Who are the Ottawa Black Bears?
Ottawa’s professional lacrosse team made its debut in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) for the 2024-25 season.
How did the Black Bears land in Ottawa? Are they related to the Senators?
The Black Bears used to be the New York RipTide, but on Feb. 21, 2024,
it was announced that the NLL franchise would relocate to Canada’s capital
for the 2024-25 season.
Franchise owners include GF Sports and Entertainment and Senators Sports & Entertainment, the same group that owns the National Hockey League’s
Ottawa Senators
.
All home games this season will again be played at the
Canadian Tire Centre
.
How are the Black Bears doing this season?
Season 2, Episode 1 of the Black Bears experience starts with a Nov. 29 home game against the San Diego Seals.
Will the Black Bears make the playoffs?
To be determined.
The Black Bears finished last season with a record of eight victories and 10 defeats, leaving them tied for ninth in the standings and one game short of the top-eight placement required for a playoff berth.
That was the same 8-10 record the club had in 2023-24 as the New York RipTide, which finished in a five-way tie for eighth, but lost out to the Rochester Knighthawks on a tiebreaker.
Is this Ottawa’s first professional lacrosse franchise?
No. The former Syracuse Smash franchise became the Ottawa Rebel on Oct. 16, 2000.
The Rebel’s first NLL game at the Corel Centre (now Canadian Tire Centre) was a 16-7 loss against the Toronto Rock before a crowd of 12,193.
Victories were hard to come by for the Rebel, with just nine overall and never more than four in a season, compared to 37 losses.
After two seasons at the Corel Centre, the Rebel shifted to the Civic Centre (now TD Place Arena) for one final season. On July 30, 2003, the NLL announced a one-year suspension of the Rebel franchise and a redistribution of its players to the other 11 clubs.
The Rebel never resurfaced, with the franchise moving to Edmonton
Post-Rebel, on Dec. 5, 2015, the Lansdowne LAX Showdown brought an NLL exhibition matchup between the Toronto Rock and the Saskatchewan Rush to Ottawa’s TD Place Arena. Toronto won 14-8.
Front-office changes
On Aug. 14, the Black Bears announced the hiring of Dan MacRae as head coach and general manager for 2025-26.
MacRae, who replaced Rich Lisk as general manager and Dan Ladouceur as head coach, had spent the previous two seasons as defensive co-ordinator with the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth.
“I am beyond excited to take on this opportunity in Ottawa and inherit a phenomenal team that has a lot of promise for the upcoming season,” MacRae said in a release from the team. “Being a relatively (recent) former teammate of most of the players in that locker room, I know the potential this group possesses and will be looking to maximize their output.”
Drafted by the Calgary Roughnecks in 2010, MacRae played 12 NLL seasons on defence, starting with nine years with the Alberta club before spending three years as team captain of the New York Riptide.
What’s with the logo and the jersey?
There are flashy new helmets for Black Bears players in 2025-26, with red highlights and white text against a shiny black background, but the jerseys will be unchanged with their featured colours of deep red, gold and black. The team logo sits on the front of the jersey, and there are bear claw logos on both shoulders. The motif wrapping around both sleeves and the waist of the jersey features a chain of figures holding hands.
That was a suggestion from Black Bears forward Larson Sundown.
“I thought it was really important, given the area we’re moving into, to highlight the Indigenous communities in the surrounding areas, such as the Akwesasne, the Kanesatake, the Kahnawake and the Tyendinaga, but also make sure that we highlight the rich lacrosse community and rich history that is in Ottawa and eastern Ontario,” Sundown, a member of the Tonawanda Seneca people from Basom, N.Y., said in a 2024 post on the team website.
Tell me more about the National Lacrosse League
Founded in 1986, the National Lacrosse League entered 2025-26 with 14 clubs, including the Black Bears. Other teams included:
- Buffalo Bandits
- Calgary Roughnecks
- Colorado Mammoth
- Georgia Swarm
- Halifax Thunderbirds
- Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Oshawa Firewolves
- Philadelphia Wings
- Rochester Knighthawks
- San Diego Seals
- Saskatchewan Rush
- Toronto Rock
- Vancouver Warriors
Oshawa, the third Ontario entry in the league, became the home of the former Albany Firewolves franchise in a transfer announced on Aug. 19, 2025.
All teams had 18-game regular-season schedules, with the top eight in the standings qualifying for single-elimination playoff quarterfinal contests.
When it was all over last spring, the Buffalo Bandits had their third consecutive NLL title and their seventh overall.
Buffalo’s three-peat was only the second in NLL history, matching a 2012-14 streak for the Rochester Knighthawks.
The Black Bears were to have a regular-season roster of 21, plus four on a practice roster.
Under the terms of the collective agreement between the NLL and the players’ association, a league spokesperson said, each team had a total salary cap of $810,000. The floor was $530,000.
Incorporated under the name Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse on March 13, 1986, with Chris Fritz as president and Russ Cline as executive vice-president, the NLL initially had four teams: Washington Wave; Baltimore Thunder; Philadelphia Wings; and New Jersey Saints.
The Saints won the inaugural regular-season contest 11-8 over the Wings before a crowd of 5,976 at New Jersey’s Meadowlands Arena.
Is there a women’s lacrosse league?
Yes. The
Women’s Lacrosse League
made its debut in February 2025 with a seven-day round-robin and championship tournament for four U.S.-based teams: Boston Guard, California Palms, Maryland Charm and New York Charging. They used the Olympic Sixes playing format, with rosters expanding to 23 players each.
The event at Springfield, Va., just outside Washington, was capped by the Guard’s 22-17 victory against the Charging in the final.
In September, the league announced its four teams would adopt the 10-vs-10 format for 11 weekends of action in 2026. Dates for the regular season and the Championship Series were to be announced later.
What’s the vibe fans can expect at an NLL home game?
Chelsea McDermott, the Black Bears’ vice-president of business operations, describes it as the “Instagram scroll of sports” because there’s lots of fast-paced action and non-stop music from a new DJ for season two.
“We’ve only had nine games, so there’s no hard trends. There’s no data trends, there are only data points,” McDermott said. “But we know that we are for everyone, but it depends what you want and where you want to sit with your family or your friends.
“Down at the field level, it’s more of a bar vibe with some lawn games: oversize Jenga, cornhole, that sort of thing. That’s where you would go and hang out with your friends if you’re, like, in university.
“Then we have areas like the Family Zone that are really more targeted to that affordable night out. You can sit with your family and you’re behind the net and you’re watching the game and having a good time.
“The only people we’re not for are people who don’t like to have fun because you have a night out with your boys or your girls, or a night out with your family, and you’re going to enjoy what it is.”
Are there for activities for kids at the arena?
Rest assured, Cubby is back for another run as team mascot.
There are also pre-game activities primarily geared toward young lacrosse players, but available to any child who wants to participate:
- Turf Time on the NLL playing surface (for rentals or group sales)
- Bench Warmers: Sit on the bench (while wearing helmets) during pre-game warmup
- Anthem Buddies: stand beside NLL players as national anthems are performed
- Be a Ball Kid: stand at the centre line during warmup and gather up lacrosse balls as they fly and bounce around the turf
- High Five Tunnel: Greet the NLL players as they head onto the turf before each game
- Cheer Team performances
- There will also be birthday-party packages and, during the second half of the schedule, clinics on either the day before or after a game.
- Arrangements for these activities should be made in advance. Send requests by email to [email protected] or visit the team website: ottawablackbears.com/grouptickets/
- Teats Warriors: New for 2025-26, this program named for Black Bears captain Jeff Teat aims to expose lacrosse to youngsters from underprivileged communities. It will run for all five Saturday home games, comprising an invitation to the morning shootaround practice, a post-shootaround meet and greet with Teat and, finally, attendance at the game that evening. There will be a limit of 10 participants, plus one guest each, with details to be available on the team website.
How do I get Black Bears tickets and what’s the price point?
Tickets can be purchased online.
- Single-game tickets have more options this season. “Centre” and “end” seats are now available at both the 100- and 200-level arena bowls. Centres cost $55 at the 100 level and $53 at the 200 level. End seats cost $42 (100 level) and $41 (200 level).
- Fan Deck loge seats are $44 each.
- Coors Original Rally Row, a floor-level standing-room area with high-top tables and games, food and drink offerings, costs $38 each, or $34 apiece for groups of 10 or more.
- Family Zone purchases of four or more tickets cost $34 per game for the 200 level and $39 each for the 100 level. For purchases of three tickets or less, the respective rates are $41 and $42.
- Club Bell “loge” seats cost $133 per game, with “luxe” seats priced at $100 each.
- The Student Den is a new ticket program for post-secondary students, offering students at Algonquin College, Carleton University, La Cité and the University of Ottawa options for $21 seats in Coors Original Rally Row, $23 in the 200-level ends and $26 in the 100-level ends.
- Season tickets range from $246 for the ends of the arena bowl at the 200 level to $330 for 100-level “centres.” Club Bell loge and luxe club season tickets priced at $623 and $823 include food (rotating pub-fare menu) and non-alcoholic beverages.
- All prices include taxes and fees.
What’s the Black Bears home game schedule? Are there theme nights?
Saturday, Nov. 29: vs San Diego, 7 p.m. (Home Opener)
Friday, Dec. 12: vs Saskatchewan, 7:30 p.m. (LAXmas Wonderland)
Saturday, Dec. 27: vs Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Holiday Wrapup)
Friday, Jan. 9: vs Halifax, 7 p.m. (The Creator’s Game Night)
Friday, Jan. 23: vs Vancouver, 7:30 p.m. (Country Night)
Saturday, Feb. 7: vs Calgary, 7 p.m. (Winter Games)
Saturday, Feb. 28: vs Oshawa, 7 p.m. (One-Hit Wonders)
Saturday, March 28: vs Georgia, 7 p.m. (Superhero Night)
Friday, April 10: vs Toronto, 7:30 p.m. (Fan Appreciation Night)
Who is the star player?
Jeff Teat was the Black Bears’ top gun in 2024-25. The left-shooting forward from Brampton, Ont., produced 56 goals and 55 assists for 111 points, which was 46 more than second-ranked Connor Kearnan (19-46). He was named a finalist for the award presented to the NLL’s top offensive player, which was later presented to the Buffalo Bandits’ Dhane Smith.
Teat also led the RipTide in 2023-24 with 131 points, including 58 goals.
He’s coming off a fantastic 2025 campaign with the New York Atlas of the summer-season Premier Lacrosse League.
After ranking third in scoring in the regular season with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 10 games, Teat tied for first in playoff scoring with four goals and six assists for 10 points in two games, capped by a three-goal, three-assist performance that earned him championship MVP honours following the Atlas’ 14-13 triumph over the Denver Outlaws.
Before becoming a professional, Teat, now 28, played at Cornell University. He led the Big Red squad in assists and points in all four seasons between 2017 and 2020.
His father, Dan Teat, played in the NLL between 1997 and 2010, including stints with Rochester, Albany, San Jose, Buffalo, Edmonton and Philadelphia.
Bet you didn’t know that…
Ottawa’s Jay Thorimbert is the NLL’s all-time leader in faceoffs won, by a big margin. The defender from Whitby, Ont., whose career began with a Boston franchise in 2009, comes into the 2025-26 season with 3,417 faceoff wins, 857 more than the next-best career total.
Thorimbert also ranked fourth in NLL history with 2,009 loose-ball recoveries, trailing only Brodie Merrill (2,796), Jim Veltman (2,517) and John Tavares (2,191).
What can I get to eat at a Black Bears game?
Legacy Bar & Social
&
Bert’s Bar
are open at the Canadian Tire Centre for Ottawa Black Bears games, and there are also regular in-arena concession outlets. If you’ve ever been to an Ottawa Senators NHL game, you’ll know what to expect.
How can I watch games from home?
Featured “NLL Friday Night on TSN” games will be available on TSN’s national TV feeds and will also be streamed online on tsn.ca and the TSN app, a media release said. All other NLL games can be streamed on TSN+ and
NLL+
, the league’s free-of-charge online platform.
