Boston Blazers

NLL Team Infobox
team_name=Boston Blazers
bg_color=red
title_color=white
division=Eastern

founded=2007
home_arena=TD Banknorth Garden
hometown=Boston, Massachusetts
team_colors= Red, White, & Black
head_coach= Tom Ryan
general_manager=Doug Reffue
media=
website= [http://www.blazerslacrosse.com/ www.blazerslacrosse.com] :"For the article on the former MILL team, see Boston Blazers (1992-1997)"

The Boston Blazers are an indoor lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The Blazers are based in Boston, Massachusetts, and are scheduled to begin play in the 2009 NLL season.

The team is owned by Tim Armstrong, President of Advertising and Commerce for Google. NLL veteran Tom Ryan will serve as the team's first head coach. On April 7, 2008, the Blazers named veteran New England marketing executive Doug Reffue to the position of team president.

The team is not associated with the former Boston Blazers, who played in the MILL (predecessor to the NLL) from 1992 to 1997. However, the name was chosen "in part due to the popularity and nostalgia associated with the former Boston Blazers franchise". [cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3111|work=NLL.com|title=Boston team name: Blazers|date=October 4, 2007|accessdate=2007-10-04]

2008 season

The Blazers were originally scheduled to begin play in the 2008 NLL season. On July 31, 2007 the league held an expansion draft and the Blazers selected a number of players. [cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3027|work=NLL.com|title=Pat Merrill Selected First Overall By Boston|date=July 31, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-01] In preparation for the season, the team also made a number of trades. [cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3030|title=Boston Deals Langtry Back To Colorado|work=NLL.com|date=July 31, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-02] [cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3033|title=Boston Sends Croswell to Toronto|work=NLL.com|date=July 31, 2007|accessdate=2007-08-02] [cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3065|title=Toronto / Boston Trade Revoked|work=NLL.com|date=August 28, 2007|accessdate=2007-10-05] On October 16, 2007, the NLL announced that the 2008 season had been cancelled due to the failure of the league and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.cite web |url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3127|title=2008 Season Cancelled|accessdate=2007-10-16 |author=|date=2007-10-16 |work=NLL.com|publisher=] However, the negotiations continued, and on October 25, the league announced that a new seven-year agreement had been reached, and that the season would be played. [cite web|url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3132|work=NLL.com|title=NLL, PLPA Reach Seven-Year Deal|date=October 25, 2007|accessdate=2007-11-02] A new schedule was announced on November 2, 2007, but only included 12 of the expected 14 teams; the Blazers and the Arizona Sting had been removed.cite web|url=http://nll.com/article.php?id=3141|work=NLL.com|title=League Releases New 2008 Schedule|date=November 2, 2007|accessdate=2007-11-02] The reasons that the Blazers and Sting opted out of the season were not given, just that it was "due to a number of business issues", and that both teams would return in 2009. A dispersal draft was held on November 5, 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3142|work=NLL.com|title=Dawson selected first overall by Portland|date=November 5, 2007|accessdate=2007-11-07]

Inaugural season

The 2009 NLL season will be the new Boston Blazers' first season playing in the league. In order to field a team for the season, the Blazers will participate in the three separate drafts: the Arizona Sting dispersal draft, the expansion draft on July 24, and the entry draft in September.

On June 30, in the Arizona Sting dispersal draft, the Blazers selected Dan Dawson first overall and forward Peter Veltman with the first pick of the second round. [cite web|url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3533|work=NLL.com|title=Dawson joins Boston Blazers|date=June 30, 2008|accessdate=2008-06-30] On July 24 the team picked 12 additional players for their roster in the 2008 expansion draft, including goaltender Mike Poulin with the first overall selection. [cite web|url=http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3556|title=Boston selects Poulin first overall|date=July 24, 2008|publisher=NLL.com|accessdate=2008-07-25]

Shorty after the draft concluded, the Blazers traded Cam Bergman back to the Edmonton Rush for F Brenden Thenhaus and G Kurtis Wagar. [http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3556]

On July 29, the Blazers and Rochester Knighthawks swapped defenders, with Kyle Laverty going to Rochester in exchange for University of Massachusetts alum Jack Reid. [http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3558]

On July 30, the Blazers, San Jose Stealth, and Calgary Roughnecks completed a 3-way trade that sent Tom Johnson, Travis Gillespie, and Boston's 3rd-round pick in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft to San Jose, Devan Wray to Calgary, and forward Sean Morris (another UMass alum and Marshfield, MA native), defenseman Steve Panarelli, Calgary's 3rd-round pick in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft, and San Jose's 2nd-round pick in the 2010 NLL Entry Draft to Boston. [http://www.calgaryroughnecks.com/news/recent/index.html?article_id=399]

Roster

ee also

*National Lacrosse League
*Box lacrosse
*Lacrosse
*Boston Blazers (1992-1997)
*New England Blazers
*Boston Cannons

External links

* [http://www.nll.com NLL Official Website]
* [http://www.blazerslacrosse.com Team Website]
* [http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=2944 Team Announcement Press Release at NLL.com]

References