The Colorado Mammoth are a
box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...
team playing in the
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United Stat ...
. The Mammoth have played at
Ball Arena in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
, since the
2003 season. They are owned by
Stan Kroenke, who is also the owner of the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...
,
Denver Nuggets and the
Colorado Rapids of
MLS.
The Mammoth franchise previously played as the
Baltimore Thunder from
1987 to
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, the
Pittsburgh CrosseFire in
2000, and the
Washington Power from
2001 to
2002. Up until the joining of the expansion team
San Diego Seals, Colorado was the only non-Canadian team in the Western Division from 2014 to 2018. They have only missed the playoffs once since moving to Colorado.
In
2004 and from
2006 to
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, the Mammoth lead the league in attendance. 2006 was the first year in the 20-year history of the NLL that the league had an attendance of more than one million fans in one season. The Mammoth had the honor of hosting fan number one million. In 2008, the Mammoth average attendance per game was higher than Pepsi Center's other teams, the Colorado Avalanche (
NHL) and the Denver Nuggets (
NBA).
2006 champions
In the 2006 season, the Mammoth went to the playoffs in the #2 seed in the Western Division. Round one was hosted in Colorado against rivals Calgary. The Mammoth won 18–17 in overtime. Brian Langtry scored the overtime goal. Round two (Western Division finals) was also hosted at Pepsi Center against the Arizona Sting. Rookie Dan Carey scored the winning goal as the Mammoth defeated the Sting 13–12. The championship game was held at
HSBC Arena in
Buffalo against the
Bandits
Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
who held the league's best record and the incumbent league MVP, goaltender
Steve Dietrich . The Mammoth won the
Champion's Cup by a score of 16–9, with Gavin Prout being named Game MVP.
2022 champions
The Mammoth won the
National Lacrosse League Cup
The National Lacrosse League Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champions of the National Lacrosse League. Prior to 2018, the league awarded the Champions Cup.
Winners
Most Valuable Players
All-time Finals appearances since leagu ...
beating the
Buffalo Bandits 2 games to 1, with
Dillon Ward being named the Finals MVP.
Notable players
*
Gary Gait, who retired after the
2005 NLL season as the NLL's all-time scoring leader with 596 goals and 495 assists in 174 games (a record since surpassed by
John Tavares). Gait also won the 2003
NLL MVP Award while with the Mammoth. On November 12, 2005, Gait was inducted into the
NLL Hall of Fame, and on December 30, 2005, his number 22 jersey banner was hung from Pepsi Center rafters — the first NLL number ever to be retired and hung from any arena. Gait was the Mammoth head coach for the
2006 and
2007 seasons before stepping down in August 2007 to pursue other interests.
*
Brian Langtry, who won the
NLL Rookie of the Year Award The National Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to the top rookie in the National Lacrosse League. The award winners are chosen by a vote of the leagues coaches, general managers, and executives.
In 2006, the award was spons ...
in 2003, is well known for his all-out goal scoring attempts. Langtry retired after the
2011 season.
*
Gord "Gee" Nash, who was the 2004
Goaltender of the Year.
*
Gavin Prout, a crowd favorite who consistently puts up high numbers. In 2006, Prout was named team captain. On October 31, 2009, to the outrage of many fans, Prout was traded to the Rochester Knighthawks, who in turn traded him to the
Edmonton Rush
The Edmonton Rush were a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) that played from 2006 NLL season to 2015.
The team announced on July 20, 2015, that they would be relocating to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for the 2016 ...
on November 10. After a season and a half in Edmonton, Prout was traded back to the Mammoth in March 2011.
*
John Grant Jr., who was the 2012
NLL MVP The National Lacrosse League Most Valuable Player Award is given annually to the NLL player who is considered to have contributed most to his team's success. The award winners are chosen by a vote of the league's coaches, general managers, and exec ...
. Retired in 2017.
*
Joey Cupido
Joey Cupido (born August 14, 1990) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays for the Colorado Mammoth in the National Lacrosse League. Cupido was also a two time All-Canadian football player with the McMaster University Marauders in ...
, three time fan favorite award winner who was the 2015 and 2018
Transition Player of the Year.
Awards and honors
NLL Hall of Fame members
*
Pat Coyle (Class of 2014)
*
Dan Stroup
Dan Stroup (born December 18, 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a coach for the Washington Stealth of the National Lacrosse League. Prior to his retirement, Stroup played for several teams over a 13-season career which included winning th ...
(Class of 2010)
*
Gary Gait (Class of 2006)
*
Paul Gait (Class of 2006)
Current roster
All-time record
Playoff results
Head coaching history
See also
*
Colorado Mammoth seasons
References
External links
Official WebsiteColorado Mammoth news
{{Colorado Sports
Sports teams in Denver
Lacrosse clubs established in 2002
Lacrosse teams in Colorado
National Lacrosse League teams
2003 establishments in Colorado
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment