Players recognize the importance of developing the game in Montreal

It's nine days since the National Lacrosse League made its triumphant return to La Belle Province.

The NLL UnBOXed series kicks off on Friday, February 16th at 7pm when the New York Riptide host the Toronto Rock at Place Bell in Laval, just 45 minutes from Montreal.

This will be the Game of the Week on TSN and also available in French on RDS in Canada. In the US, the game will be available on ESPN+.

On Tuesday afternoon, New York Riptide's Reilly O'Connor and Toronto Rock's Chellen Rogers attended a pre-event press conference where curious reporters asked them questions ranging from their favorite types of poutine to their French speaking game. will have a market.

Let's get the really important stuff out of the way first:

Rogers likes a classic cheese and gravy poutine, while O'Connor might go wild and add bacon or another protein. If you've never had poutine, you're missing out. Cheese curds (and ONLY cheese curds – get the shredded cheddar here) and gravy over French fries is a cultural delicacy in Quebec. Although it's loved by Canadians everywhere, there's nothing quite like Montreal poutine.

But Montreal is also known for bagels, and players are split on which one to choose.

“I think it depends on the time of day. So in the morning, I go to eat a bagel. If it's afternoon, I'll go for poutine,” O'Connor chose.

“I think I'll go on poutine all day,” Rogers said.

“I respect that,” O'Connor replied.

Montreal is a city known for its rich history, and O'Connor hopes players will get a chance to see the sights, but the game comes first.

“We're here to play like the Rock and win for our team,” he said.

The game itself becomes a clash of titans. The Rock are 6-1 in first place in the league. The Riptide moved up to seventh place after winning four of their last five.

Each team plays at home this Saturday, but after that all focus will be on the match in Montreal, including some French lessons.

Students in Canada are required to take French in school, so both O'Connor and Rogers have some familiarity with the language, but neither has used it for long.

“Out of my mind I think I have a Challen. I think that's what I remember most from my French-speaking days,” Rogers laughed. “I'm sure we'll get French-English dictionaries so we can communicate more with French speakers.”

“It's coming,” O'Connor said. “I think we might need some help, whether it's Google Translate or something, but we've got another game this week and then it's going to be a French warm-up and I think there's going to be a lot of dialogue in the room using a French accent.”

While both players have visited Quebec before, neither had the chance to play lacrosse there.

O'Connor spent time with the Kahnawake Mohawks last summer during the U.S. President's Cup competition, but joined the team while they were in Oakville, so he never made it to the local community 20 minutes outside of Montreal. He was able to hear from local players and management how important sports are to the community.

“We say it a lot in lacrosse, but lacrosse is a medicine game. He heals. It's there when you need it. You will continue it for the rest of your life because it means so much to us. It was very powerful to hear (from them) what they mean to the community. The entire lacrosse community will know how big the sport is in Montreal when we play.”

Having professional gaming in a non-English-speaking market so close to a local community that loves the game is important, Rogers said.

“That's why we play this game. We play it to grow and leave it once or better than when we first entered. And I think it comes back to a lot. When you look at Reilly, he's coaching Junior Lacrosse…and trying to take the game to a better place than when he found it. So I think everybody's goal in this situation and being able to play in Laval is to create a great experience for the fans and give them a great game that they'll remember and want more of.”

It will be Montreal's first regular-season NLL game since leaving in 2002 after one season in the city.

Rogers doesn't remember much about the Express – he was only eight years old at the time, television coverage was rare compared to how we use it today, and the internet was virtually non-existent. But he remembers playing for the Vancouver Ravens during his short life and hopes kids in the Montreal area will find the same joy in watching pro lacrosse that he felt.

“It's watching the best players in the world play at the highest level and it gave me dreams of making the NLL and becoming a professional lacrosse player because it gave me the opportunity to watch them play,” he said. . “It's an opportunity for us to perform and give those kids a dream they didn't have (before).”

O'Connor added: “It's a great opportunity. It will remain one of the memories we will cherish forever. This is a truly incredible opportunity and I know Riptide is honored to be a part of it.”