Action-Packed Professional Indoor Lacrosse Storms the TD Banknorth Garden
in January;
Boston Blazers Tickets Are Now on Sale for the 2008 season
BOSTON, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- After a decade on the sidelines, the
Boston Blazers today return to the National Lacrosse League (NLL),
revealing its team name and new blazing red and white team colors to fans
across New England. The Blazers, the newest and 14th member of the NLL,
begin their inaugural season in January 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071004/NETH038LOGO )
The Blazers face-off against the New York Titans on Jan. 19 in their
home opener. The Philadelphia Wings, Toronto Rock, Minnesota Swarm,
Rochester Knighthawks, Portland LumberJax, Buffalo Bandits and Chicago
Shamrox also battle the Blazers at the Garden in a 16-game regular season.
Team officials also announced that Blazers group, individual and season
tickets are available by calling 1-888-TIX-BLAZ (849-2529) or visiting
http://www.blazerslacrosse.com. Tickets are $75, $50, $40, $35, $20 and $10 and
are also available at the TD Banknorth Garden Box Office and all
Ticketmaster outlets.
"I grew up a Blazers fan and I'm thrilled that fans across New England
will once again have the opportunity to root for them," said Blazers Owner
and Littleton, Mass. native Tim Armstrong. "Lacrosse is not only the
fastest growing sport in New England, but also across the country. The name
'Blazers' is both nostalgic and also appropriate."
The thirst for an NLL franchise in Boston was finally satisfied on May
9, 2007 when the league announced it had awarded a team to Armstrong, who
is President of Advertising and Commerce at Google, Inc. The team that day
also announced former NLL star and former Boston Blazers standout Tom Ryan
as head coach.
While the Blazers name may be familiar the logo is certainly not. The
new Blazers logo features a lacrosse player's darkened silhouette next to a
red flame that blazes from the team's name. The Blazers also introduced the
"Blazer B," a red capitalized "B" with flames shooting out from the top.
The Blazers team colors are red and white.
"Boston is a great sports town and we know its fans expect
championships," said Blazers Head Coach Tom Ryan, who won an NLL title
while playing for Philadelphia. "We are assembling a balanced roster of
veterans and young players that should translate into an exciting brand of
lacrosse. Our goal is to be competitive and play hard in every game."
Ryan played nine years in the NLL and amassed 202 total career points
(82 goals and 120 assists). He coached the U.S. Indoor Lacrosse team in the
2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships and has assembled a Blazers roster
that includes Marshfield, Mass. native Sean Morris and Patrick Merrill, the
Blazers' No. 1 overall pick from Toronto in the 2007 Expansion Draft.
Merrill boasts 435 face-off wins, which ranks 17th on the all-time NLL
list.
The 1975 Boston Bolts were the first professional indoor lacrosse team
to play in Boston. In 1992, Major Indoor Lacrosse League's New England
Blazers relocated to the Boston Garden from the Worcester Centrum. The New
England Blazers, formed in 1989, were renamed the Boston Blazers and played
in Beantown until 1997. The Blazers called the FleetCenter (now TD
Banknorth Garden) home in 1996-97 and made four playoff appearances in six
seasons in the Hub.
There will be 3,941 days between the Blazers' last game played (March
29, 1997) and their first game of 2008 on Jan. 12 at Edmonton. More than
3,950 days will have passed between Blazers home games (March 22, 1997 to
Jan. 19, 2008).
About The Boston Blazers
The Boston Blazers will begin indoor professional lacrosse play in
January 2008 in the National Lacrosse League. The NLL on May 9, 2007
awarded owner Tim Armstrong a Boston franchise, making it the 14th member
of the league. That same day, Tom Ryan was introduced as the Blazers head
coach. The Blazers will play home games at the TD Banknorth Garden. For
more information, please go to http://www.blazerslacrosse.com.
About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League plays indoor lacrosse, a hybrid game that
combines the most exciting parts of box lacrosse with outdoor field
lacrosse. The 14-team league enters its 24th year of play in 2008 with its
latest entrant, the Boston Blazers. Each season begins in December and
lasts through April with a full round of playoffs. Twenty-five goals are
scored in the average NLL game making it one of the most exciting sports on
the planet.
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