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Breaking: League Adopts Unified Standings Format & Updated Playoff Structure for 2023-24 Season

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 1
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Halifax
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Albany
Las Vegas
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
Sat, Dec 2
19:00:00
Calgary
Rochester
Sat, Dec 2
19:30:00
Philadelphia
New York
WK
2
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Dec 9
19:30:00
Colorado
Georgia
Sat, Dec 9
20:00:00
Rochester
Saskatchewan
Sat, Dec 9
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sun, Dec 10
16:00:00
Las Vegas
Panther City
WK
3
Fri, Dec 15
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
Sat, Dec 16
13:00:00
Albany
Philadelphia
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
Halifax
New York
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
San Diego
Buffalo
Sat, Dec 16
22:00:00
Georgia
Vancouver
WK
4
Fri, Dec 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Panther City
Fri, Dec 22
21:00:00
Georgia
Colorado
Sat, Dec 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Rochester
WK
5
Fri, Dec 29
18:30:00
Philadelphia
Halifax
Fri, Dec 29
19:30:00
Georgia
Buffalo
Fri, Dec 29
22:00:00
Rochester
San Diego
Sat, Dec 30
16:00:00
New York
Toronto
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sun, Dec 31
20:00:00
Albany
Saskatchewan
WK
6
Sat, Jan 6
19:00:00
Halifax
Albany
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Panther City
Georgia
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Colorado
Buffalo
Sun, Jan 7
15:00:00
New York
Philadelphia
WK
7
Fri, Jan 12
18:30:00
Toronto
Halifax
Fri, Jan 12
22:00:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Buffalo
Rochester
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Panther City
New York
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Albany
Georgia
Sat, Jan 13
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Jan 13
22:00:00
Calgary
Vancouver
WK
8
Fri, Jan 19
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
Georgia
Toronto
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
San Diego
Albany
Sat, Jan 20
20:00:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sat, Jan 20
21:00:00
Calgary
Colorado
WK
9
Fri, Jan 26
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Jan 27
18:00:00
Rochester
Halifax
Sat, Jan 27
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
San Diego
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 27
22:00:00
Panther City
Las Vegas
WK
10
Fri, Feb 2
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Fri, Feb 2
19:30:00
Vancouver
Georgia
Fri, Feb 2
21:00:00
New York
Calgary
Sat, Feb 3
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Albany
Sat, Feb 3
19:30:00
Rochester
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 3
20:00:00
Panther City
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 3
21:00:00
Toronto
Calgary
Sun, Feb 4
18:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
WK
11
Fri, Feb 9
18:30:00
Las Vegas
Halifax
Fri, Feb 9
20:00:00
Colorado
Panther City
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Calgary
Toronto
Sat, Feb 10
19:30:00
San Diego
New York
Sat, Feb 10
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Vancouver
WK
12
Fri, Feb 16
18:30:00
Buffalo
Halifax
Fri, Feb 16
22:00:00
Philadelphia
Las Vegas
Sat, Feb 17
19:00:00
Colorado
Albany
Sun, Feb 18
19:00:00
Halifax
Calgary
WK
13
Fri, Feb 23
21:00:00
New York
Colorado
Fri, Feb 23
22:00:00
Georgia
San Diego
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Rochester
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Vancouver
Toronto
Sat, Feb 24
19:30:00
Albany
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 24
20:00:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 24
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Calgary
Sun, Feb 25
16:00:00
Georgia
Panther City
WK
14
Fri, Mar 1
19:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Fri, Mar 1
20:00:00
San Diego
Panther City
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Toronto
Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Buffalo
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 2
13:00:00
Calgary
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 2
19:00:00
New York
Albany
Sat, Mar 2
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Colorado
Sat, Mar 2
22:00:00
Toronto
San Diego
Sun, Mar 3
16:00:00
Rochester
Panther City
WK
15
Fri, Mar 8
19:00:00
Vancouver
Albany
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Calgary
Georgia
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 9
17:00:00
Colorado
Toronto
Sat, Mar 9
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Mar 9
19:30:00
Las Vegas
New York
Sat, Mar 9
22:00:00
Halifax
San Diego
Sun, Mar 10
15:00:00
Panther City
Philadelphia
WK
16
Fri, Mar 15
18:30:00
Panther City
Halifax
Fri, Mar 15
21:00:00
San Diego
Calgary
Fri, Mar 15
22:00:00
Las Vegas
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Rochester
Albany
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 16
19:30:00
Philadelphia
Georgia
Sat, Mar 16
20:30:00
New York
Saskatchewan
WK
17
Fri, Mar 22
20:00:00
Buffalo
Panther City
Fri, Mar 22
21:00:00
Albany
Calgary
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Halifax
Toronto
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 23
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
New York
Sat, Mar 23
21:00:00
Rochester
Colorado
Sat, Mar 23
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Mar 24
17:30:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
WK
18
Sat, Mar 30
13:00:00
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 30
19:00:00
Halifax
Rochester
Sat, Mar 30
19:30:00
Toronto
New York
Sat, Mar 30
22:00:00
Vancouver
Las Vegas
WK
19
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Calgary
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Buffalo
Colorado
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Panther City
San Diego
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Halifax
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
New York
Rochester
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Apr 6
19:30:00
Las Vegas
Georgia
Sat, Apr 6
20:00:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 7
16:00:00
Philadelphia
Panther City
WK
20
Fri, Apr 12
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Colorado
Sat, Apr 13
19:00:00
Rochester
Toronto
Sat, Apr 13
19:30:00
Calgary
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 13
20:00:00
San Diego
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
Colorado
Las Vegas
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sun, Apr 14
16:00:00
Albany
Panther City
WK
21
Fri, Apr 19
19:30:00
Rochester
Georgia
Fri, Apr 19
22:00:00
Vancouver
San Diego
Sat, Apr 20
18:00:00
Colorado
Halifax
Sat, Apr 20
19:30:00
Albany
New York
Sat, Apr 20
20:00:00
Toronto
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 20
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 20
22:00:00
Buffalo
Las Vegas
Sun, Apr 21
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
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As Mammoth Prepare To Honor John Grant Jr., #24 Wishes He Could Have Done More

It is often said that in sport, and I’m paraphrasing: The greatest competitors are the ones that have given blood, sweat, and tears for their clubs, pushed their teams to victory, challenge the boundaries of what we believe is humanly possible, but still carry a sense of dissatisfaction years after they retire. John Grant Jr. is one of those competitors.

 

“I spent my whole career losing to Toronto and Calgary with a couple of seasons in between where we lost one to Albany [Attack], one to Philadelphia [Wings], and one to Minnesota [Swarm]; It’s going to haunt me forever,” Grant painfully recalled. “The fact that I was never able to help the [Colorado] Mammoth win a playoff game, let alone a championship – that’s what I came here to do, to turn the franchise around and get them to the top of the heap – I just wasn’t able to do it.”

 

The Mammoth, their fans, Grant Jr.’s former teammates, and everyone in between view his career as an outstanding success, though, even in Colorado. On Saturday, despite not bringing a Champion’s Cup to the Mammoth organization, the Denver NLL franchise will retire Grant Jr.’s #24 jersey alongside Mammoth stars and NLL all-time greats Gary Gait, Gavin Prout, and Brian Langtry.

 

For nearly two decades, Grant Jr. personified greatness. The way he nimbly maneuvered around the turf even though he stood 6’2” tall and weighed in at around 220 pounds was incredible. Although it may be hard to imagine, he wasn’t always one of the larger men on the field.

 

“I was always the smallest kid on the team or close to it,” Grant Jr. said recounting his childhood playing days. “I would always be getting picked off the floor or carried off the floor… I was always playing against people who were older. Even in my early teens, I would be playing with the senior [Peterborough] Lakers guys at either our house or Jim Watson’s house or one of the other hall of famers houses playing backyard lacrosse… I remember that’s when I learned to play against kids who were bigger, stronger, faster and even adults. I always had a chip on my shoulder – kind of the small guy syndrome – trying to beat my dad and his friends at anything. Fortunately, I hit a growth spurt around 19 or 20 and went from being 5’6” to 6’2” and started putting weight on then. So everything I learned as a smaller player, the game just became easier when I was bigger.”

 

What magnified his greatness was his timelessness. Following ten seasons with the Rochester Knighthawks, Grant was traded to the Mammoth in 2011 at the age of 36 and would six seasons (and change) with the club like he was in his 20’s.

 

In his second season with the Mammoth, Grant Jr. tallied 116 points over 16 games earning him NLL Most Valuable Player honors. Playing until he was 42, Grant Jr. amassed 235 goals and 317 assists with the Mammoth. In just six playoff games, he shined just as bright scoring 13 goals and recording 16 assists in 6 games. Even more impressive, Grant Jr., by his account, was always playing through an injury while still posting ridiculous stats. “I don’t even remember a time when I wasn’t playing through pain,” he said.

 

His effort matched with his consistent jaw-dropping performances earned him the love of the Mammoth faithful and the respect of some of the greatest players to ever be part of the NLL. “John is one of the best offensive players ever, if not the greatest offensive player ever,” said the NLL’s all-time points leader John Tavares. “He has the greatest hands, the greatest shot, the greatest tricks shots. John was a very competitive guy and had a great career. Considering how many injuries he had through his career, it’s really impressive how good he was every game he played.”

 

Grant Jr.’s former teammates, Mike Accursi, shared similar sentiments about the dynamic scorer. “Junior was a magician with his stick,” Accursi said. “I’ve never seen a guy who could do what he did. Often we would sit back and watch and say, ‘Did he just do that?’ I have never seen, and probably will never see, a guy who could shoot, pass and take over a game as he could. His commitment to his skill set and passion that he had for the game of lacrosse made everyone around him better. Not only is he the best pure scorer I’ve ever seen, but he was also one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with; He truly is a legend in this sport.”

 

Had it not been for the mounting number of concussions Grant Jr. suffered, he might still be playing. Yet, he is extraordinarily grateful to have had the opportunity to play as long as he did, particularly for so many years with the Mammoth into his 40’s.

 

“[Steve Govett] took a chance on me when most people thought my career was over,” Grant Jr. said of the former Mammoth GM. “Now that I don’t play for him, we’ve become better friends, but he did a lot for me not just for playing professionally on the floor, but he talked with me a lot saying, ‘You’re not going to be able to play forever. You’ve got to start putting the pieces together for your next career.’ So he was hard on me that way kind of like a father figure. He really did help me grow up and establish myself. And, thankfully I did start to focus on off the field stuff. It definitely softened the blow to have something to lean on after I was knocked out of the game. If he didn’t take that chance on me back in 2011, I don’t know where I’d be or what would be happening in my life.”

 

Not only is Grant Jr. working now that he’s retired from playing, he says he is, “busier than I ever was when I was playing.” He currently is coaching the Valor Christian High School lacrosse team, he is the Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Coach for the Major League Lacrosse Denver Outlaws, and is the Co-Founder of Evolve Elite Lacrosse, not to mention he has tried out being a sideline commentator for the Mammoth this season.

 

As a legend in the organization and as someone who loves the city of Denver and its lacrosse fans, it would be no surprise if he were to take on a more committed role with the team in the future. “I grew up with Dan [Carey], and we’re really close, and I told him, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m here to help.’ … Would I want to be part of the Mammoth down the road? I’ll never say never.”

 

Even though Grant Jr.’s jersey retirement brings his Mammoth career to a close, for now, he is appreciative to have had the chance to be part of the franchise. “I’m extremely blessed to have played for as long as I did. To have played with and against my idols and then to be coached by guys that I played with… it’s been such an amazing ride. But, now it’s over, and the ride is taking a different road. My career is on the other side of the whistle as I like to say.”

 

 

 

NLL