Professional lacrosse is coming to Ottawa.
The NLL announced Wednesday that the New York Riptide franchise will move to Ottawa next season. The new Ottawa Black Bears will play at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The league confirmed the news in a press release Wednesday. The new franchise will still be owned and operated by GF Sports and Entertainment, the current owners of the Riptide. The new agreement will be a partnership with Senators Sports & Entertainment, the group that owns the Ottawa Senators of the NHL.
The league described the new ownership structure in the release, saying, “GF Sports & Entertainment will maintain ownership and operation of the franchise, who will play all nine regular season home games of the NLL season at Canadian Tire Centre. The franchise will maintain a strong working relationship with Senators Sports & Entertainment to help drive the team’s success in the Ottawa-Gatineau market.”
“GF Sports & Entertainment will maintain ownership and operation of the franchise, who will play all nine regular season home games of the NLL season at Canadian Tire Centre. The franchise will maintain a strong working relationship with Senators Sports & Entertainment to help drive the team’s success in the Ottawa-Gatineau market.”
NLL Press release
The move was originally announced during a press conference Wednesday morning. Details of the press conference were reported by Claire Hanna, a reporter for TSN.
Hanna also confirmed that the team will be named the Black Bears.
The news of the move was first reported Tuesday evening by TSN Radio reporter John Rodenburg.
The move brings professional lacrosse back to the Canadian Capital for the first time since the Ottawa Rebel left the city in 2003. The Rebel played three seasons in Ottawa.
The Black Bears name and branding is notably different than the Ottawa Electrics branding which was unveiled during the NLL UnBOXed initiative.
In the press release, Erik Baker of GF Sports and Entertainment said, “today, we look to the future as the Ottawa Black Bears, a name that 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. Ottawa fans will be proud to wear the Black Bears logo.”
A link was included in the league press release for those interested in learning more about the Black Bears. That can be found here: https://www.canadiantirecentre.com/ottawa-black-bears/