The Halifax Thunderbirds (known colloquially as the T-Birds) are a professional box lacrosse team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays their home games at Scotiabank Centre which they share with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
 | |
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| League | National Lacrosse League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Team history | Rochester Knighthawks (1995–2019) |
| Location | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Arena | Scotiabank Centre |
| Colours | Purple, Orange, White, Black |
| Owner | Curt Styres |
| Head coach | Mike Accursi |
| Division titles | 1 (2020) |
| Playoff berths | 3 (2022, 2023, 2024) |
| Website | halifaxthunderbirds.com |
History
editOn September 13, 2018, the NLL approved a franchise relocation to the city of Halifax. [1] Curt Styres, the previous owner of the NLL's Rochester Knighthawks, moved the Knighthawks' franchise to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Knighthawks intellectual property (name and logo) was sold to Pegula Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Buffalo Bandits, which founded a new expansion franchise that started play in the 2019–2020 season under the Knighthawks moniker.[2][3] While located in Rochester the franchise won 5 championships.
The Halifax Thunderbirds made their league debut on December 7, 2019, defeating the New York Riptide 12–4 in front of a crowd of 6,847 at the Scotiabank Centre.[4]
The Thunderbirds made their first playoffs in the 2022 season but were defeated in the first round in overtime 14–13 by their rival, the Toronto Rock.
Team name and logo
editAccording to the Toronto Star, Curt Styres got the idea for the team's name when he saw a lacrosse stick made from the wood of tree that had been struck by lightning and wanted to reflect the "one in one thousand odds" that was the lacrosse stick's embodiement.[5]
Previous location
editThe franchise was founded in 1995 during the Major Indoor Lacrosse League era and first played their home games at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. The team made the playoffs their first 13 seasons in a row and won 5 championships between 1997 and 2014. In 2018 after losing to the Saskatchewan Rush in the NLL finals, it was announced the franchise would move to Halifax. Franchise owner, Curt Styres sold the team's original name and logo to Terry and Kim Pegula (Owners of Pegula Sports and Entertainment) and relocated the franchise to Halifax. PSE founded a new expansion franchise with the same name but different logo that started play the following season. The new franchise based in Rochester is not a continuation of original franchise as all of the original team's championships and records were transferred to Halifax as part of the relocation.
Current roster
edit| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
{{{Head Coach}}}
Roster updated 2023-01-14 | ||||||
Awards and honors
edit| Year | Player | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Graeme Hossack | Defensive Player of the Year |
| John Catalano | Executive of the Year | |
| 2022 | Pat Gregoire | Tom Borrelli Award |
| 2024 | Jake Withers | Transition Player of the Year |
| John Catalano | Executive of the Year |
All-time record
edit| Season | Division/Conference[a] | W–L | Finish | PCT | Home | Road | GF | GA | Avg Attendance | Coach | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | North | 8–4 | 1st | .667 | 6–1 | 2–3 | 139 | 126 | 7,642 | Mike Accursi | No playoffs held |
| 2021 | Eastern | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||
| 2022 | Eastern | 11–7 | 3rd | .611 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 198 | 195 | 5,439 | Mike Accursi | Lost Conference Semi-Final |
| 2023 | Eastern | 10–8 | 3rd | .556 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 238 | 210 | 8,512 | Mike Accursi | Lost Conference Semi-Final |
| 2024 | Unified | 10-8 | 6th | .556 | 6-3 | 4-5 | 223 | 200 | 9,164 | Mike Accursi | Lost Quarterfinals |
| Total | 4 Seasons | 29–19 | .604 | 24–10 | 15–17 | 798 | 731 | 7,702 | |||
| Playoff Totals | 3 Appearances | 0-3 | .000 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 27 | 38 | No Home Games | 0 Championships | ||
Playoff results
edit| Season | Game | Visiting | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Eastern Conference Semi-Finals | Halifax 13 | Toronto 14 |
| 2023 | Eastern Conference Semi-Finals | Halifax 11 | Toronto 15 |
| 2024 | Quarterfinals | Halifax 3 | Albany 9 |
Draft history
editNLL entry draft
editFirst-round selections
Notes
edit- ^ Conference play began in the 2022 season
References
edit- ^ "National Lacrosse League Awards Halifax Franchise". Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Pegulas confirm they will take over the Knighthawks wivb.com
- ^ "National Lacrosse League relocates Rochester Knighthawks to Halifax". Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "NLL: Halifax Thunderbirds Kick Off New Era With Win in Front of 6,847 Home Fans". Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ "League names new pro lacrosse team Halifax Thunderbirds". thestar.com. 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2023-01-29.