The New York Riptide were a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Uniondale, New York. They were members of the Eastern Conference of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and played home games at Nassau Coliseum and began their first season in 2019.

New York Riptide
SportBox lacrosse
Founded2018
Disbanded2024
LeagueNational Lacrosse League
LocationUniondale, New York
ArenaNassau Coliseum
ColorsNavy, Teal, Orange
     
OwnerGF Sports
Head coachDan Ladouceur
General managerRich Lisk
Websitenewyorkriptide.com

2024 was the team's final season in Uniondale as the Riptide moved to Ottawa, with the team rebranding as the Ottawa Black Bears beginning with the 2025 season.

History

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On December 12, 2018, the NLL awarded an expansion franchise to Uniondale, New York and owner GF Sports. The team began play in December 2019 with its home arena being the Nassau Coliseum.[1][2] The Riptide mark the return of the National Lacrosse League to the Long Island area after the departure of the New York Saints (19892003) and the New York Titans (20062009), both of whom also played at Nassau Coliseum.

The New York Riptide name and logo were announced on February 17, 2019, as chosen by fans.[3]

On January 18, 2020, the Riptide got their first win in franchise history when they beat the Georgia Swarm by a score of 13–12 in overtime at Nassau Coliseum.

On June 3, 2020, the entire coaching staff and lacrosse operations team, including head coach and general manager Regy Thorpe, were fired.[4]

On July 10, 2020, the Riptide announced the hiring of Jim Veltman as general manager and Dan Ladouceur as head coach.[5]

Veltman was relieved of his duties on January 9, 2023, and replaced by executive vice president Rich Lisk.[6]

Relocation to Ottawa

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On February 20, 2024, John Rodenburg of sports radio station CFGO reported that the Riptide would be relocating to Ottawa for the 2024–25 season, citing poor attendance.[7] The next day, the NLL officially announced that the Riptide would relocate to Ottawa, and will be renamed the Ottawa Black Bears. The team will play its games at Canadian Tire Centre. It will mark the return of the NLL to Ottawa; the Ottawa Rebel (a relocation of the Syracuse Smash) relocated to Edmonton as the Edmonton Rush in 2003 (that team later moved to Saskatoon as the Saskatchewan Rush).[8]

Final Roster

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Active (21-man) roster Inactive roster Coaches
Goaltenders
Defensemen
Forwards
Transition
Practice Squad
Injured Reserve
Holdout
Protected list
Unable to play
Head Coach

Dan Ladouceur

Assistant Coaches

Jason Crosbie, Angus Dineley, Pat Jones


Legend
  • * Suspended list
  • (C) Captain
  • (A) Alternate captain


NLL Transactions

All-time record

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Season Division/Conference[a] W–L Finish Home Road GF GA Coach Playoffs
2020 Eastern 1–12 4th 1–5 0–7 116 177 Regy Thorpe No Playoffs Held
2021 Eastern Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 Eastern 6–12 7th 3–6 3–6 214 226 Dan Ladouceur Did Not Qualify
2023 Eastern 5–13 7th 3–6 2–7 201 243 Dan Ladouceur Did Not Qualify
2024 Unified 8–10 9th 4–5 4–5 206 234 Dan Ladouceur Did Not Qualify
Total 4 Seasons 20–47 11–22 9–25 737 880 0 Championships

Award winners

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Year Player Award
2020 Tyson Gibson Rookie of the Year
2022 Jeff Teat Rookie of the Year

Coaching history

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# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1 Regy Thorpe 2020 13 1 12 .077%
2 Dan Ladouceur 2022–2024 54 19 35 .312%

Draft history

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NLL Entry Draft

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First Round Selections

  • 2019: Tyson Gibson (1st overall), Tyson Bomberry (10th overall)
  • 2020: Jeff Teat (1st overall)
  • 2021: None
  • 2022: Zack Deaken (8th overall)
  • 2023: Callum Jones (3rd overall), Jake Stevens (10th overall)

Notes

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  1. ^ Conference play began in the 2022 season

References

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  1. ^ "National Lacrosse League Welcomes 13th Franchise". Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  2. ^ "NLL coming to Long Island with new indoor lacrosse team planned for 2019". Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "New York National Lacrosse League Franchise Announces its Brand Name and Logo". Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  4. ^ "RIPTIDE ANNOUNCE COACHING AND LACROSSE OPERATIONS STAFF WILL NOT RETURN | New York Riptide". newyorkriptide.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  5. ^ "Riptide Announce Hiring of Veltman and Ladouceur | New York Riptide". newyorkriptide.com. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  6. ^ Geick, Tyson (2023-01-09). "New York Riptide Relieve GM Jim Veltman of His Duties". New York Riptide. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  7. ^ DaSilva, Matt (2024-02-20). "REPORT: NEW YORK RIPTIDE RELOCATING TO OTTAWA AFTER 2023-24 SEASON". usalacrosse.com. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  8. ^ "NLL's New York team to move to Ottawa and be renamed Black Bears starting next season". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. February 21, 2024. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
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