NLL Expands to Minnesota
Published on August 10, 2004 under National Lacrosse League (NLL) News Release
The National Lacrosse League has expanded to Minnesota. The league has formally announced the placement of its eleventh franchise at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The team is owned and operated by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MS&E), owners and operators of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League and the Xcel Energy Center. The yet-to-be-named Minnesota team will join the league for the upcoming 2004-05 season, to begin in December of 2004. The team will play its eight regular season home games at the Xcel Energy Center. The announcement was made today in St. Paul by Commissioner Jim Jennings and MS&E Chairman Bob Naegele, Jr.
"We're excited to welcome another great NHL partner into the growing world of professional indoor lacrosse," said Commissioner Jim Jennings. "The Minnesota Wild have quickly established themselves as one of the best organizations in professional hockey. We're confident that the excellence they've achieved in hockey will also lead to success here in the National Lacrosse League." Jennings added, "The majority of our eleven member teams are owned and/or operated by the NHL teams in their respective markets. It has become the ideal model for success, both on and off the floor. Our league average attendance exceeded 10,000 fans per game last season, and continues to grow."
"We are thrilled to bring professional indoor lacrosse to the Xcel Energy Center," said Naegele. "Minnesota has one of the fastest growing lacrosse communities in the nation and we believe fans will truly enjoy this powerful, high-scoring and fast paced sport."
The Minnesota team will build its roster via Expansion Draft, Entry Draft and the potential signing of free agents. The Expansion Draft will be held in the coming weeks, and will consist of Minnesota and any other expansion teams (if applicable). The Minnesota team will also take part in the 2004 Entry Draft, which will take place during the fall season. The team at www.LacrosseMN.com.
Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) is a premier sports and entertainment provider that has expanded into several different avenues of business operations. MSE was originally formed in 1997 by majority owner Bob Naegele, Jr., and a group of investors when they were awarded the rights to an expansion National Hockey League (NHL) franchise for the City of Saint Paul. The limited partnership owns the NHL's Minnesota Wild along with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Houston Aeros and includes majority interest in a catering company, Wildside Caterers, ownership of 317 on Rice Park, and facility management of Xcel Energy Center and the Saint Paul RiverCentre with the Saint Paul Arena Company.
The National Lacrosse League is North America's professional indoor lacrosse league, featuring the best lacrosse players in the world. The NLL has eleven teams playing in the major markets of the United States and Canada. NLL teams each play a 16-game regular season schedule (eight home & eight away) that begins in December and runs through April, followed by the Champion's Cup Playoffs. All games are played on the weekends. The teams are: Anaheim Storm, Arizona Sting, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Minnesota (new team, to be named) Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Jose Stealth, Toronto Rock and the Vancouver Ravens. Most of the NLL clubs are owned and/or operated by the National Hockey League (NHL) and/or National Basketball Association (NBA) teams in their respective markets, and play in the same arenas used by those teams. The league has just welcomed another NHL partner in the Minnesota Wild, who have purchased a new team to begin play in the upcoming season at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Professional indoor lacrosse combines the physical play of hockey with the high scoring, fast pace and play-making style of basketball. Indoor lacrosse is played inside the confines of a NHL hockey rink, with glass and rink boards intact. The playing surface consists of a green dieter turf carpet that is laid down over the hockey ice. The two teams combine to score a total of 25 goals in the average NLL game.
The league's average attendance for the recently concluded 2003-04 season exceeded 10,000 fans per game. Games were televised weekly on regional Fox Sports Net stations in the US and on The Score Television Network in Canada. The 2004-05 season will begin in late December. For more information, visit the official website of the National Lacrosse League at: www.NLL.com.
National Lacrosse League Stories from August 10, 2004
- NLL Expands to Minnesota - NLL
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