Edmonton Rush set All-Star bar high

By putting an important game, the All-Star event, and competitions together into one weekend, the Rush has raised the standard for future lacrosse events

Matt Pretty, Sports Writer Thursday, 20 March 2008

During their short three-year history, the Edmonton Rush have been known for innovative marketing. So when it was revealed in March of 2007 that Edmonton would host the 2008 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game, one would expect a few precedents to be set. This past weekend didn’t disappoint, and by combining the All-Star game, regular-season play, and associated events, they set a new standard for other teams in the small but increasingly popular sport.

Though the new format didn’t quite meet the attendance goals of the organizing committee, it made for a fun-filled weekend for those fans that did come out. It also set an example for future all-star hosts to consider, as it expanded the all-star experience from one afternoon to multiple days of action.

On Saturday afternoon, the weekend kicked into high gear with a pair of firsts. The Rush incorporated a regular season game into All-Star Weekend for the first time, welcoming to Edmonton for the first time the defending NLL champion Rochester Knighthawks. Many Rush fans were looking forward to this game—pitting John Grant Jr and his veteran-laden powerhouse Knighthawks squad against the recently-overhauled underdog Rush—more than any other home date on the schedule, and the scheduling of the all-star skills competition right after the regular season match-up raised the profile of both events.

With Rochester leading after two quarters, another first followed during the halftime show. The finals of the first ‘Play with the Stars’ youth skills competition were held, and the youth winners would go on to compete with the NLL all-stars in the real skills competition. The highlight of the halftime was the youth trick-shot winner pulling off a backwards-over-the-head-through-the-legs goal that even the pros couldn’t duplicate—though many of them tried. The shot no doubt caught the attention of more than a few coaches and general managers, and it could very well jump-start a future NLL career—once he’s legally old enough to sign a contract, that is.

The Rush ended up winning the regular-season game 10–9 on Saturday in the second minute of overtime—Edmonton’s first home victory of the season.

The joyful atmosphere from the win carried over to the skills competition, which took place immediately after that game. Rochester didn’t leave the night completely empty-handed, as Grant pulled off a double skills title—he took the hardest shot contest with a 104-mile-per-hour laser and also won the trick shot competition. His best trick shot wasn’t even from the field; he ran off the floor, and then, with everyone—including the goaltender—searching around to see where he was, reappeared in the lower bowl seats and hit the empty net from a near-impossible angle, ten rows up in section 122.

The all-star game itself went down Sunday afternoon. Despite the pre-game hype, the atmosphere at Rexall Place was slightly underwhelming, probably due to the Rush win the night before. Though the West got off to a strong start, the East eventually won it all in overtime.

Overall, it was quite an entertaining all-star game—there was lots of end-to-end action, countless oh-no-he-didn’t offensive moves, and a little bit of great defence as well (seriously!). The sacrificial lambs—er, goaltenders—didn’t have a prayer against the offensive talent they were facing, but the score could’ve been doubled had they not played as well as they did. Compared to other all-star games where effort sometimes takes a backseat to showing off, the athletes played as a team, and there was no lack of effort on either side. This was especially impressive considering that many of the players had already played a regular season game earlier that weekend, and all of them work regular day jobs in addition to their roles on the team.

With two successful games, the skills competition, and the associated events, the Rush organization set the bar high. Future host cities, especially in lacrosse hotbeds such as Rochester and Philadelphia, should follow the format the Rush established—a regular season game and other ancillary events incorporated into the weekend, along with the skills competition and all-star game—instead of just holding the skills competition and all-star game all in one day, or in one night and the following afternoon. And if other cities don’t follow the format, I hope to see the NLL all-star game back in Edmonton instead.

-->