Ottawa Black Bears
 | |
Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Dissolved | 2026 |
| League | National Lacrosse League |
| Team history | New York Riptide 2018–2024 Ottawa Black Bears 2024–2026 |
| Colours | Black, red, gold, white |
Owner | GF Sports |
Head coach | Dan MacRae |
| General manager | Dan MacRae |
| Website | ottawablackbears |
The Ottawa Black Bears (French: Ours Noirs d'Ottawa) were a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Ottawa, Ontario, that competed in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). From 2024 to 2026, the team played its home games at Canadian Tire Centre, which is also the home arena of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. The Black Bears began play in the 2024–25 season and lasted only two seasons without a winning record. After terminating the ownership of the Black Bears by GF Lacrosse after the 2025-2026 season,[1] the NLL announced the club would cease operations.[2]
History
[edit]On February 20, 2024, John Rodenburg of CFGO Radio reported that the New York Riptide would be relocating to Ottawa following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season and will play their home games at Canadian Tire Centre for the 2024–25 season. The team cited poor attendance and their eviction from Nassau Coliseum as factors in the move.[3] The next day, NLL commissioner Brett Frood made the official announcement that the Riptide would be relocating to Ottawa and rebranding as the Ottawa Black Bears. This marks the first time professional box lacrosse has been played in Ottawa since 2003, when the Ottawa Rebel played their final season in Canada's capital before relocating to Edmonton and later to Saskatchewan, where they are now known as the Saskatchewan Rush.[4]
In June 2026, ticket holders for the 2026–27 season were informed that the team would not play the upcoming season at the Canadian Tire Centre, and that tickets would be refunded.[5] Later, on June 25, the NLL stated that it had terminated "GF Lacrosse LLC's ownership" of the team, but that it intended to keep the franchise in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.[6] On September 10, the NLL announced that the Black Bears alongside the Philadelphia Wings would cease operations and a combined dispersal draft will occur after the league failed to find a new ownership group to keep the Ottawa based franchise afloat.[7]
Roster
[edit]| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Dan Macrae
| |||||||
All-time record
[edit]| Season | W–L | Finish | Home | Road | GF | GA | Coach | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8–10 | 9th | 4–5 | 4–5 | 183 | 202 | Dan Ladouceur | Did not qualify |
| 2026 | 8–10 | 10th | 4–5 | 4–5 | 185 | 203 | Dan MacRae | Did not qualify |
| Total | 16–20 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 368 | 405 | |||
Head coaching history
[edit]| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | W% | GC | W | L | W% | |||
| 1 | Dan Ladouceur | 2025 | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Dan MacRae | 2026 | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | - | - | - | - |
Draft history
[edit]NLL Entry Draft
[edit]First Round Selections
References
[edit]- ↑ Beauchemin, Adam (June 24, 2026). "NLL hopes to keep Ottawa Black Bears in Ottawa-Gatineau following 'termination' of ownership". BellMedia. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
- ↑ Raymond, Ted (September 10, 2026). "Ottawa Black Bears lacrosse team to be discontinued, National Lacrosse League says". BellMedia. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
- ↑ DaSilva, Matt (February 20, 2024). "Report: New York Riptide Relocating To Ottawa After 2023-24 Season". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ↑ "NLL's New York team to move to Ottawa and be renamed Black Bears starting next season". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. February 21, 2024. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ↑ Fung, Nathan (June 23, 2026). "Ottawa Black Bears leaving the Canadian Tire Centre, ticket holders told". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- ↑ "League wants to keep Ottawa Black Bears lacrosse team in Ottawa-Gatineau". CBC News. June 25, 2026. Archived from the original on July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- ↑ taylor (September 10, 2026). "National Lacrosse League to Move Forward with 12 Active Member Clubs for 2026-27 Season". NLL. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
