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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
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Sat, Apr 20
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Stories/Op-Ed

Todd Labranche on the Verge of History, but There is More to the Story

400 games in the NLLis a long time. With the current 18 game schedule that is still over 22 seasons. There are players in the NLL who are not even 22 years old, let alone playing at the highest level of lacrosse for 22 seasons.  

When initially looking to write this story, I thought I would be covering the accomplishments and accolades of Todd Labranche, who will be officiating his 400th NLL game this weekend but as I was talking with Todd, there were so many interesting points of conversation that many NLL fans would not have expected to hear or would not know. So while 400 games officiated is no easy feat in the span of 21 seasons for Labranche, his thoughts around the game and impact he has had on the NLL is much larger than just dressing in a striped uniform. 

He doesn’t negate the record and recognizes the importance of the it, saying “I’m proud of it. I was talking with Dan Dawson who was supposed to break John Tavares’ record in Vancouver but was out with a knee injury. I said to him I was disappointed I wasn’t able to call his record game at 307 but joked that it was nothing, that game was going to be 390 for me. It’s something I will be able to talk to my grandkids about.” 

It’s even more impressive when you find out Labranche did not start refereeing in the NLL until he was 36 years. “At the time in 2001, the League was a bit foreign to me. It had never really made its way out west until the Vancouver Ravens and Calgary Roughnecks expanded. The NLL was looking for officials and I threw my hand up. I had been officiating in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) for 13 or 14 years at that point.” The expansion gave him an opportunity to get his feet into a different version of the sport that he would soon dedicate his full-time officiating duties to. 

You could have thought officiating was in his DNA from an early age, having started to referee lacrosse games at the age of 12. As he went through his teen years, he explained what made him change his focus from playing the game to officiating. “I finished my junior career at the age of 21 and that’s when my legs started getting bad where I could not keep up with all the twists and turns playing of the game. I felt like I had a bit of a knack for officiating, and I just decided to keep doing that to stay involved in the game.” 

Labranche would be a referee with the WLA starting at 22 years old. Over the years he learned from great mentors and found his footing as a referee. A big piece of that is how to manage communications with players and coaches on both teams. “The absolute key is to be forthright, to be up front and honest. If you didn’t see something the same way they did, you need to say that.” 

“If you are upfront and you are honest, then you start to garner some respect and the ability to have important two-way conversation. Some players will come and say their piece and walk away. I tell them to come back and let me give them my answer. ‘I gave you the respect to allow you to ask your question now it’s my turn to give you an answer.’” 

The game of lacrosse has changed in his 30 plus years of officiating and is coming to a better place for all parties to understand the game better and to grow it. There is now an emphasis across multiple box lacrosse leagues and properties to play by a unified rulebook, which has not been the case in the past and is what prevented Labranche from officiating Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) games in addition to his NLL duties.  

Rule consistency will help not just players, but fans too as Todd mentioned, “Being able to go to your local game in the summer and then to your NLL game, you would have been confused trying to understand the different rulebooks. There are certain nuances that are different in the games. Even to this day, players will comment and say a call is an interference which we don’t have in the NLL unless it’s a penalty. What they’re asking about is a Canadian rule.” 

Todd emphasizes with his younger colleagues that they need to know the NLL rulebook inside and out. That they can’t just show up on gamedays and expect to be great, they need to do the work through the week just like a player or coach does.  

When looking at his weekly routine, Labranche mentioned: 

“I try to set one day a week, Monday, where I don’t do anything, lacrosse related to give my head and body a rest so I can come at it refreshed. Every Tuesday we go back and review clips from games from the prior weekend. Tuesday night we have conference calls with Brian (Lemon, EVP, Lacrosse Operations) and Don Koharski (NLL Director of Officials) to review any specific rules or clips. Wednesday and Thursday are preparation days to read the rulebook, to study, to look at the rosters for our upcoming games, and review game tape from previous matchups from the teams. One of the mentalities Koho (Koharski) has brought to us this season is that we are the third team out on the floor, and we need to be better prepared than the other teams out there. “ 

Still, Labranche says that isn’t the hardest part of being a referee. He says the hardest part is trying to keep up with the speed of the game and to be able to make that instantaneous call with so many factors in play. Think of a crease dive where you would be trying to watch a player’s feet, if they were pushed into the crease, if they made contact with a goalie, and where the ball is when the player lands.  

“I was once asked to wear a camera on my helmet, and I said I would be thrilled to just to be able to give fans, coaches, and players to the perspective of what we have to view in the blink of an eye.” 

Labranche says there are three important factors that make a good official: thick skin, a short memory, and a good sense of humor. He says one of his favorite compliments he has received over the years was from the Georgia Swarm’s Owner and General Manager, John Arlotta. He said he loves watching Labranche officiate since he always has a smile on his face. “Enjoy what you are doing and have a smile on your face while doing it” said Labranche. 

Over the years, Labranche has seen some of the game’s greats including names like Grant, Tavares, Gait, Kelusky and more. While he could not admit to just one favorite memory or player to watch, he did have an interesting mention about how good some of these players were. When talking about the Gait’s, who he officiated in Juniors, he mentioned, “I remember doing a Junior game and looking at the game sheet where they won 36-9 and between the two (Paul and Gary) they had 54 points in that game.” 

When asked on his legacy on the game, he could not think of any specifics but did mention: “The one thing I will be known for is the call in Colorado. It is probably something that will live beyond me”. Don’t remember it? Watch it here. 

So what is next for Labranche after hitting his 400th game this weekend? He says he wants to do more. Given his workload, where in 2015 he worked 32 games in a 16-game season, he is aiming for 500, or about another four years, “whether my body lets me or not that’s to be determined” he added.  

And for what he is most proud of through his career and what he has always tried to reiterate is consistency. He has always tried to call the game fairly and consistently, that his performance should be consistent on a week-to-week basis. What you get from him in one week, you should get the same every other week.  

The consistency to be available for assignment is another piece he is proud of, even at the expense of some personal matters. “I’ve never darked out a weekend in my 21-year career where I couldn’t be available. That’s all due to the support of my wife. She has been so supportive. I missed my father in law’s 65th birthday for an assignment and she never said a word about it, she has been an amazing support.” 

While Todd may be towards the ending stages of his career, he does have future aspirations for the NLL. He hopes to get to a point where officials, players, coaches, and other staff alike can make the NLL their full-time position and focus on it each day. 

With the potential to add more expansion teams and more games on the schedule in the future Labranche says “I’ve told our younger officials that 400 games will be nothing with the way the league is expanding. They should be able to crush 400 games and I hope they are able to do that as full-time officials.” 

While there may be more officials who end up reaching the 400-game plateau in the future, Todd will be the first. The impact he has made on the NLL, the game of lacrosse, and its community is understated as the man in the stripes during games. Referees tend to never get the love at the end of the game but as he put it, “you can’t play the game without officials.” 

NLL