NLL All-Stars are here

All-Star games can be a fun part of any sport, a fan-friendly experience that introduces some levity into a tension-filled season. But they also fly in the face of the philosophy of team sports, putting the spotlight on individual accolades. 

When Colorado Mammoth captain Gavin Prout was asked how he felt about playing in his seventh All-Star game this weekend, there was a brief pause while he processed the information.

“The only way I know that it’s my seventh one is because I read it on a press release someone gave me,” he said. “I definitely wouldn’t have known that off the top of my head. But if you want to know about championships, I can tell you that no problem! This weekend should be fun though, with lots of interaction between players, fans and the media – it should be a treat for everybody to come out and see the amount of talent in this league.”

Two-day extravaganza

The National Lacrosse League brings All-Star Weekend to Pepsi Center for a two-day extravaganza today and tomorrow. The game will be held tomorrow night at 7. See below for a full schedule of events.

The Colorado Mammoth, which sit in third place in the West Division with a 4-4 record, share the Pepsi Center with the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. In 2008, the Mammoth’s average attendance per game was the highest among all of them. 

“We have serious fans in Denver,” said Prout. “Denver was not thought of as a lacrosse city but the sport spread like wildfire out here. We all thought the fan base would deteriorate a bit this year considering the economic situation but the fans have stuck with us. The organization does a great job of keeping it affordable for families.”

The Mammoth will have five members representing the West Division’s All-Star team. Defenseman Bruce Murray has been selected as a starter, while Brian Langtry, Nick Carlson and Andrew Leyshon join Prout as reserves. 

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Today:

5 p.m. – Press conference: This will be open to the public, featuring players, coaches and NLL officials.

6 p.m. – All-Star Experience: This free interactive fan event will include contests, games, prizes and more.

8 p.m. – All-Star Skills Challenge: All-Stars will compete in a variety of challenges including fastest shot, trick shot, goalie shot and more.

9:30 p.m. – All-Star Experience Party: Fans can join the players in the Blue Sky Grill at Pepsi Center. 

Tomorrow:

8 a.m. – Youth Lacrosse Games: Dozens of Colorado’s youth lacrosse players will have the opportunity to showcase their skills

1 p.m. – NLL Hall-Of-Fame Luncheon: Fans will dine with players, general managers, coaches and staff at this luncheon and silent auction where the class of 2009, Dallas Eliuk and Jim Veltman, will be inducted. Tickets are $50 each. Call 303-405-1101 to order.

7 p.m. – NLL All-Star Game: The best of the East battle the best of the West. Call 303-405-1101 or visit www.coloradomammoth.com for tickets.

Add a new comment... Spammers: links do not work and our site gets monitored for spam daily and your comments will be removed -- please do not spam our site!

Your Name:

Your Email:

Title:

Comments:

Please copy the characters from this image into the box below. All characters are either numbers 1-9 (not zero) or letters (upper and lowercase). If you cannot read this image, you can click it to try a different image (most browsers). Otherwise, submit the page anyway and try again.

Image Text: