Ottawa Black Bears to join National Lacrosse League next season

Ottawa will have a professional lacrosse team again later this year.

TheNational Lacrosse League(NLL)which plays indoor box lacrosse announced Wednesday that the New York Riptide will be moving to the nation's capitalafter the current season.

The team will soon sport a new name and logothe Ottawa Black Bears.

Ownership will remain with GF Sports and Entertainment, the league said in a news release,and the Black Bears will play out of the Canadian Tire Centre.

"We chose Ottawa for many reasons, including the strength of the Senators Sports & Entertainment brand, the demand and rapid growth of box lacrosse in the region, and the fantastic arena," said Erik Baker who's part of the ownership team, in the news release.

"The Ottawa Black Bears [name] reflects not only the attributes of the region, but also the values of this community and our franchise. We will be a community-dedicated team that will be relentless, proud, passionate and gritty."

The Black Bears' first home game should be in December, the league said.

All in a Day9:18Ottawa has a new pro lacrosse team.

A new professional lacrosse team is coming to Ottawa. The New York Riptide are relocating and will be renamed the Ottawa Black Bears.

Ottawa had team decades ago

The Riptidedebuted in the NLL during thepandemic-shortened2019-20 season in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York, the formerhome of the New York Islanders.

After the next season was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Riptide didn't make the playoffs in 2022 or 2023. The team has an even 5-5 record this season.

OwnersGF Sports & Entertainment also run theDallas Open and the Atlanta Open tennis tournaments.

Ottawa briefly had a professional team in the early 2000s when the Ottawa Rebel played in the NLLout of the Canadian Tire Centre, untilthe franchise's suspension in 2003.

The NLLhas 15 franchises including inHalifax, Toronto, Saskatoon, Calgary and Vancouver.

Others nearby are in Albany, Buffalo and Rochester.

Those three places, like the land not far south of Ottawa, are Haudenosaunee territory. Lacrosse is an important part of their culture to the point the Haudenosaunee Nationals have a credible bidto compete as a separate nation in lacrosse at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

There's also a long Anishinaabe history with the game.