Albany Moves To San Jose |
Albany Moves To San Jose
press release June 9, 2003 The National Lacrosse League has formally announced the sale and
relocation of the former Albany Attack franchise to the city of San Jose,
California and the HP Pavilion. HP Pavilion is the home arena of the San
Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. The yet-to-be-named San Jose
team will begin play at the HP Pavilion with the start of the upcoming
2003-04 season, expected to begin in December of 2003. NLL teams each play
eight home games as part of a 16-game regular season schedule. All games
are played on the weekends. The league's regular season typically runs 16
weeks, starting in late December and ending in April, with the Champion's
Cup Playoffs to follow.
"This is a great day for the sports fans of San Jose, the entire Bay Area
and the NLL," said Commissioner Jim Jennings. "We are now a truly national
league, with teams across the United States and Canada. The arrival of
this franchise in San Jose shows that our business plan is working. We
have moved into another successful National Hockey League market, and
formed a partnership with the NHL team in the market. We are very excited
to work with the San Jose Sharks and look forward to a great future in San
Jose."
The San Jose team is owned by a partnership consisting of three entities:
Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), The Bay Area Lacrosse
Owners Group, led by Silicon Valley area businessman Peter Wendell, and a
group of Canadian investors, led by Toronto businessman John Bergsma.
Johnny Mouradian will serve as General Manager. Mouradian is well-known
among fans of the NLL as the architect of Championship teams in Buffalo
and Toronto during the 1990's.
The team will be operated by Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment
(SVS&E). SVS&E serves as the business and marketing arm of the San Jose
Sharks. "We are extremely excited to be bringing the NLL to the West Coast
and specifically the Bay Area," said Malcolm Bordelon, SVS&E Executive
Vice President of Business Operations. "The sport of lacrosse has
witnessed a substantial growth spurt across the Nation and in Northern
California as well. The indoor professional game is a furiously fast paced
contest that local fans will find hard to resist."
"SVS&E is very pleased and proud to be working with Peter Wendell, John
Bergsma and Johnny Mouradian in forming this partnership to bring
professional Lacrosse to HP Pavilion," added Bordelon. "They are
passionate about the sport and are dedicated professionals who share our
high expectations for success both on and off the field of play. We've
worked hard together to bring this venture to fruition."
SVS&E will be conducting a "Name the Team" contest from June 9 - 27 that
will give sports fans throughout Northern California and the nation to
participate in naming the Bay Area's newest sports franchise. Fans
interested in taking part in the contest are encouraged to logon to
www.BayAreaLacrosse.com
Bay Area Professional Lacrosse
525 W. Santa Clara
San Jose, CA 95113
| | | | | Reply to this story > |  | |
| Good news!
by tyladman (#46158) on 6/09/03 @4:00PM | | | | This is excellent not only for the NLL, but the sport of lacrosse. Now lacrosse is going to be widely available to people on the west coast, instead of just mainly the East. I hope this works out, and the league will go through a lot of expansion so it can include teams from virginia, NORTH CAROLINA, and some more of the southeast! Good luck to the new San Jose team! | | | | | Reply to this |
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| Amen
by calLAXjunkie (#42893) on 6/09/03 @5:08PM | | | | This is a dream come true. Don't know how good the Albany Attack team is, or was, but that doesn't matter. Finally a pro team for the West Coast. I hope later in the future that more teams both MLL and NLL are put together so that it becomes as large as the NFL, MLB, and NBA. This is a huge boost to the sport of lacrosse. | | | | | Reply to this |
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| Finally
by Mulelax (#55283) on 6/10/03 @4:45PM | | | | Its about damn time we got a team out here...no one back east believes me when i say that west coast lacrosse is going to be huge and is already growing, all they do is laugh...well anyone of my friends/teammates who laughed, we got one of your teams...in any event, this is great for the sport b/c now we have professional teams and next year will have a D2 team out here so what i finally wanted is coming true and in a few years California will be the lacrosse powerhouse just like we are in every other sport. | | | | | Reply to this |
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| | | (no subject)
by FroburgLax (#33555) on 6/11/03 @6:15PM | | | | Why don't you go dress up your Malibu Barbie while you're waiting for Cali. to become a lacrosse powerhouse. If Maryland, Jersey and New York all combind into a state the size of Cal. I'm sure it would be a sports powerhouse too... Of course it would lack the flowery silk shirts, earthquakes, fires and mudslides of your great state. | | | | | Reply to this |
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| | | | who r u?
by DrunkyMunkey (#27878) on 6/12/03 @1:51AM | | | | ya dude ur tight... talk shit about the size of cali... thatll hit everyone hard | | | | | Reply to this |
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| | | | loser
by UNHlsm13 (#41177) on 6/14/03 @10:51AM | | | | dude, why do you go talking shit about cali? you just wished you lived here you dumbass. while you are playin lacrosse in 10 feet of snow on the east coast we are playin in 70 degree weather so shut the fuck up before you open your mouth again. We may not be the best in lacrosse, but we ARE the best in everything else so live with it. | | | | | Reply to this |
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| this sucks
by metallica68ny (#30236) on 6/12/03 @8:40AM | | | | Im from the albany area, this was the only good lax we had around here...im kinda pissed, i went to few games. The team was pretty good in the 2001-2002 season they only lost 2 games...but this season they didnt play well at all. Mike Reagan of the MLL is probably one of the names youll recognize. Allthough im sad to see the team go...its good that the game is expanding | | | | | Reply to this |
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| (no subject)
by upstate44 (#45493) on 7/04/03 @9:43AM | | | | I personally don't feel lacrosse should expand. 1. Since the west coast is the major powerhouse and hot beds from recriuting in the major, bigtime money D1 sports, like football and basketball, and baseball, lacrosse is the only sport that the east coast can call their own, not many kids here go to D1 colleges for footbal or basketball, but you there is lacrosse almost everyone will know some1 going D1, I feel if the sport expands, it will not give the oppurtunity to for the east coast kids to excell in the sport like they always have and will eventually ake the west coast just as good as states like maryland and new york. | | | | | Reply to this |
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| | | Wow..Thats Cold
by cannonslax624 (#55846) on 7/19/03 @10:07AM | | | | How could u possibly say that to all the people in the west? i live in boston, and dont really follow the nll, i follow the mll. im sure all the people on the west are hap[y about the west coast expansion in 2005 for the mll, and i kno more nll teams are coming too. yea, i live in the east coast, but i think both sides of the country should get to have teams in each league if fucking canada is in the nll. | | | | | Reply to this |
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