Lacrosse is one of the most popular sports played in Canada. It dates all the way back to the 17th century in the country, so there is a rich history of the sport being played in some form there.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is the leading lacrosse league in North America, and it includes five teams from Canada and 10 teams from the United States. Only the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) have larger attendances for a professional indoor sports league.
In the NLL era, Toronto Rock is the most successful team with six victories. Their last championship win came in 2011. Buffalo Bandits have reached the final on the most occasions, as they have done so 11 times, winning four of those finals.
Halifax Thunderbirds are now one of the leading teams from Canada that compete in the NLL. They play their home games at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The franchise was founded in 2019 after the NLL agreed for the Rochester Knighthawks to move to the Canadian city.
Thunderbirds Are Off To A Good Start In NLL
In their two seasons in the NLL, the Thunderbirds have finished with winning records. In their debut campaign, they won the North Division, winning eight of their 12 regular season games. Unfortunately, there were no playoffs at the end of that season, so they did not get the chance to compete for the NLL Cup.
Hell of a season. The boys emptied the tanks
— Halifax Thunderbirds (@HFXThunderbirds) May 7, 2022
Thank you, Halifax ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/adSQ365bMJ
The Thunderbirds prevailed in 11 of their 18 games in 2022. They finished third in the Eastern Conference, which meant they qualified for the playoffs for the first time. In what was a close game that went into overtime, Halifax lost to their fellow Canadian opponents Toronto Rock 13-14.
The Thunderbirds were one of the teams at the top end of the outright betting for the NLL Championship with the legal sportsbooks in Canada in 2022. Although they did not go all the way, they showed they can be a force. Some of these sportsbooks were offering odds on the NLL for the first time after single-event betting became legalized in 2021. Their odds compilers clearly felt Halifax would reach the playoffs at the very least, and that proved to be the case.
Expectations Are High For Halifax In 2023
A Mammoth series comeback!
— NLL (@NLL) June 19, 2022
Congrats to the Champs 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JrnwZ7lD9R
Buffalo Bandits will be one of the teams expected to be in the mix for the NLL Championship in 2023. They finished at the top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-4. They were beaten by Colorado 2-1 in the best of three series in the final. San Diego Seals are one of the teams in the Western Conference who will have theirs on the top prize next year. Their run this year ended in the Western Conference final when Mammoth caused an upset in a 2-1 series success.
Halifax will be expected to join the leading teams in the playoffs in 2023. If they can snap up one of the top two places in the Eastern Conference, it will help their chances in the postseason. With some luck on their side, it could be their year to win their maiden title as a franchise.
The 2023 NLL season begins in December 2022, and it will run through to the NLL Championship final in June.