title: Iphigenia

text: Euripides’ other play about Iphigenia, "Iphigenia in Tauris", takes place after the sacrifice, and after Orestes has killed Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Apollo orders Orestes—to escape persecution by the Erinyes for killing his mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover—to go to Tauris. While in Tauris, Orestes is to carry off the "xoanon" (carved wooden cult image) of Artemis, which had fallen from heaven, and bring it to Athens. When Orestes arrives at Tauris with Pylades, son of Strophius and intimate friend of Orestes, the pair are immediately captured by the Tauri, who have a custom of sacrificing all Greek strangers to Artemis. Iphigenia is the priestess of Artemis, and it is her duty to perform the sacrifice. Iphigenia and Orestes don't recognize each other (Iphigenia thinks her brother is dead—a key point). Iphigenia finds out from Orestes, who is still concealing his identity, that Orestes is alive.


title: Iphigenia

text: Iphigenia then offers to release Orestes if he will carry home a letter from her to Greece. Orestes refuses to go, and bids Pylades to take the letter while Orestes will stay to be slain. After a conflict of mutual affection, Pylades at last yields, and the letter makes brother and sister recognize each other, and all three escape together, carrying with them the image of Artemis. After they return to Greece—having been saved from dangers by Athena along the way—Athena orders Orestes to take the Xoanon to the town of Halae, where he is to build a temple for Artemis Tauropolos. At the annual festival held there, in honor of Artemis, a single drop of blood must be drawn from the throat of a man to commemorate Orestes's near-sacrifice. Athena sends Iphigenia to the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron where she is to be the priestess until she dies. According to the Spartans, however, they carried the image of Artemis to Laconia, where the goddess was worshipped as Artemis Orthia.


title: Iphigenia

text: These close identifications of Iphigenia with Artemis encourage some scholars to believe that she was originally a hunting goddess, whose cult was subsumed by the Olympian Artemis.


title: Iphigenia

text: The people of Tauris/Taurica facing the Euxine Sea worshipped the maiden goddess Artemis. Some very early Greek sources in the Epic Cycle affirmed that Artemis rescued Iphigenia from the human sacrifice her father was about to perform, for instance in the lost epic "Cypria", which survives in a summary by Proclus: "Artemis ... snatched her away and transported her to the Tauroi, making her immortal, and put a stag in place of the girl [Iphigenia] upon the altar." The goddess swept the young princess off to Tauris where she became a priestess at the Temple of Artemis.


title: Iphigenia

text: The earliest known accounts of the purported death of Iphigenia are included in Euripides' "Iphigenia at Aulis" and "Iphigenia in Tauris", both Athenian tragedies of the fifth century BC set in the Heroic Age. In the dramatist's version, the Taurians worshipped both Artemis and Iphigenia in the Temple of Artemis at Tauris. Other variants include her being rescued at her sacrifice by Artemis and transformed into the goddess Hecate. Another example includes Iphigenia's brother, Orestes, discovering her identity and helping him steal an image of Artemis. Possible reasons for key discrepancies in the telling of the myth by playwrights such as Euripides are to make the story more palatable for audiences and to allow sequels using the same characters.


title: Iphigenia

text: Many traditions arose from the sacrifice of Iphigenia. One prominent version is credited to the Spartans. Rather than sacrificing virgins, they would whip a male victim in front of a sacred image of Artemis. However, most tributes to Artemis inspired by the sacrifice were more traditional. Taurians especially performed sacrifices of bulls and virgins in honour of Artemis.


title: Iphigenia

text: The myth was retold in classical Greece and Italy, and it became most popular in Etruria, especially in Perusia. In the second and first centuries BC the Etruscans adorned their cremation-urns with scenes from the sacrifice. The most common scene: "Iphigenia, a little girl, is held over the altar by Odysseus while Agamemnon performs the "aparchai". Clytemnestra stands beside Agamemnon and Achilles beside Odysseus and each one begs for the life of Iphigenia." This version is closest to the myth as the Romans told it.


title: Iphigenia

text: The sacrifice of Iphigenia is not explicitly mentioned by Homer, although scholars argue that it is presupposed by Agamemnon's criticism of Calchas at "Iliad" 1.105-108; Nelson has developed this suggestion further by arguing that the story of Iphigenia's sacrifice lies allusively behind the opening scenes of the "Iliad": "both the debate over Chryseis and her eventual return to her father replay and rework the sacrifice story." He has highlighted six key elements that are shared by each story:


title: Iphigenia

text: The sacrifice of Iphigenia appears in the ancient Roman didactic poem "De rerum natura" by Lucretius as a criticism of religion. Anticipating that his poem will seem sacrilegious, Lucretius attacks the virtue of religion by recounting the story of Iphigenia, which he considers a cruel story of a parent "making his child a sacrificial beast" on her wedding day. Lucretius concludes "such are the crimes to which Religion leads."


title: Iphigenia

text: "Game of Thrones" character Shireen Baratheon was sacrificed to a god by her father, which some critics compared to Iphigenia. Amanda Marcotte, of "Slate", similarly writes: "Every beat of the Greek myth is the same as Stannis's story: The troops are stuck and starving and the general, Agamemnon, must sacrifice his own daughter to turn the fates to their favor. The mother begging for mercy, the disapproving second-in-command who can do nothing to stop it, the daughter who says she will do whatever it takes to help—it's all a clear echo."


title: Iphigenia

text: In "Sacrifice", the second volume of Eric Shanower's "Age of Bronze" comic book series, the substitution of a deer for Iphigenia is a pious lie invented by Odysseus to comfort the grieving Clytemnestra. However, it does not work and Clytemnestra angrily curses the whole Achaean army, wishing they all die in the war.


title: Iphigenia

text: Sheri S. Tepper's "The Gate to Women's Country" contains a similar theme, with a play named "Iphigenia at Ilium" running through the novel as a leitmotif.


title: Iphigenia

text: In "Downton Abbey", Lord Robert Crawley compares Lavinia Swire to Iphigenia in her being used by Cora Crawley to marry Matthew Crawley as a means to avoid complications for Lady Mary Crawley.


title: Iphigenia

text: In 1843, botanist Kunth published "Iphigenia", which is a plant genus in the family Colchicaceae and it was named after "Iphigenia".


title: Iphigenia

text: In Madeline Miller's "The Song of Achilles", Iphigenia comes to Aulis under the belief that she is to marry Achilles. Instead, she is unwillingly sacrificed to appease Artemis.


title: Iphigenia

text: The full (rarely used) name of the fictional private investigator V. I. Warshawski, created by Sara Paretsky, is Victoria Iphigenia Warshawski. In the 1985 novel "Killing Orders", third in the series, the protagonist identifies herself with the character of Greek myth, and recognizes the similarity of a traumatic event of her childhood with the act of Iphigenia's sacrifice.


title: Iphigenia

text: In the play "Even Kins Are Guilty", by Keye Abiona, a Nigerian playwright of Yoruba origin, the king is deceived into sacrificing his only daughter by his half brother, who gave a false oracular prediction that it was necessary to win his crown back from an enemy kingdom. That same brother then poisoned the heart of the queen against her husband by telling her of the sacrifice (like Clytemnestra in the myth, she believed her daughter was taken away to marry a neighboring king). The duo then conspire to murder the king by means of poison, allowing the half brother to assume the throne. However, the young son of the late king finds out his uncle's treachery and murders him in the palace. He is however, prevented from murdering his own mother (unlike Orestes) by a well meaning Chief Otun, in order to avoid the spiritual repercussions of murdering parents in Yoruba tradition.


title: Iphigenia

text: In the movie "The Killing of a Sacred Deer", starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell the myth is drawn into a present day thriller where the family of a surgeon is haunted because of his accidental killing of a patient years before. One after the other the surgeon’s children are plagued with paralysis (a direct allusion to Agamemnon’s immobile armies) and the surgeon’s family is forced to sacrifice one of its members to atone for the accidental surgical killing. The myth is even directly invoked by the movie when the children’s school administrator states that the daughter wrote a great essay on Iphigenia.


title: Iphigenia

text: In the fictional book “Mistress Wilding”, by Rafael Sabatini, Sir Rowland Blake makes reference to Iphigenia (spelled Iphiginia in the book) as a metaphor for Ruth Westmacott sacrificing herself by agreeing to marry Anthony Wilding in an effort to prevent him from killing her brother in a duel.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent (, English: "Royal Athletic Association Ghent"), often simply known as Ghent or by their nickname (), is a Belgian sports club, based in the city of Ghent, East Flanders. Their football team is the best known section within the club and has been playing in the Belgian First Division A since the 1989–90 season. They won the national league once, in 2014–15, in addition to four Belgian Cup victories. Ghent played their home matches in the Jules Ottenstadion in Gentbrugge from 1920 until 2013, when they moved to the Ghelamco Arena. Their team colours are blue and white. The principal sponsor is the financial institution VDK bank.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: The field hockey and track and field divisions were founded in 1864, making it one of the oldest sports clubs in Belgium. The club was then known under its French name La Gantoise (and it is still referred to as such in the French-speaking part of Belgium). They changed their name to the current Dutch version in 1971. The football division opened in 1900. The nickname of the club is "", a term coined after a visit of the original Buffalo Bill and his Wild West circus to the city in the early 20th century.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Gent enjoyed its first spell at the highest level in Belgian football between 1913–14 and 1928–29, and a second one from 1936–37 to 1966–67. In the 1970s and 1980s, the club had several promotions and relegations between the first and second divisions, before returning to the highest level in 1989. The club reached the quarter-finals of the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, which is their best achievement ever in European competitions.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 1864, an association called the 'Société Gymnastique la Gantoise', which was tasked with promoting gymnastics, was founded. Some branches quickly became independent and in 1891 the team merged with the Association Athlétique, which was in itself a merger of younger teams, such as Racing Club, Running Club and Red Star. The new merger team was called Association Athlétique La Gantoise, and aside from gymnastics, the activities were broadened to athletics, boxing, cricket, cycling, fencing, hockey, swimming and tennis. In this context, the athletics team KAA Gent was founded.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In the last decade of the 19th century, organized football was introduced in Ghent. Different small teams were founded and some merged into Racing Club Gantois on 1 April 1899, which would later become the biggest challenger of KAA Gent. Only in 1900, a football section was founded by the students of the College of Melle, which is a place close to Ghent. The first president of the team was doctor Hector Priem. The games were played on the Carpentierplein, which was situated at the crossroads of the Kortrijksesteenweg, the Clementinalaan, the Oostendestraat and the Astridlaan. Initially, the colours black and white were chosen, but by 31 October 1900, when the team became an official member, the colours were changed to blue and white. On 15 November 1900, the first regular game was played, against Omnium Sporting Club. In January 1901, the team played against Racing Club Gantois, which was, at that time, the larger of the two. KAA Gent lost the game with 10–0. Nevertheless, at the end of the 19th century the team already became a member of the UBSSA (Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques or the Belgian Union of the Athletic Sports Society, and although Racing Club Gantois was the elder team in the city, KAA Gent would receive a lower matricule number than Racing Club, which would receive 11. In 1901 AA La Gantoise played its first games in the lower divisions.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: For the first few years, the team mostly played in the Belgian Second Division, and later on in the First Division. In 1904 the team moved to the Mussenstraat. In 1913, the World Exposition was held at that place, and the team moved once more, this time to the Albertlaan. Over there, a football pitch, training fields, tennis courts, an athletics court, galleries and other accommodations were being built. At 9 December 1915, during the First World War, the stadium completely burned down. In 1912–13, AA La Gantoise became champion in the Second Division. In 1914, the team received the royal title and was called Association Royale Athlétique La Gantoise, which was abbreviated to ARA La Gantoise. During the world exposition, the team organized several sporting events. The first season in the First League, 1913–14, was nevertheless very difficult for the team and only by means of a test match against Standard Club Liégois, relegation was avoided.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 1920, the team moved again, this time to Gentbrugge, where the Jules Ottenstadion was built. La Gantoise fell back to the Second Division and it was not until 1936 it managed to win the promotion play-offs and return to the First Division. In the mid-fifties, the team played their strongest football yet. In 1953–54 it ended third with an equal total of points as KFC Malinois and only one point behind the champions Anderlecht. The next season, La Gantoise was alone on the second spot, this time with three points less than the champions. In 1964 it won the Belgian Cup (Beker van België), which was the first major tournament victory for the team. Because of their cup win, it became the first Belgian team to participate in the European Cup Winners' Cup. La Gantoise was defeated in the first round by West Ham United. In 1967, the club relegated once more, after three decades of playing in the First Division. It did, however, only take them one year to clinch promotion again.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 1971, the name of the team was translated into Flemish, as it became "Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent" (commonly known as KAA Gent or AA Gent). The 1970–71 season was the start of a bad decade for Ghent. They were relegated to the Second Division six games before the season's ending, after the defeat to Club Brugge. In 1974, they even relegated to the Third Division. Ghent had ended last and couldn't assure its promotion to the Second Division in the final round. After one season, they would return to the Second Division and remained there until 1980, when the team returned to the First Division. The 1980s would become a much better period for the team. In 1984 they won the Belgian Cup again, and during that period the team played in European competitions four times. In 1986–87, Ghent reached the Third round in the UEFA Cup. In 1988 the team fell back to the Second Division for a short while, but thanks to the promotion play-offs, they were able to return to First Division after one season. A crucial role was played by a member of the Board of Directors, Marc Mortier, who consulted the Prime Minister of Belgium, Wilfried Martens, in order to establish an organisation named Foot Invest, to get the team financially back on track. Marc Mortier gathered more than 50 million Belgian francs (1.25 million euros) in sponsoring in a couple of months and introduced VDK Spaarbank as the main sponsor of the team.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 1990–91, the team played at the top of the standings for a long time, under the guidance of René Vandereycken and players such as Frank Dauwen, Eric Viscaal and Erwin Vandenbergh, but finally it ended on the third spot. So instead of competing in the UEFA Champions League, the team played in the UEFA Cup in 1991. After defeating Lausanne-Sport, Eintracht Frankfurt and Dynamo Moscow, Ghent played the quarter finals against Ajax. The following years, Ghent fell back to the lower places in the standings. From 1994 until 1997, they finished just above the relegation places in the league. By the end of the 1990s the results improved again, and with coach Trond Sollied, KAA Gent qualified for European football once more in 1999–00. In these series, Ghent lost heavily against Ajax, under new coach Henk Houwaart. The next season, Ghent reached the UEFA Intertoto Cup, where it would reach the semi-finals against PSG. The following seasons, league results varied between lower sub-top places and top four finishes.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 2004, Ghent signed coach Georges Leekens. In his first season, the team ended at the sixth spot in competition. With Leekens as a coach, KAA Gent made some impressive performances, such as the 4–1 victory over rival Club Brugge on 1 April 2006. In 2006–07, despite a weak start of the competition, the team managed to reach the fourth place in the Belgian Pro League. It repeated that achievement the following year.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: The next season, coach Georges Leekens left the club and joined Lokeren. Trond Sollied, the Norwegian trainer who had been very successful seven years before, succeeded him. Under his guidance, KAA Gent played its third Cup Final, in which it only lost at the end from Anderlecht. Sollied left Ghent again after one season, this time for Heerenveen. Michel Preud'homme, who had just become champion of the Jupiler Pro League with Standard Liège, signed a contract for three seasons, together with his colleagues Manu Ferrera and Stan van den Buys. In 2008–09, the team ended at the fourth spot, after a strong comeback in the second part of the competition, with an equal number of points as Club Brugge, who had won one more game and ended third.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: In 2009–10, there was a heavy battle for the second place in the Belgian Pro League between AA Gent and Club Brugge and the Champions League ticket that came with it. They played each other on 8 May 2010. Ghent won with a convincing 6–2 score and won second place because of that victory. One week later, Ghent also won the Belgian Cup for the first time in 26 years, defeating the other Bruges Pro League team, Cercle Brugge.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: On 17 July 2013, the club officially inaugurated their new stadium, the Ghelamco Arena, with a 2–0 win over VfB Stuttgart in a gala match.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: On 21 May 2015, Ghent clinched their first Belgium League title by defeating Standard Liège 2–0 at home, automatically qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Gent were drawn in Group H, against Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg, the Spanish team Valencia and the French Lyon. The Belgian champions were able to perform better than expected. On matchday 1, Ghent draw 1–1 with Olympique Lyon at Ghelamco Arena, securing their first point in Champions League group stages, after Milićević scored to bring the score to a tie, conceding Jallet's goal. In matchday 2, they were beaten by Zenit 1–2 at Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia; they were led 0–1 with a goal by Dzyuba and managed to bring the score to a 1–1 tie with a goal by Matton, but Russian international Shatov scored for Ghent's first Champions League group stage defeat. On matchday 3, they lost again 1–2 against Valencia on Mestalla, Valencia, Spain; they hold Valencia in a 1–1 tie before the half break, but Mitrović's own goal in the 71st minute put an end to their hopes for a draw. On matchday 4, at Ghelamco Arena, Gent beat Valencia 1–0, after Kums successfully converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to obtain their historical first Champions League victory. On matchday 5, at Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France, Ghent beat Lyon 2–1; Ferri's 0–1 goal was conceded when Milićević brought the score to a tie, only for substitute Coulibaly to score the most dramatic goal of winners with the last touch of the match, in the 95th minute as Gent earned qualification in either Champions League or Europa League knockout phases. In order to qualify for the Champions League knock-out phases, Gent needed a victory against group leaders Zenit, as it could qualify even if Valencia would win at Lyon thanks to their away goal. On marchday 6, Gent won 2–1 against Zenit, finishing the group on second place and becoming only the second Belgian team to advance to the Champions League knockout phase, as Lyon beat Valencia, after Anderlecht in 2000–01. In the round of 16, they were drawn against Wolfsburg. In the first leg at Ghelamco Stadium, Ghent, Belgium, Gent were defeated 2–3 by Wolfsburg, after being led with 0–3 and managing to score two goals in the last ten minutes. The second game, this time in Wolfsburg, ended 1–0, setting an end to Ghent's European tournament. However, It was the best european season for them. They later gone to the Europa League 2016/17 season. They faced spurs, winning the 2nd leg and advancing. They later faced KRC Genk, Losing. That set an end for their 2nd best european season.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: KAA Gent have a fierce rivalry with Club Brugge, in what is dubbed as the "Battle of Flanders" in the media as it is between Flanders' two cultural capitals (Antwerp having been historically a part of the Duchy of Brabant). There are also many Club Brugge supporters in the city of Ghent due to internal migration from West Flanders to the city, as well as across the region of Flanders, while KAA Gent pride themselves on their local identity.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Four players of AA Gent held top scorer positions in the UEFA: Maurice Willems (1956–57, 28 games, 35 goals), Ronny Martens (1984–85, 34 games, 23 goals), Erwin Vandenbergh (1990–91, 34 games, 23 goals) and Ole Martin Arst (1999–00, 33 games, 30 goals).


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: The Belgian player Roland Storme, central defender of KAA Gent in 1958–59, received the Golden Shoe award. Three other AA Gent players were presented with awards and honors: René Vandereycken got the award for trainer of the year 1991. Frédéric Herpoel was chosen as the best goalkeeper in 2004.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Mbark Boussoufa received multiple awards and honors including: pro-player of the year, best young player and the award of the 12th man, as well as the Ebony Shoe. Another AA Gent player, the Egyptian Ahmed "Mido" Hossam was also presented with the Ebony Shoe 8 years earlier in 2001.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Maurice Willems has scored more goals than any other KAA Gent player, with 185 goals between 1952 and 1962.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Armand Seghers holds the record of the most games played in the first team of KAA Gent: 507 between 1949 and 1960.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Richard Orlans holds the most selections for the Belgian National Team, more than any other KAA Gent player. He was selected 21 times from 1955 – 1958.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Frédéric Herpoel was four times honoured with the Jean-Claude Bouvy Trophy for "most valuable player of the season" between 2002 – 2005.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgium international and Manchester City player who spent six years at Gent during his youth career.


title: K.A.A. Gent

text: Congolese player Leon Mokuna was the first African player in Belgian competition, in 1957. Compatriot Pierre Mwana Kasongo would join the club in 1965 and Kiyika Tokodi would do so in 1980.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The Devils is a 1971 historical drama film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell, and starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. A dramatised historical account of the fall of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest accused of witchcraft after the possessions in Loudun, France, the plot also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Anges, a sexually repressed nun who incites the accusations.


title: The Devils (film)

text: A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, "The Devils" is in part adapted from the 1952 non-fiction book "The Devils of Loudun" by Aldous Huxley, as well as John Whiting's subsequent 1960 play "The Devils". United Artists initially pitched the idea to Russell but bowed out after reading his finished screenplay, as they felt it was too controversial in nature. Warner Bros. agreed to produce and distribute, and filming largely took place at Pinewood Studios in late 1970.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The film's graphic portrayal of violence, sexuality and religion ignited harsh reaction from censors, and it originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was banned in several countries, and heavily edited for exhibition in others. Although critics largely dismissed the film for its explicit content, it won awards for Best Director at the 33rd Venice International Film Festival, as well as from the U.S. National Board of Review. Although a restoration of Russell's director's cut of "The Devils" was given its first theatrical release in the UK in 2002, this version has not been made officially available on home media, and releases of edited versions of the film on DVD and streaming services remain scant.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Film scholarship primarily focuses on themes of sexual repression and political corruption. "The Devils" has been recognized as one of the most controversial films of all time by numerous publications and critics, and remained banned in Finland until 2001.


title: The Devils (film)

text: In 17th-century France, Cardinal Richelieu is influencing Louis XIII in an attempt to gain further power. He convinces Louis that the fortifications of cities throughout France should be demolished to prevent Protestants from rising up. Louis agrees, but forbids Richelieu from carrying out demolitions in the town of Loudun, having made a promise to its Governor not to damage the town.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Meanwhile, in Loudun, the Governor has died, leaving control of the city to Urbain Grandier, a dissolute, proud and popular priest. He is having an affair with a relative of Father Canon Jean Mignon, another priest in the town; Grandier is, however, unaware that the neurotic, hunchbacked Sister Jeanne des Anges, the abbess of the local Ursuline convent, is sexually obsessed with him. Sister Jeanne asks for Grandier to become the convent's new confessor. Grandier secretly marries another woman, Madeleine De Brou, but news of this reaches Sister Jeanne, who becomes jealous. When Madeleine returns a book by Ursuline foundress Angela Merici that Sister Jeanne had earlier lent her, the abbess attacks her and accuses her of being a "fornicator" and "sacrilegious".


title: The Devils (film)

text: Baron Jean de Laubardemont arrives with orders to demolish the city, overriding Grandier's orders to stop. Grandier summons the town's soldiers and forces Laubardemont to back down pending the arrival of an order for the demolition from King Louis. Grandier departs Loudun to visit the King. In the meantime, Sister Jeanne is informed by Father Mignon that he is to be their new confessor. She informs him of Grandier's marriage and affairs, and also inadvertently accuses Grandier of witchcraft and of possessing her, which Mignon relays to Laubardemont. In the process, the information is pared down to just the claim that Grandier has bewitched the convent and dealt with the Devil. With Grandier away from Loudon, Laubardemont and Mignon decide to find evidence against him.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Laubardemont summons inquisitor Father Pierre Barre, a "professional witch-hunter," whose interrogations involve depraved acts of "exorcism", including the forced administration of enemas to his victims. Sister Jeanne claims that Grandier has bewitched her, and the other nuns do the same. A public exorcism erupts in a church, in which the nuns remove their clothes and enter a state of "religious" frenzy. Duke Henri de Condé (actually King Louis in disguise) arrives, claiming to be carrying a holy relic which can exorcise the "devils" possessing the nuns. Father Barre then proceeds to use the relic in "exorcising" the nuns, who then act as though they have been cured - until Condé/Louis reveals the case allegedly containing the relic to be empty. The possessions and the exorcisms then continue unabated, descending into a massive orgy in which the nuns remove the crucifix from above the high altar and masturbate with it.


title: The Devils (film)

text: During the chaos, Grandier and Madeleine return. Grandier denies bewitching the nuns and condemns Sister Jeanne, but he and Madeleine are arrested nonetheless. The nuns are returned to the convent, where Sister Jeanne attempts to hang herself, but is cut down before she dies. After being given a show trial, Grandier is shaven and tortured. The judges sentence Grandier to death by burning at the stake. Laubardemont has also obtained permission to destroy the city's fortifications. Despite pressure to confess to the charges, Grandier refuses, and is taken to be burnt at the stake. His executioner promises to strangle him rather than let him suffer death by fire, but Barre starts the fire himself, and Mignon, visibly panic-stricken about the possibility of Grandier's innocence, pulls the noose tight before it can be used to strangle Grandier. As Grandier burns, Laubardemont orders for explosive charges to be set off and the city walls are blown up, causing the revelling townspeople to flee.


title: The Devils (film)

text: After the execution, Barre leaves Loudun to continue his witch-hunting activities elsewhere in the Vienne region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Laubardemont informs Sister Jeanne that Mignon has been put away in an asylum for claiming that Grandier was innocent, and that "with no signed confession to prove otherwise, everyone has the same opinion". He gives her Grandier's charred femur and leaves. Sister Jeanne kisses and masturbates with the bone. Madeleine, having been released, walks over the rubble of Loudun's walls and out of the ruined city.


title: The Devils (film)

text: In November 1965, following the Broadway opening of John Whiting's 1961 play "The Devils" — which was based on Aldous Huxley's nonfiction book "The Devils of Loudun" (1952), about the alleged 17th-century possessions in Loudun, France — producer Alexander H. Cohen announced plans to adapt the play for film, revealing that he had made a formal offer to Huxley's estate for the rights. After Cohen's deal failed to be materialize, United Artists signed a deal with producer Robert H. Solo to make the adaptation in August 1969. Following the success of Ken Russell's "Women in Love" (1969) in the United States, United Artists suggested to Russell that he adapt "The Devils of Loudun". According to journalist John Baxter and Russell's widow Lisi Tribble, he was familiar with the story by the time United Artists proposed the project to him, having watched a production of Whiting's play in London and subsequently being inspired to research its historical basis. Russell said that "when I first read the story, I was knocked out by it — it was just so shocking—and I wanted others to be knocked out by it, too. I felt I had to make it." Russell later said at the time he made the film: "I was a devout Catholic and very secure in my faith. I knew I wasn't making a pornographic film... although I am not a political creature, I always viewed "The Devils" as my one political film. To me it was about brainwashing, about the state taking over." Though Russell admired Whiting's play, his screenplay mainly drew from Huxley's book as he found the play "too sentimental."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Some extraneous elements incorporated into the screenplay were not found in either source, including details about the plague, which were supplied by Russell's brother-in-law, a scholar of French history. Upon studying Grandier, Russell felt that he "represented the paradox of the Catholic church...  Grandier is a priest but he is also a man, and that puts him into some absurd situations." In Russell's original screenplay, the role of Sister Jeanne of the Angels, the disabled Mother Superior, was significantly larger, and continued after Grandier's execution. However, in order to shorten the lengthy screenplay, Russell was forced to cut down the role.


title: The Devils (film)

text: United Artists announced the film in August 1969, with Robert Sole to produce under a three-picture deal with the studio, and Russell to direct. Filming was set to start in May 1970. However, after United Artists executives read the screenplay, they "refused to touch it," abandoning plans to fund the production. At the time, production designer Derek Jarman had already constructed some of the sets for the film. It was subsequently acquired by Warner Bros., who signed on in March 1970 to distribute the film.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Oliver Reed, who had worked with Russell previously on "Women in Love", was cast as Urbain Grandier, the philandering doomed priest. Richard Johnson, who had portrayed Grandier in a stage production of "The Devils", had originally been attached to the project in 1969, but eventually dropped out of the production. Reed agreed to do the film for a percentage of the profits. Gemma Jones was cast as Madeleine de Brou, Grandier's wife. Sister Jeanne des Anges was originally to be played by Glenda Jackson, who had starred opposite Reed in Russell's "Women in Love", as well as in Russell's "The Music Lovers" (1971). However, Jackson turned down the role saying: "I don't want to play any more neurotic sex starved parts." Russell later claimed that he felt Jackson had actually turned down the role because it had been truncated from his original screenplay. Jackson was replaced by Vanessa Redgrave.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Max Adrian was cast as inquisitor Ibert (in his second-to-last film performance), while Dudley Sutton, who had become a cult figure for his performance in "The Leather Boys" (1964), agreed to appear in the film as Baron de Laubardemont. Sutton recalled that all of the "respectable actors turned it down. They thought it was blasphemous, which it is not." In the role of Father Mignon, a priest who attempts to usurp Grandier's power, Russell cast Murray Melvin, despite the fact that he was decades younger than the character, who was intended to be in his eighties. Michael Gothard, an English character actor, was cast as self-professed witch hunter Father Barre. Russell cast Christopher Logue, an occasional actor who was mainly known as a poet and literary scholar, as the vengeful Cardinal Richelieu.


title: The Devils (film)

text: As Philipe, the young woman Grandier impregnates, Russell cast television actress Georgina Hale. Judith Paris, originally a dancer, was cast as Sister Agnes, Richelieu's niece who enters the convent under the guise of becoming a nun in order to gather information on Sister Jeanne. In the credits, her role is mislabeled as "Sister Judith."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Filming began 17 August 1970 in London at Pinewood Studios. "The Devils" marked Jarman's debut in the film industry; having previously worked in theatre, he was introduced to Russell by his friend, Hornsey College of Art teacher Janet Detuer and agreed to work on the film after seeing "Women in Love". His set for Loudun, which took three months to design, was the largest set constructed on Pinewood's backlot since "Cleopatra" (1963), and was influenced by the works of neoclassical artists such as Claude Nicolas Ledoux, Étienne-Louis Boullée and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Russell and Jarman were further influenced by the blank white sets of Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1925) and the cityscape in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (1927). The interiors of many buildings, specifically the convent, were crafted with plaster and made to appear as masonry; the plaster designs were then nailed to plywood framework. According to Christopher Hobbs, the film's prop designer, Jarman "was very inexperienced, and found the work exhaustive and difficult", but Russell was very supportive of his ideas and designs.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Director Russell hired a large cast of extras, whom he later referred to as "a bad bunch" who were demanding, and alleged that one of the female extras appearing as a civilian was sexually assaulted by another male extra. Jones recalled that Reed, who at the time had a reputation for being disruptive and confrontational, was extremely kind to her on set, and "behaved impeccably." Sutton recalled of Redgrave that she was "always an adventurous type of person" on the set, in terms of exploring her character and interacting with the other performers. Russell echoed this sentiment, referring to Redgrave as "one of the least bothersome actresses I could ever wish for; she just threw herself into it."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Additional photography occurred at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England. Jones recalled filming at the castle as challenging due to cold weather and having the flu during this period of the shoot, to which Russell was "frightfully unsympathetic." Throughout the shoot, Russell and Reed clashed frequently, and by the time principal photography had finished, the two were hardly on speaking terms.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The film's score was composed for a small ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies. Russell was reportedly intrigued by Davies' 1969 composition "Eight Songs for a Mad King". Davies reportedly took the job because he was interested in the late medieval and Renaissance historical period depicted in the film. He went on to write a score for Russell's next film, "The Boy Friend". The Australian promoter James Murdoch, who was also Davies' agent, was involved in organising the music for both these films.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The score was recorded by Davies' regular collaborators the Fires of London who took on extra players as the score required more instruments than their basic line-up. Maxwell Davies' music is complemented by period music (including a couple of numbers from "Terpsichore"), performed by the Early Music Consort of London under the direction of David Munrow.


title: The Devils (film)

text: In 1974 the Fires of London and the Early Music Consort of London gave a performance of a concert suite of the music at the Proms. The soundtrack remains a popular choice for concert hall performances.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Addressing the film's initial reaction among critics, social groups and Warner Bros. executives, film historian Tim Lucas describes "The Devils" as "not merely an indictment of 17th Century conspiracies, but an indictment of political agendas which have been with us throughout the course of human history. When government is at its most immoral, history shows that it tends to ally itself with the Church, and to deflect public attention from its own corruption by demonizing convenient scapegoats ― artists, philosophers, progressives... in a word, "liberals"." Comparing Grandier's demonization to various issues of contention in the United States during various decades of the 20th century, from alcohol in the 1920s to tobacco smoking in the 1990s, he notes that although public opinion on such issues evolve over time, the film articulates that "in the crossfire of ideals and oratory, lives are sometimes destroyed."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Meanwhile, film scholar Thomas Atkins attests that, while "The Devils" contains overt themes regarding religion and political influence, the film is more concerned with "sex and sexual aberrations." He interprets the film as being centrally thematically interested in sexual repression and its cumulative effects on the human psyche. Commenting on the Sister Jeanne character, Atkins writes: "There are any number of examples of tormented visualization involving the Mother Superior...  What more stunning visual metaphor for the psychological suffocation of the Mother Superior than to stuff her deformed body into a tiny lookout space from which she watches her fantasy lover? The mere confinement of mass in congested space creates an understanding of the annihilating pleasures of her sexual drive." Atkins likens Sister Jeanne's erotic fantasy sequences to "eroticism from a deranged consciousness." Filmmaker Alex Cox concurs with this point, stating that "The Devils" "could have been a turgid tale of human rights versus intolerance", but instead became something "much more: an intense, at times surreal, at times hideously realistic story of sexual obsession and oppression".


title: The Devils (film)

text: The color white is featured significantly, specifically in the design of the cityscape, which largely consists of overtly white stone structures. Atkins insists that through this use of blank white, Russell establishes a "leitmotif of whiteness which resists and dissolves natural relationships"; Adam Scovell further notes that the "horrifying white-clean aesthetic" of Russell and Jarman's vision of Loudun appears to be inspired by Sister Jeanne's exorcism being compared to a "rape in a public lavatory" in the Huxley novel.


title: The Devils (film)

text: "The Devils" was one of the most popular films in 1972 at the British box office, grossing approximately $8–9 million in Europe. With an additional $2 million in the United States, its worldwide total gross comes to roughly $11 million.


title: The Devils (film)

text: "The Devils" received significant negative critical reaction upon its release due to its "outrageous", "overheated", and "pornographic" nature. The film was publicly condemned by the Vatican, who, though acknowledging that it contained some artistic merit, asked that its screenings at the Venice International Film Festival be cancelled. Judith Crist called the film a "grand fiesta for sadists and perverts", while Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film a rare zero-star rating. Pauline Kael wrote in "The New Yorker" that Russell "doesn't report hysteria, he markets it." Vincent Canby, writing for "The New York Times", noted that the film contains "silly, melodramatic effects," and felt that the performances were hindered by the nature of the screenplay, writing: "Oliver Reed suggests some recognizable humanity as poor Father Grandier, but everyone else is ridiculous. Vanessa Redgrave, who can be, I think, a fine actress, plays Sister Jeanne with a plastic hump, a Hansel-and-Gretel giggle, and so much sibilance that when she says "Satan is ever ready to seduce us with sensual delights," you might think that Groucho Marx had let the air out of her tires."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Charles Champlin of the "Los Angeles Times" lambasted the film, writing that its message is "not anti-clerical—there's hardly enough clericalism to be anti anymore—it is anti-humanity. A rage against cruelty has become a celebration of it... you weep not for the evils and the ignorance of the past, but for the cleverness and sickness of the day." Ann Guarino of the "New York Daily News" noted that the film "could not be more anti-Catholic in tone or more sensationalized in treatment," but conceded that the performances in the film were competent. The "Ottawa Citizen"s Gordon Stoneham similarly felt the film had been over-sensationalized, noting that Russell focuses so much on the "baroque effects, and concentrates so much on the Grand Guignol aspects of the affair, the narrative is never firmly in focus."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Bridget Byrne of the "LA Weekly" alternately praised the film as "brilliant, audacious, and grotesque", likening it to a fairytale, but added that audiences "have to grasp its philosophy, work out the undercurrents of seriousness, close the structural gaps for [themselves], even as [they] are transported by a literal orgy of splendor." Writing for the Hackensack, New Jersey "Record", John Crittenden praised the film's visuals as "genius," but criticized Reed's performance while asserting that Redgrave was underused. Stephen Farber of "The New York Times" noted the film as an ambitious work, conceding that the "ideas in Russell's film may seem overly schematic, but his terrifying, fantastical nightmare images have astonishing psychological power."


title: The Devils (film)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "The Devils" holds an approval rating of 69%, based on 32 reviews, and an average rating of 8.20/10. Its consensus reads, "Grimly stylish, Ken Russell's baroque opus is both provocative and persuasive in its contention that the greatest blasphemy is the leveraging of faith for power." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: The Devils (film)

text: The explicit sexual and violent content, paired with its commentary on religious institutions, resulted in significant censorship. Commenting on the controversial nature, Reed stated: "We never set out to make a pretty Christian film. Charlton Heston made enough of those... The film is about twisted people." The British Board of Film Censors found the combination of religious themes and violent sexual imagery a serious challenge, particularly as the Board was being lobbied by socially conservative pressure groups such as the Festival of Light at the time of distribution. In order to gain a release and earn a British 'X' certificate (suitable for those aged 18 and over), Russell made minor cuts to the more explicit nudity (mainly in the cathedral and convent sequences), details from the first exorcism (mainly that which indicated an anal insertion), some shots of the crushing of Grandier's legs, and a pantomime sequence during the climactic burning. Russell later said:


title: The Devils (film)

text: The most significant cuts were made by Warner Bros., prior to submission to the BBFC. Two notable scenes were removed in their entirety: One was a two-and-a-half-minute sequence featuring naked nuns sexually defiling a statue of Christ, which includes Father Mignon looking down on the scene and masturbating. Another scene towards the end showed Sister Jeanne masturbating with the charred femur of Grandier following his burning at the stake. Due to its content, the former scene has been popularly referred to as the "Rape of Christ" sequence.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The British theatrical cut, which runs 111 minutes, was given an 'X' certificate (no one under 18 years of age admitted); despite the BBFC's approval of this version, it was banned in 17 local councils across Britain. In the United States, it was truncated further for theatrical exhibition: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) edited to approximately 108 minutes, and also awarded an 'X' rating. Russell expressed frustration, commenting that they "killed the key scene" [the Rape of Christ] and that "Warner Brothers cut out the best of "The Devils"." Speaking on the American version of the film, Russell said the cuts "adversely affected the story, to the point where in America the film is disjointed and incomprehensible." In 1973, in anticipation of a reissue of the film coinciding with their release of "The Exorcist" (1973), Warner Bros. resubmitted the American version of "The Devils" to the MPAA after further removing several allusions to lesbianism prior to Sister Jeanne's attempted suicide and a brief shot of Grandier's shattered legs during the torture scene; this version was awarded an 'R' rating.


title: The Devils (film)

text: The director's cut (approximately 117 minutes), with all aforementioned footage restored, was screened for the first time in London on 25 November 2002, along with a making-of documentary titled "Hell on Earth", produced for Channel 4. The extended version was procured by Mark Kermode, who uncovered the footage in the Warner Bros. vaults. In a 2014 videoblog titled "Kermode Uncut: What To Do About The Devils", Kermode revealed that Warner Bros. was responsible for blocking various efforts to allow the director's cut of the film to be released on home media, as they considered the tone of the deleted material, specifically the "Rape of Christ" sequence, to be "distasteful", and that they also had turned down offers from distributors such as The Criterion Collection interested in buying the film or acquiring the North American sublicensing rights. The film remained banned in Finland for over 30 years, until it was lifted in November 2001.


title: The Devils (film)

text: "The Devils" has had a complicated release history in home media formats, with various cuts being made available in different formats. The film made its America home media debut circa 1979-1980, when ON TV made the 1973 'R' rated version available as part of its late night programming. Warner Home Video released a clamshell VHS of the film in the United States in 1983, labelled as featuring a 105-minute cut of the film; however, this is a misprint, as this edition actually runs 103 minutes, due to time compression. Warner reissued a VHS edition in 1995, with a corrected label of a 103-minute running time. On May 30, 1995, the UK theatrical version made its debut on British television as part of BBC2's "Forbidden Weekend", a series of films with troubled censorship histories; the screening was introduced by Cox and then-BBFC director James Ferman. This version was shown in a partially letterboxed aspect ratio of 1.80:1, with the credits being shown in the correct 2.35:1 ratio. Prior to this broadcast, the UK theatrical version had been shown on Sat.1 in Germany, with a 1.73:1 aspect ratio. A VHS was issued in the United Kingdom by Warner in 2002 as part of their "Masters of the Movies" series, reportedly running 104 minutes. However, according to film historian Richard Crouse, the VHS version available in the United Kingdom is identical to the American VHS editions, despite the labelled runtimes. Lucas notes that most VHS releases of the film featured either "sloppy" pan and scan work or poor letterboxing.


title: The Devils (film)

text: A bootlegged NTSC-format DVD was released by Angel Digital in 2005, with the excised footage reinstated, along with the "Hell on Earth" documentary included as a bonus feature. In 2008, it was suspected that Warner Home Video may have been planning a U.S. DVD release for the film, as cover artwork was leaked on the internet. However, Warner responded to the claim by deeming the leaked news an "error." In June 2010, Warner released "The Devils" in a 108-minute version for purchase and rental through the iTunes Store, but the title was removed without explanation three days later.


title: The Devils (film)

text: On 19 March 2012, the British Film Institute released a 2-disc DVD featuring the 111-minute UK theatrical version (sped up to 107 minutes to accommodate the technicalities of PAL colour). The BFI release also includes the Kermode documentary "Hell on Earth", as well as a vintage documentary shot during the production entitled "Directing Devils", among other features.


title: The Devils (film)

text: In March 2017, streaming service Shudder began carrying the 109-minute U.S. release version of "The Devils." In September 2018, FilmStruck began streaming the same U.S. cut and it was subsequently added to the Criterion Channel in October 2019, almost a year after FilmStruck shut down. The film has since been removed from Criterion's offerings.


title: The Devils (film)

text: by such critics as Richard Crouse, among others. FilmSite included it in their list of the 100 most controversial films ever made, and in 2015, "Time Out" magazine ranked it 47 on their list of the "50 Most Controversial Movies in History."


title: The Devils (film)

text: Following his transition into experimental filmmaking, Jarman produced the Super 8 short film "The Devils at the Elgin" (1974). Described by Sam Ashby as a "hypnotic, nightmarish monochrome that loops some of the more religious iconographic moments" from Russell's original, the film was captured from a screening of "The Devils" at the Elgin Theater in New York City. Jarman noted that Maddeline's escape from Loudun in the original film's ending gave the impression that "she walks into a blizzard of ashes" when rendered on Super 8 stock. When screening "The Devils at the Elgin" at festivals or his studio, Jarman would synchronize the film to a cassette tape recording of Nico's cover version of The Doors' song "The End".


title: The Devils (film)

text: Film historian Joel W. Finler described "The Devils" as Russell's "most brilliant cinematic achievement, but widely regarded as his most distasteful and offensive work." In 2002, when 100 film makers and critics were asked by "Sight & Sound" to cite what they considered to be the ten most important films ever made, "The Devils" featured in the lists submitted by Kermode and Cox; for the magazine's 2012 poll, the film appeared in the lists submitted by Kermode and Lucas, as well as those submitted by filmmaker Abel Ferrara and fellow critics Vic Pratt, Billy Chainsaw and David Sorfa. In 2014, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro publicly criticized Warner Bros. for censoring the film and limiting its availability in home video markets.


title: The Devils (film)

text: Despite the film's controversial status, a nun wearing the same habits seen in the film cameos among characters from numerous other Warner Bros. films in "" (2021).


title: Sri Divya

text: Sri Divya (born 1 April 1993) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Tamil and Telugu films. She won Nandi Award for Best Child Actress for "Bharati", a Telugu film in 2006.


title: Sri Divya

text: Sri Divya was born in Hyderabad of present-day Telangana on 1 April 1993. Divya has an elder sister, Sri Ramya who also acts in Telugu and Tamil films. Sri Divya studied in the Kendriya Vidyalaya.


title: Sri Divya

text: She made her debut as a heroine in the 2010 Telugu romance film "Manasara", directed by Ravi Babu, but the film was a failure. Then she featured in the film "Bus Stop" (2012) directed by Maruthi, co-starring Prince, which was successful at the box office. It was followed by "Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu" in which she played a lonely wife who falls in love with a writer. About her performance, "The Hindu" wrote, "she looks very charming; the cotton saris bring out the grace in her". Idlebrain.com wrote, "Sri Divya epitomizes the character of an idealistic and independent woman. She did well and deserves applause".


title: Sri Divya

text: Her Tamil debut was "Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam" opposite Siva Karthikeyan, which was directed by Ponram. Sri Divya received very positive reviews from critics for her performance. Baradwaj Rangan wrote, "the actress is good. She knows the language, knows how to work a reaction shot, and she looks like she belongs in this milieu. It will be interesting to see what Tamil cinema makes of her". "The Times of India" wrote, "But the real surprise is debutant Sri Divya, who, is expressive, and can lip-sync very well, which isn't the case with most of our heroines today". "The New Indian Express" wrote, "As Latha, debutant Sridivya emotes well, infusing the character with innocence, charm and naughtiness".


title: Jarrett Allen

text: Jarrett Allen (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. Allen was selected 22nd overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA draft. In January 2021, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the four-team blockbuster James Harden trade. In February 2022, Allen was named to his first NBA All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Harden, for whom he was traded a year prior.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: Allen attended Round Rock High School in Round Rock, Texas for his freshman year of high school. He then transferred to St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas for his final three years and went on to win two SPC championships. He played in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He committed to the University of Texas at Austin to play college basketball.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: As a freshman at the University of Texas, Allen averaged 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. However, Texas finished a disappointing 11–22. His best game was a 22-point, 19-rebound performance in a 12-point loss to Kansas. After the season, he entered the 2017 NBA draft but did not initially hire an agent before deciding to forgo his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: Allen was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets, and signed his rookie scale deal with the Nets on July 20. He was 19 years 182 days when he made his NBA debut on October 20, becoming the second-youngest player ever to set foot on court for the Nets, just behind Derrick Favors. He finished the game with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting, two rebounds, and one block. On January 25, 2018, Allen joined the starting lineup for the first time and recorded a career-high 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 116–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 2, in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Allen scored a career-high 20 points, as well as five rebounds and one block. On February 7, he grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and scored 13 points in a 115–106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On March 21, 2018, Allen recorded four blocks, which matched his career-high, as well as six rebounds, and nine points in a 111–105 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. On April 5, he got a career-high five blocks in a 119–111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: On November 17, 2018, Allen recorded a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 127–119 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On November 20, he grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds and scored 13 points as the Nets defeated the Miami Heat. On January 16, 2019, Allen recorded 20 points and a career-high 24 rebounds in the Nets' 145–142 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: On January 14, 2021, Allen was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-player, four-team deal with the Rockets that sent James Harden to the Nets.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: On July 23, 2021, Cleveland extended a qualifying offer to Allen, making him a restricted free agent. Allen signed a multi-year contract with Cleveland on August 6. On October 20, 2021, in a 132–121 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Allen became the first player since the shot clock was introduced in the 1954–55 NBA season to make 10 or more field goals without a miss in a season opener. Allen was named a replacement for Harden, for whom he was traded a year prior, on Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: Starting all the 56 games he played, Allen finished the 2021–22 season averaging a number of career best with 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, and .8 steals per game, while shooting .677, .100, and .708 from the field, the three-point line, and on free throws, respectively, on 32.3 minutes per game. Alongside rookie and fellow Cavalier Evan Mobley, Allen led Cleveland from a .306 winning percentage and the league's sixth-worst defense to a .537 winning percentage and the league's fifth best defense for efficiency; it was .578 before Allen suffered a fractured finger injury in early March.


title: Jarrett Allen

text: Allen's father Leonard was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1985 NBA draft and played at San Diego State and in Spain. His older brother Leonard Jr. plays collegiate basketball.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. Unlike other box lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring, from December to June. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the National Lacrosse League Cup. The NLL has averaged between 8,900 and 10,700 spectators per game each year since 2004.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL plays four 15-minute quarters with 2-minute breaks between quarters and a 15-minute half-time. At the start of the each quarter and after every goal, players will "face-off" at the center of the field to determine who will get possession. This is done by the two players pushing the heads of their sticks together with the game ball in the middle. A scrum-like match usually happens when the players on either team try and win the ball.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: If a game is tied after regulation, the two teams play sudden death overtime. Each team may take a 45-second timeout per half. Each team dresses 19 players: 2 goaltenders and 17 "runners". NLL goals are 4'9" wide and 4' tall.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL uses a 30-second shot clock which is similar to a professional or collegiate basketball shot clock. The clock will start its countdown once one team gets possession of the ball. If the offense does not shoot the ball in time, they lose possession. However, if the offense shoots, misses, and then re-retrieves the ball then the shot clock is restarted.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Each team in the NLL plays eighteen games during the regular season, nine each at home and away. The teams are divided into two divisions: the eight-team East and the six-team West Division. NLL games are typically played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays while some weekends see a team(s) play twice.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The regular season begins in December and ends in April. Starting in 2018, the league announced that the playoffs would be expanded to eight teams to accommodate expansion. For the 2022 playoffs, the top four teams in the East and top three teams in the West automatically qualified. The final playoff spot is awarded to the team with the next best record: the fourth in the West, or the fifth in the East. In 2022, that spot was given to the East's Philadelphia Wings. The first round is single-elimination, and the Conference Finals and Championship rounds are best-of-three.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL adopted a soft salary cap of US$400,000 per team for the 2013 season. The average base salary as of the 2013 season was $19,135. The maximum salary for a franchise player is approximately $34,000.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Most NLL players have full-time jobs off the floor, such as Buffalo's John Tavares, a high school teacher in Mississauga, Ontario. As of 2018, the NLL salary cap was $415,000, with Buffalo Business First reporter Paul Lane citing the following pay scale:


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Although nine of the fourteen teams are based in the U.S., less than 7% of players are Americans. About 83% are Canadians and 10% Iroquois from either Canada or the U.S.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: An asterisk (*) denotes the franchise moved to its present location and has been in one or more previous locations in its history.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The rebirth of major professional box lacrosse in the United States came on March 13, 1986, with the formation of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (EPBLL), which was incorporated by Russ Cline and Chris Fritz. The "Eagle League" moniker was inspired by a meeting with Iroquois leaders, whose culture views the animal as a tutelary spirit. Previously, in 1985 box lacrosse sponsored an event played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. The USA/Canada Superseries was an eight-game series seen as a precursor to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league opened play for the 1987 season with two games on January 10, 1987: the Philadelphia Wings at the New Jersey Saints (Philadelphia defeating New Jersey by 11–8) and the Baltimore Thunder at the Washington Wave. Darrell Russell was named Commissioner of the league.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The four teams contested a six-game regular season before a postseason which saw all four teams qualify for a single knockout tournament which ended with the Baltimore Thunder being crowned as the EPBLL's first champion in 1987. Coached by Bob Griebe, the Baltimore Thunder defeated the Washington Wave by a score of 11–10 to capture the league's first championship.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced that a total of 124,536 fans attended Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League games in its first season. Those same four teams played in the second season of the EPBLL. The teams expanded to an eight-game schedule, and set up a three-team playoff with the regular season winner claiming a bye to the title game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league began its second season with each of the four teams playing an eight-game schedule. The New Jersey Saints became the second league champions by defeating the Washington Wave, 17–16 before 8,125 fans at the Capital Centre. For the Wave, it was the second time in as many years they reached the championship game, only to come away on the short end of a one-goal game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league then announced that the Saints would relocate to the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island beginning in the 1989 season. The team name was changed to the New York Saints to reflect their new home. The MILL announced that it would award expansion teams to Detroit, Michigan, and Boston, Massachusetts. The teams began play in the 1989 season. The Detroit team was named the Turbos, and began play in the Joe Louis Arena. Their team colors were announced to be purple, silver and black. The Boston entry was called the New England Blazers and they played their home games at the Worcester Centrum. The Blazers used green, orange, and white as their team colors.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Prior to its third campaign, the league changed its name to the more conventional Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL), as the spiritual implications of its original name proved too cryptic for most people to understand. The season opened with six teams: the Baltimore Thunder, the Detroit Turbos, the New England Blazers, the New York Saints, the Philadelphia Wings, and the Washington Wave. Each of the six teams played an eight-game schedule in 1989, with an even four home and road games.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In its first ever regular season game, 12,171 Detroit fans watched the expansion Turbos defeat the Washington Wave, 11–9, in the debut of the 1989 season. As the season went on, regular season attendance figures for the league totalled at 230,724 for 24 regular season games, which made an average of 9,614 people in the stands per game. When adding the postseason, the numbers grew to 255,088 total and an average of 9,811 a game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Later that year, the Philadelphia Wings captured the league championship in front of a record postseason crowd of 16,042 at the Spectrum, defeating the New York Saints, 11–10. After the championship game, the league announced the expansion into Pittsburgh, a team later to be called the Bulls, who played at the Civic Arena, sporting the traditional Pittsburgh colors of black and gold, like the Steelers.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In 1990, the MILL prepared to open its fourth season with six teams: the Baltimore Thunder, Detroit Turbos, New England Blazers, New York Saints, Philadelphia Wings, and Pittsburgh Bulls. Each of the six teams played an eight-game schedule over the 1990 season. During the near of the end of the season, the New York Saints defeated the Philadelphia Wings, 8–5, before the first sellout and the largest crowd in league history: 17,177 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Saints' victory forced a rematch the next week in the playoffs. However, the Wings won that game and later went on to become the first team to win two league championship games, defeating the New England Blazers, 17–7 in front of 11,479 fans.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Major Indoor Lacrosse League later announced that the attendance for 26 total games during the season was 287,585 which was a huge boost, increasing the average attendance a game to 11,060. After the season, the MILL announced the signing of twin brothers, Paul Gait and Gary Gait, 3-time All-Americans at Syracuse to the Detroit Turbos after being drafted (the two brothers won national championships with the Syracuse Orange in 1988, 1989, and 1990).


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league prepared to open season five with the same six teams. However, this season schedule increased from 8 to 10 games with each team playing five games at home and five games on the road.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In the first game of the regular season, the debut of Detroit rookie twin brothers Paul and Gary Gait was successful, as they paced the Turbos to a 20–16 victory over the Baltimore Thunder.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 1991 season was definitely a record-breaking year, especially in Detroit. Rookie twin Turbos, Paul and Gary Gait, set new standards in most offensive categories. Paul scored a record 47 goals, while Gary was second in the league with 32. Gary established new records with 36 assists and 68 points. As a team, Detroit set records for goals scored with 184, assists with 227, and total points with 411.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Detroit Turbos defeated the Baltimore Thunder, 14–12, to claim the league's fifth title and the Turbos' first title. The World Championship Game was attended by 10,814 at the Baltimore Arena.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced that Buffalo had been named as an expansion team for league play in the 1992 season. The team was named the Bandits, wearing the colors black, orange, and white, and had their home in Memorial Auditorium. The league promoted the team in conjunction with the Buffalo Sabres.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: On April 20, 1991, the National Division All-Stars defeated the American Division All-Stars, 25–20, in the inaugural League All-Star Game at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league opened the sixth season with seven teams with the expansion Buffalo Bandits joining the league. Each of the seven teams played an eight-game schedule with four home games and four road games.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Philadelphia Wings, 20–11, in their first ever sellout of 16,325 in Memorial Auditorium. It marked the second sellout in league history. The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Baltimore Thunder in front of their second sellout crowd of the season at the Memorial Auditorium, 16,325. It also marked the first time a team sold out two games in the same season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The expansion Buffalo Bandits advanced to the League Championship Game by defeating the Detroit Turbos and the Gait brothers, 19–16, to win the National Division crown. The Philadelphia Wings defeated the Saints, 8–6, to capture the American Division Championship.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: For the first time, an expansion team won the league's World Championship, as the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Philadelphia Wings, 11–10, in overtime.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Buffalo won their second consecutive League Championship with a 13–12 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Wings before 16,325 in the sold-out Memorial Auditorium. The Bandits kept their 18-game winning streak alive, the longest in professional sports. Buffalo joined the Wings as the only team in league history to win back-to-back championships.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The League and the Players Association announced a three-year contract agreement and the league signed a six-year agreement with ESPN.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Philadelphia Wings denied the Buffalo Bandits a third consecutive World Championship by defeating the Bandits, 26–15, in front of a sellout crowd of 16,284 at Memorial Auditorium. The win gave the Wings its third League Championship in their history, the most of any league team. ESPN broadcast the game live from Buffalo, marking the first live telecast by ESPN of a league game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced that Rochester, New York, would be awarded an expansion team for the 1995 season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The expansion Rochester Knighthawks won their inaugural game, 12–8, against the New York Saints in the War Memorial.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Philadelphia broke the league's attendance record as 17,380 fans witnessed the Wings defeat of the Baltimore Thunder in the regular season finale.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: For the first time in league history, Paul Gait of Rochester played against his twin brother Gary Gait of Philadelphia.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Philadelphia Wings won back-to-back championships by defeating the Rochester Knighthawks, 15–14, in a thrilling overtime game. As of 1995, the Wings had won four league titles in their nine-year history.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Before the beginning of the 1996 season, the second-to-last season that the NLL would be known as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, it was announced that the season would be expanded to 10 games. In addition, the Boston Blazers announced their new home in the Fleet Center for 1996. Another big crowd of 16,818, the fourth largest in league history, watched the Wings defeat the Charlotte Cobras at CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Wings advanced to their fifth consecutive league championship game by defeating the Boston Blazers, 10–8, a week before. That was the final MILL game to be played in the historic arena.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: However, the Buffalo Bandits played spoiler to the Wings, and denied them a third consecutive league championship, as Buffalo beat Philadelphia, 15–10, in the 1996 league championship game, in front of a sold-out Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo. The Bandits picked up their third championship win, and said goodbye to their own arena, at the culmination of the season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 11th season opened with three games, including Rochester playing Buffalo at the Bandits' new home, the Marine Midland Arena, in front of a new league record crowd of 18,595 fans. The Knighthawks of Rochester, coached by Barry Powless, later claimed their first MILL championship title in 1997, in front of the second largest crowd in MILL history, 18,055, also played at the Marine Midland Arena.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In 1997, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League was reconstituted with a new name, the National Lacrosse League. Two expansion teams, the Syracuse Smash and Ontario Raiders, joined the previous MILL teams. John Livsey, Jr. was named as the first Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 1998 regular season schedule was announced with teams now playing 12 games (six at home and six on the road) and facing their six opponents twice during the regular season (once at home and once on the road). In addition, the playoff format saw a best-of-three championship series with semifinal playoff action still taking place in a single-game elimination format, though sites of all post-season games were based on regular season record.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: A blockbuster trade saw seven-time All-Pro Paul Gait go to the expansion Syracuse Smash in exchange for draft picks and player compensation. Reigning league MVP Gary Gait was sent to Baltimore in a blockbuster trade involving player and cash compensation.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Philadelphia Wings swept the best-of-three Championship Series with a 17–12 win over the Thunder after having won 16–12 two days earlier. The second game marked the first title game appearance by Baltimore since 1991, and the win was Philadelphia's fifth in franchise history. Wings goaltender Dallas Eliuk was named Championship Series MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Toronto Rock finished the season with a perfect home record, going a combined 8–0 (regular season and playoffs) after a 13–10 win over the Rochester Knighthawks in the Championship Game before a sellout crowd of 15,691 in Maple Leaf Gardens. The game was televised throughout Canada by CTV SportsNet, and in the United States on ESPN2.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: 18,911 fans packed the First Union Center in Philadelphia to watch the Philadelphia Wings battle the Pittsburgh CrosseFire. Pittsburgh won the game, 14–8. At the time, this was the largest single-game crowd to ever see a professional box lacrosse game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Kaleb Toth beat K-Hawks goaltender Pat O'Toole with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation time to give the Toronto Rock a 14–13 victory, and their second straight championship. Considered to be among the best lacrosse games ever played, the 2000 Final was the last sporting event to be held in the historic Maple Leaf Gardens.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The city of Columbus, Ohio was granted an expansion team. Former League Commissioner John Livsey lead the Landsharks.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: At a press conference at the ESPNZone in New York City, Jim Jennings was named the new Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League. Jennings announced that league headquarters would be relocated from Buffalo, New York, to Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Commissioner Jim Jennings appointed George Daniel to the position of Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel for the NLL.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In front of the league's largest crowd in history, the Philadelphia Wings won their sixth League Championship Title with a 9–8 win over the Toronto Rock at the Air Canada Centre in front of 19,409 fans. Wings goaltender Dallas Eliuk was named Most Valuable Player.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced that expansion franchises were awarded to Montreal, New Jersey, Calgary and Vancouver for the following season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Vancouver Ravens played their inaugural home game at General Motors Place in Vancouver. The Ravens gave the crowd of 13,772 much to cheer about, beating the Toronto Rock 13–12. The crowd made history as the largest ever to attend the first home game of an expansion franchise.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Albany Attack hosted the Toronto Rock in the 2002 Final. The Rock defeated the Attack by a score of 13–12 to capture their third title, all won in the past four seasons. 9,289 fans watched the game at the Pepsi Arena in Albany. Toronto forward Colin Doyle was voted Championship Game MVP, scoring three goals and one assist.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced the sale and relocation of the Washington Power franchise to the city of Denver, Colorado, with the franchise playing its home games at Pepsi Center. The team was then owned by Kroenke Sports Enterprises, whose holdings include the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Pepsi Center. The new team marked the league's first U.S. team from west of the Mississippi River.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Colorado Mammoth played their inaugural home game at Pepsi Center in Denver. The Mammoth treated the home crowd of 16,121 fans to a thrilling 13–12 win in double overtime against the Toronto Rock. The crowd broke the previous record for an inaugural home game attendance, previously held by the Vancouver Ravens (13,772 in 2001).


title: National Lacrosse League

text: In front of a sellout crowd of 18,207 at Pepsi Center, the Colorado Mammoth defeated the New York Saints by a score of 19–13. The crowd was the first of two sellout crowds the Mammoth would host during their first season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Rochester Knighthawks hosted the Toronto Rock in the 2003 Champion's Cup Final. The Rock defeated the Knighthawks by a score of 8–6 to capture their fourth title, all won in the past five seasons. 11,051 fans attended the game at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. Toronto goalie Bob Watson earned Championship Game MVP honors with his 40 saves.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: A new divisional format was announced for the regular season. The first-ever Western Division consisted of Anaheim, Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, San Jose, and Vancouver. The East consisted of Buffalo, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Toronto. The top three teams in each division would earn playoff berths with the division champions receiving byes. The second and third-place finishers would face each other in the opening round with the winners facing their respective division champions in the semi-final round. The semi-final winners (East vs. West) would meet in the 2004 Champions' Cup Final with the higher seed hosting.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Fox Sports Net became the league's new national broadcast partner in the United States. Fox Sports Net carried nine regular-season game broadcasts spread across the schedule to over 50 million homes. Fox Sports Net featured the 2004 All-Star Game on February 22, 2004. The Arizona Sting played their inaugural home game at the Glendale Arena in Arizona. The game became the first event ever held inside the new arena. The Sting defeated the Vancouver Ravens by a score of 16–12 in front of 12,789 fans.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Colorado Mammoth hosted a sellout crowd of 18,305 at Pepsi Center in a 14–13 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks. The Mammoth went on to record five sellout crowds on the season.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2004 All-Star Game was played in front of 16,742 fans at Pepsi Center in Denver, home of the Colorado Mammoth. The crowd was the largest All-Star Game crowd in league history. The East Division All-Stars defeated the West Division All-Stars by a score of 19–15.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Calgary Roughnecks won their first ever Champion's Cup by defeating the Buffalo Bandits 14–11 at Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. The game was played in front of 19,289 fans. The sellout crowd was the largest in Roughnecks history and the second highest single game attendance total in NLL history.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The National Lacrosse League reached a new 3-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Professional Lacrosse Player's Association (PLPA). The agreement covers the league's 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced the placement of a franchise in Minnesota. The new team would be owned and operated by Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. The Minnesota team entered the league for the 2005 season and played its home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: A new preseason attendance record was set as 14,084 fans come to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the first home exhibition game of the expansion Minnesota Swarm. The game marked the first professional lacrosse game ever played in the state of Minnesota.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The National Lacrosse League All-Star Game aired live on NBC at 2 PM Eastern. The game became the first live broadcast of lacrosse on national U.S. network television. The game was also televised in Canada on The Score, and internationally via CNBC International, CNBC Asia, and on Armed Forces Network. The East Division (Buffalo, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Toronto) defeated the West Division (Anaheim, Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, and San Jose) 11–10 in overtime in front of 11,511 fans at Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Legendary lacrosse superstars and twin brothers Paul and Gary Gait were reunited when Paul ended his retirement signing with the Colorado Mammoth. Paul Gait joined his brother, Mammoth captain Gary, for the remaining four games of the regular season and the team's playoff run. He made his Mammoth debut on April 1, 2005, at Minnesota and then returned to Denver for the team's final regular-season home game on April 2, 2005, against the Anaheim Storm at Pepsi Center.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2005 Edge NLL Championship Game was played in front of an NLL record 19,432 fans at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and in front of a national network television audience in the US on NBC and in Canada on the Score. The Toronto Rock defeated the Arizona Sting 19–13, capturing their fifth title in seven seasons. Colin Doyle was named MVP of the game after leading the Rock with five goals and three assists.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: Legendary coach Les Bartley died after an 18-month battle with colon cancer. Bartley served as Head Coach and General Manager of the Toronto Rock between 1999 and 2003. He posted a 51–19 regular season record and 9–1 post-season record in five seasons. He also led the team to a 37–5 regular season home record in the same time. Bartley began his coaching career in 1991 and would go on to lead his teams to 11 Championship games, winning seven League Championships (four of those seven were with the Rock: back-to-back titles in 1999–2000 and 2002–2003). Prior to coming to Toronto, Bartley coached the Bandits to titles in 1992, 1993, and 1996.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL announced that the league would consist of 11 teams for the 2006 season adding expansion teams in Edmonton, Alberta, and Portland, Oregon.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced the establishment of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame opened with five charter members who made immeasurable contributions to the league and the sport of lacrosse. The first five charter members awarded were league founders, Russ Cline and Chris Fritz; legendary lacrosse stars, Gary Gait and Paul Gait; and the late Les Bartley, the coach with the most wins in league history.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL and Reebok announced a multi-year exclusive partnership in which all NLL players would use Reebok equipment and would be exclusively outfitted in the brand's footwear and apparel. The partnership made the brand the official equipment, uniform, and footwear provider of the league. The agreement made Reebok the exclusive licensee of official NLL apparel including authentic and replica jerseys, caps, shirts, and additional clothing.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Edmonton Rush played their inaugural game and home opener in front of 11,385 fans at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The Rush lost 10–9 in overtime to the San Jose Stealth. The game was only the second time in league history that an expansion team forced overtime in their inaugural game.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2006 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, home of the Toronto Rock. The West Division (Arizona Sting, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Edmonton Rush, Portland LumberJax, and San Jose Stealth) defeated the East Division (Buffalo Bandits, Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, and Toronto Rock) by a score of 14–13 in front of 15,924 fans. Calgary Roughnecks forward Lewis Ratcliff scored the game-winning goal with 4.4 seconds remaining. Ratcliff was named the Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The National Lacrosse League finished its 20th season by setting an all-time single season attendance mark, reaching a total of 1,037,147 fans for the 2006 season, including 88 regular-season games, six playoff games, the 2006 All-Star Game in Toronto, and the 2006 RBK NLL Championship Game presented by Edge Active Care. The league season average attendance was 10,804.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Colorado Mammoth defeated the Buffalo Bandits 16–9 in front of 16,104 fans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo to secure the first championship in Colorado Mammoth history. Mammoth forward Gavin Prout was named game MVP, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points in the win.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The National Lacrosse League announced the awarding of a franchise to New York City for the 2007 season. The official announcement was made during a press conference at East River Park in Manhattan by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and National Lacrosse League Commissioner Jim Jennings. The New York team became the league's 13th franchise and would play its games at Madison Square Garden.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The expansion New York Titans played their home opener at Madison Square Garden in the first ever professional lacrosse game at the "World's Most Famous Arena". The Titans defeated the expansion Chicago Shamrox 11–9 in front of 13,127 fans.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Eastern Division defeated the Western Division 20–16 in front of 12,856 fans at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, home of the Portland LumberJax, in the 2007 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game. Buffalo Bandits forward Mark Steenhuis was named the game's Most Valuable Player becoming the first player in NLL history to win two All-Star Game MVP honors. Steenhuis had previously won the award in 2004.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The NLL reached a milestone as the league plays its 1,000th regular season game. The Minnesota Swarm hosted the Colorado Mammoth at Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis/St Paul in the historic game. The Mammoth beat the Swarm 11–9.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Arizona Sting, 13–11, in the 2007 NLL Championship presented by Edge Active Care at Jobing.com Arena. John Grant was named Championship Game MVP with a three-goal/five-assist performance. The victory marked the first time that Rochester had won the title since 1997.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced the divisional alignments for the 2008 regular season. The expansion Boston franchise would join the Eastern Division, expanding to eight teams: Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Toronto. The Western Division composed of six teams remained unchanged: Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Portland, and San Jose.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: John Tavares broke Gary Gait's all-time goal scoring record. Tavares, who had already captured the all-time points and assists records, notched his record-breaking 597th career goal in the third quarter of Buffalo's 17–13 victory over New York. Philadelphia Forward Athan Iannucci broke Gary Gait's single season scoring record of 61 goals. He went on to finish the season with 71 goals.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Buffalo Bandits defeated the Portland LumberJax by the score of 14–13 in the 2008 Edge NLL Championship game at HSBC Arena. The event, which aired nationally on ESPN2, drew a sellout crowd of 18,690 fans. Mark Steenhuis captured the game's MVP honors with five goals and one assist.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The league announced the addition of instant replay for officials to review disputed goals and crease violations during games. George Daniel was appointed Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League. Calgary won its second championship, defeating New York 12–10 in front of a crowd of 13,042 at Pengrowth Saddledome. Josh Sanderson was named Championship Game MVP, finishing with two goals and three assists.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Washington Stealth won its first championship, defeating the Toronto Rock 15–11 in front of a crowd of 8,609 at Comcast Arena. Lewis Ratcliff was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Toronto Rock won its record sixth championship, tying the Philadelphia Wings, by defeating the Washington Stealth 8–7 in front of a crowd of 8,609 at Air Canada Centre. Bob Watson was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Rochester Knighthawks won its third championship, defeating the Edmonton Rush 9–6 in front of a crowd of 9,277 at Blue Cross Arena. Cody Jamieson was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Rochester Knighthawks won its fourth championship, defeating the Washington Stealth 11–10 in front of a crowd of 5,200 at Langley Events Centre. Cody Jamieson was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Rochester Knighthawks won its fifth championship, defeating Calgary Roughnecks 2–1. Game 1 was a 7–11 victory for the Roughnecks in front of a crowd of 16,541 at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Knighthawks won game 2, 16–10, and clinched game 3, 3–2, in front of a crowd of 9,188 at Blue Cross Arena. Dan Dawson was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Edmonton Rush won its first championship, defeating the Toronto Rock 2–0. The Rush won game 1, 15–9 in front of a crowd of 9,257 at Air Canada Centre. Game 2 was an 11–10 victory in front of a crowd of 12,275 at Rexall Place. Mark Matthews was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Saskatchewan Rush won its second championship, defeating the Buffalo Bandits 2–0. Game 1 finished 11–9, in front of a crowd of 12,692 at First Niagara Center. Game 2 finished 11–10 in front of a crowd of 15,182 at SaskTel Centre. Aaron Bold was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The Georgia Swarm won its first championship, defeating the Saskatchewan Rush 2–0. Game 1 was an 18–14 result in front of a crowd of 7,642 at Infinite Energy Arena. Game 2 finished 15–14 in front of a crowd of 14,264 at SaskTel Centre. Lyle Thompson was named Championship Game MVP.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2019 NLL season was delayed when the Professional Lacrosse Players Association went on strike shortly before training camp was to begin. On November 15, 2018, the league announced that a counter-proposal submitted by the Professional Lacrosse Players Association was rejected. This came after the league suspended their Wednesday, November 14 deadline to review the counter-proposal. Subsequently, the league announced that all games to be played in the first two weeks of the season (encompassing December 1 and 8 weekends) were canceled.NLL scraps first two weeks of the season – TSN.ca


title: National Lacrosse League

text: On November 24, the NLL and the PLPA reached a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The first week of the season began on December 15 and the league announced each team will still play the standard 18 game schedule. The league kicked off its first game of the season on December 15, with the Wings returning to Philadelphia. The Wings fell to the visiting Buffalo Bandits, 17–15 On December 22, the San Diego Seals played their first ever game, upsetting the Colorado Mammoth at the Pepsi Center, 17–12.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: On September 13, 2018, the Rochester Knighthawks announced that they would re-locate to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 2020 season, as the NLL's fifth Canadian franchise. Pegula Sports and Entertainment was subsequently awarded a new expansion franchise in Rochester, which would also be known as the Rochester Knighthawks after acquiring rights to its name and branding. The original Knighthawks' records would remain with the Halifax-based team, which would become the Halifax Thunderbirds. In December 2018, another new expansion team in Long Island, later named the New York Riptide, was announced for the 2020 season under the ownership of Gary Fuhrman, which would play at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. After a fan vote, the new team was named the New York Riptide.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: On March 13, 2020, league play was indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 4, 2020, the league announced that the 2020 playoffs were canceled due to the pandemic. Even though there were scenarios to have a shortened playoff tournament, the league decided to focus on the 2021 season instead. In July 2020, a new expansion team was awarded to Fort Worth, Texas. Bill Cameron will be the majority owner while Greg Bibb will serve as managing partner of the team.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: On February 3, 2021, the 2021 season was canceled due to logistical issues and uncertainties, including new Canadian travel restrictions requiring hotel quarantine. The NLL stated that it planned to focus on the 2022 season instead.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2022 season began on December 3, 2021 and ended with the Colorado Mammoth defeating the Buffalo Bandits on June 18, 2022. This was the inaugural season for the expansion team Panther City Lacrosse Club, and the Albany FireWolves who relocated from New England.


title: National Lacrosse League

text: The 2023 season is scheduled to begin on December 2, 2022, and ends with the NLL final in late spring of 2023. This is the inaugural season for the expansion team Las Vegas Desert Dogs.