Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse Club By: Curtis Krenz Eston Composite School Grade 7 Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse Club By: Curtis Krenz The Saskatchewan Rush is a lacrosse team that plays in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) that is based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and their home arena is the Sasktel Center. But it wasn’t always that way, in fact, back in 2005 when they were added to the league they were the Edmonton Rush, and played in Rexall Place. Back Story of the Team The Edmonton Rush was a lacrosse team in the NLL in the 2005 expansion. After 10 years of playing in Rexall Place in Edmonton and struggling to make an advertising deal with the arena, and to get a good fan base since most people watched hockey, they decided to move to Saskatoon in 2015. Since then, they have won 2 championships. Their general manager and head coach is Derek Keenan. Their assistant general manager and head offensive coach is Jeff McComb, and their head defence coach is Jeremy Tellevi. Past Championships The Rush have won three league and one division championship. Their very first division championship win was in 2007 when they were still the Edmonton Rush. Later championships were celebrated as the Saskatchewan Rush. They won their first league championship in 2015. Then, the next season in 2016 they won again. Their most recent win was in 2018. So, in total, they have won four division championships because every time they won league also counts as winning division. Salary An average professional lacrosse player can make between $10,000 and $25,000 per year, but a rookie only makes about $7,000 to $9,000. The longer you play lacrosse, the more likely you are to get on better teams, however the salary of a lacrosse player only changes slightly depending on how long they’ve played. History of Lacrosse The earliest form of lacrosse that we know of was played as early as 1100 AD but the rules weren’t finalized until the 1700s. It was later put in the Olympics for the 1904 and 1908 summer games but was taken out after that. History of the MILL and the NLL The MILL was actually the original name for the NLL, and was founded in 1988. It was called the MILL (Major Indoor Lacrosse League) until 1997 when they announced the name change and introduced two new expansion teams, the Syracuse Smash and Ontario Raiders. Why Did I Choose This Topic? The reason I chose this topic is because I have been to two Saskatchewan Rush games, and I also like lacrosse. Fun Facts -Their mascot is Bruiser the Bulldog. -They support many local minor sports teams. -Their only retired number is 81, worn by Jimmy Quinlan. Bibliography Edmonton Rush. 19 September 2019. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Rush>. Edmonton Rush Roster. <www.swarmitup.com/EdmontonRushRoster.htm>. National Lacrosse League. 18 April 2020. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lacrosse_League#History >. Rush Coaching Staff. 2020. <https://www.saskrush.com/coachingstaff>. Saskatchewan Rush. 13 April 2020. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_Rush>. .