From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Former NLL professional box lacrosse team
The Ontario Raiders were a member of the
National Lacrosse League during the
1998 NLL season. The franchise was founded as an expansion team in
Hamilton, Ontario, and played their home games at
Copps Coliseum. Former
Buffalo Bandits coach
Les Bartley was hired to coach the new team, and he lured former Bandit
Jim Veltman to join him, becoming the Raiders' captain. The team finished a respectable 6-6 in their inaugural season, but missed the playoffs on a tie-breaker. Following the season, losses of $250,000 forced owner
Chris Fritz to look for partners.
[1]
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment considered purchasing the team,
[1]
[2]
[3] but ultimately a group which included
Bill Watters, the then assistant general manager of the
Toronto Maple Leafs,
Paul Beeston, former president of the
Toronto Blue Jays,
Tie Domi, player for the Maple Leafs, and
Bobby Orr, former NHL player, bought it for $250,000 and promptly relocated the team to
Toronto's
Maple Leaf Gardens where they rebranded it the
Toronto Rock.
[4]
[5]
Awards and honours
Notable players
Team roster
No.
|
|
Position
|
Player
|
11
|
|
Def
|
Clark, Glenn
|
2
|
|
Def
|
Coyle, Pat
|
7
|
|
Fwd
|
Doyle, Colin
|
25
|
|
Fwd
|
Gill, Chris
|
|
|
No.
|
|
Position
|
Player
|
8
|
|
Fwd
|
Stroup, Dan
|
32
|
|
Fwd
|
Veltman, Jim
|
29
|
|
Goalie
|
Watson, Bob
|
|
Records
Season |
Division |
W-L |
Finish |
Home |
Road |
GF |
GA |
Coach |
Playoffs
|
1998 |
|
6-6 |
5th |
4-2 |
2-4 |
165 |
157 |
Les Bartley |
Missed playoffs
|
Total |
1 season |
6-6 |
|
4-2 |
2-4 |
165 |
157 |
|
|
References
- ^
a
b Kernaghan, John (1998-08-20). "Raiders call it quits in Hamilton".
Hamilton Spectator.
-
^ Milton, Steve (1998-07-07). "Hamilton's pro lacrosse is going, going...". Hamilton Spectator.
-
^ Kernaghan, John (1998-07-14). "Three-way toss up for Ontario Raiders". Hamilton Spectator.
-
^ Brown, Josh (1998-12-04). "Watters, Beeston, Domi, Orr bring pro lacrosse to town".
Toronto Star.
-
^ Stevens, Neil (1998-12-24). "Rock will test Toronto's taste for pro lacrosse".
Waterloo Region Record.