Season is over
Five Canadian teams might still play for Alterna Cup
There could be quite the alternate ending to the 201920 National Lacrosse League season for every Canadian-based club.
Make that an Alterna ending.
That after the NLL, with the support of the Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association, said Wednesday it is cancelling the rest of the regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic, with hopes it can still schedule playoffs if North America can recover quickly enough from COVID-19 crisis to allow some semblance of a post-season tournament.
“The announcement certainly doesn’t mean the season is over,” NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz said.
“We’re looking at a number of scenarios to return to play in a post-season format.
“Obviously, the biggest driver of any kind of post-season plan is the opening of the border, because we have five teams in Canada and eight teams in the U.S., so that’s a big contingency.
“But we’re still cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to play this year.”
One such scenario could involve expanding the little-known Alterna Cup into playoff action.
The first-year initiative has pitted all five Canadian clubs in a season-long competition to capture an NLL honour sponsored by Alterna Bank and Alterna Savings. The winner of the most games during head-to-head, regular-season meetings between Canadian-based teams is to be crowned champion, collecting a trophy with the famed Canadian Maple Leaf as its focal point.
But with the U.S.-Canada border closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, possibly keeping NLL teams from travelling between the two countries until next season, an all-Canadian playoff to give the loop some sort of champ is in the mix.
“The Alterna Cup is clearly on the table,” Sakiewicz said.
“If we can’t cross the border, then that could be a scenario. We’re not discounting anything.”
An Alterna Cup playoff would likely consist of all five Canadian teams — the defending champion Calgary Roughnecks, the Toronto Rock, the Saskatchewan Rush, the Vancouver Warriors and the Halifax Thunderbirds.
“We’ve got many scenarios,” the commish continued.
“And I think everything is on the table, including playing without fans, playing in neutral locations, playing with the different number of teams, playing a tournament format, playing a playoff format …
“There’s too much uncertainty to lock ourselves into any one scenario, so we’re looking at multiple scenarios.”
The NLL suspended its regular season on March 12, following Week 15 action. Each team had played anywhere from 10 to 14 games when the schedule was put on pause.
The Alterna Cup standings, meanwhile, had both the Rush and the Roughnecks on top — by way of winning percentage — with 2-1 records, the Rock next with a 3-2 mark, the Thunderbirds fourth at 2-2 and the Warriors winless in three head-tohead meetings with the other Canadian-based sides.
The season was slated to conclude April 25 after 22 weeks of play.
“This crisis gives us information daily,” Sakiewicz said.
“The hardest part about managing through this crisis is it’s so difficult to handicap a date in the future, so that’s why we’ve been really cautious not to put out firm dates. Other leagues have, and they haven’t met those dates, and they’ve had to retract them.
“I don’t want to put any false hope out there. But I do want to put hope out there … we hope to play in the playoffs. There are decision points in the next 30, 60, 90 days that I think will make clearer our decisions. But we’re trying to stay away from putting dates out there because tomorrow is another day and we’re going to get different numbers tomorrow.”
The NLL is comprised of 13 teams, including eight based in the U.S.
“Every scenario right now is being considered,” reiterated Sakiewicz. “The questions are when does the border open up, when are we allowed to cross the border and when do municipalities allow us (to have mass gatherings)?
“I just saw Calgary issue a limit on mass gatherings until the end of June. So what does that mean? Does that mean we’ll do games in July and August? We’ll have to look at those scenarios.”
Last season, the NLL Cup was awarded to the Calgary Roughnecks on May 25, meaning the NLL — if playoffs are still feasible — would be working well into the off-season to crown a champion this year. Regardless, Sakiewicz wants to declare a king for a variety of reasons, even if it’s simply to see an encore of the 2019 NLL Finals.
“That final game was too good — we want more of that this year,” said Sakiewicz, reflecting on the Roughnecks’ Cup triumph at the Saddledome over the Buffalo Bandits. “That was quite an experience in Calgary. I’ve been in the sports business 27 years, and that last game in Calgary was up there with the best of them.”
There’s also the importance of keeping up what has been strong momentum for the league in the last few seasons. Its membership of 13 franchises in the 34-year NLL history matches the leaguehigh seen previously in 2002 and 2007.
“I’d be a fool to say this crisis doesn’t do anything,” Sakiewicz said. "Because anyone who doesn’t think it’s going to do anything is wrong. Of course, it has a big financial impact to our league.
“But we’re fortunate we have a high quality in our ownership group,” continued Sakiewicz.
“Right now, we probably have the strongest group of owners that we’ve ever had in our 34-year history.
“And the league has since its fair share of global crises — 9-11, 2008 and 2009 financial meltdown … We’re small enough and nimble enough and quick enough to pivot and change our business plan to make sure we’re strong.”