2008 NLL season
| 2008 NLL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Lacrosse League |
| Sport | Indoor lacrosse |
| Duration | December 29, 2007 – May 17, 2008 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Athan Iannucci (Philadelphia) |
| Top scorer | Athan Iannucci (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Buffalo Bandits |
| Eastern runners-up | Minnesota Swarm |
| Western champions | San Jose Stealth |
| Western runners-up | Colorado Mammoth |
| Champion's Cup | |
| Champions | Buffalo Bandits |
| Runners-up | Portland LumberJax |
| Finals MVP | Mark Steenhuis (Buffalo) |
The 2008 National Lacrosse League season, the 22nd in the history of the NLL, began on December 29, 2007 and concluded with the Buffalo Bandits winning the championship game over the Portland LumberJax on May 17, 2008.
In an odd coincidence, all four eastern division teams that made the playoffs finished with identical 10-6 records. Due to tiebreakers, the Buffalo Bandits clinched first place overall, followed by the Minnesota Swarm, New York Titans in their playoff debut, and the Philadelphia Wings in their return to the playoffs after a five-year absence.
There was also a tie atop the west division standings, as the San Jose Stealth and Colorado Mammoth both finished with 9-7 records. The Stealth won that tiebreaker and clinched their first western division title. The Calgary Roughnecks and Portland LumberJax finished out the playoff teams in the west despite having losing records.
History was made in 2008 as neither the Rochester Knighthawks nor the Toronto Rock made the playoffs, for the first time in the history of either team (though the Toronto franchise, then the Ontario Raiders, missed the playoffs in their inaugural season in 1998). The Knighthawks broke a 13-year streak of making the playoffs, the Rock streak was stopped at 9 years.
Philadelphia Wings second-year stars Athan Iannucci and Geoff Snider set a number of new league records in 2008. Iannucci eclipsed Gary Gait's record of 61 goals by scoring 71, and Snider set or tied marks in loose balls (244), face offs won (318, tied with Peter Jacobs in 2005), and penalty minutes (103).
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