tracey Kelusky is ready to lead the Calgary Roughnecks in defending their National Lacrosse League title, Gary Gait is eager to boost the Colorado Mammoth over the top, and Colin Doyle and Josh Sanderson are revved to make the Toronto Rock again the dominant team.

The new NLL season begins Jan. 1, and the lacrosse pros aim to draw fans into NHL arenas that are without big-league hockey due to the lockout. Nine of the 10 NLL teams play in NHL buildings.

More than 19,000 packed Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome for the title game last May, and the Roughnecks hope most will return.

''This is an unbelievable opportunity for us to fill the void left by hockey,'' says Kelusky, the Roughnecks' wily captain.

Salaries are $7,000 to $20,000 US a man for 16 games - a drop in the bucket compared to NHL pay - and the working-class warriors in running shoes are more than happy to be trotting into the arenas in which the millionaire pucksters usually prance.

Link (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=108692)

[Hippy Vindalou]

Sorry mate, its not really front page stuff. Have some rep for the effort.

[minorproblem]

Lacrosse wtf kinda wimpy sport is that :D

[StygiaN]

It's actually quite full on. I saw a high school game earlier this year in NJ and they really hit eash other hard. I wonder what the pro's are like?

[berserk]

I thought this was crappy satire, what with a Calgary Roughneck named Tracey Kelusky, but apparently its real.

[jza]

Lacrosse wtf kinda wimpy sport is that :D

Whoa there fella! Lets not go calling lacrosse wimpy; save that talk for truly pussy sports, such as baseball.

Does this look wimpy to you:

You would cry (http://www.wingszone.com/video/gabbyroe.avi)

...and wet yourself 10x. Don't lie (http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/wild/hits_with_glow.wvx)

[Drinking Duck]

hockeys better

[Canalien]

I saw the Calgary Roughnecks play Vancouver in January 03. I had front row seats, woo! I thnk I have some pictures of the game somewhere...
I have to admit, as a hockey fan I was surprised at the brutality of it. It's not as fast as Ice Hockey but it's way rougher; made worse by the fact that they have a lot less padding on. Definite memorable moment was when a Calgary player checked the Vancouver goalie, and the Vancouver captain ran over to him, knocked him down, put his knee on his chest and started battering him in the face with his gloves. Not out of the ordinary apparently, though he did get sent off forthe rest of the game.

[arelius19]

ahh being from maryland the lacrosse heart of the world i hear such things all the time.. we need pro lax! etc etc
well im a laxer too but not a.. 'hardcore' one.. like i am a nhl fan
lacrosse simply isnt popular enough too many people have never even heard of it

[waeom]

i didnt even know the sport existed until i saw american pie