There will be a sixth Canadian franchise in the National Lacrosse League in 2024-25. On Wednesday, according to Prince Albert Now, the New York Riptide are moving to Ottawa. The new National Lacrosse League franchise in Canada’s capital city are the Ottawa Black Bears.
The Black Bears join the Calgary Roughnecks, Toronto Rock, Halifax Thunderbirds, Saskatchewan Rush, and Vancouver Warriors. It should be noted that the Toronto Rock play in Hamilton.
This is the third time in National Lacrosse League history, a team from the United States moved to Canada. In 2014, the Washington Stealth, which were based in Everett, Washington, moved to Vancouver. The franchise were known as the Vancouver Stealth up until the 2019 season when they changed their name to the Warriors. The Vancouver franchise also played in Albany from 2000 to 2003, and San Jose from 2004 to 2009. The Halifax Thunderbirds meanwhile played in Rochester and were known as the Knighthawks from 1995 to 2019.
The Riptide are currently in seventh place in the NLL Standings with a record of four wins and four losses. There is a new standings format in 2024. All 15 teams in the NLL are in one large division rather than being separated into two conferences. The top eight teams in the league make the playoffs. The Rock are currently first with a record of six wins and one loss.
