Pittsburgh CrosseFire

National Lacrosse League (2000)

Tombstone

Born: July 16, 1999 – The Baltimore Thunder relocate to Pittsburgh, PA¹
Moved: September 20, 2000 (Washington Power)²

First Game: January 8, 2000 (W 23-12 @ New York Saints)
Last Game: April 8, 2000 (L 10-9 @ Syracuse Smash)

NLL Championships: None

Arena

Mellon Arena
Opened: 1961

Marketing

Team Colors:

Ownership

Owner: Dennis Townsend

Attendance

Background

The Pittsburgh CrosseFire were a One-Year Wonder box lacrosse franchise that competed in the National Lacrosse League during the 2000 season. Pittsburgh previously had another team in the same league (though it was known as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League at the time) known as the Pittsburgh Bulls who played at the Civic Arena for four seasons from 1990 to 1993.

Like the Bulls, the CrosseFire set up shop at the Civic Arena (which was renamed Mellon Arena just a few weeks before the CrosseFire’s debut home game in January 2000).

Move From Baltimore

The CrosseFire were previously the Baltimore Thunder, a long-running club that played fourteen seasons at the Baltimore Civic Arena from 1987 through 1999. The Thunder were one of the best teams in the league over the previous two seasons, reaching the NLL championship series in 1998 and the semi-final in 1999. Baltimore showcased the highest scoring offense in the NLL in 1999 and boasted the sport’s greatest superstar in Gary Gait, who had earned the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in five consecutive seasons dating back to 1995. The Thunder also featured the league’s 1999 Rookie-of-the-Year, up-and-coming attackman Jesse Hubbard.

But Thunder owner Dennis Townsend, who bought the team shortly before the 1998 season and oversaw its transition from long-time doormat to title contender, was disappointed in Baltimore’s lack of support for the team. He lost a reported $2 million on the Thunder in 1998 and 1999 and claimed that actual paid attendance for the team ranked last in the National Lacrosse League during that time.³

The move to Pittsburgh was made official in July of 1999.

Misfire

Gary Gait and Jesse Hubbard both transferred with the team to Pittsburgh for the 2000 season, as did 2nd team All-Pro forward Joe Hiltz and head coach John Tucker. On paper, the CrosseFire appeared to be a strong contender as the season opened in January 2000.

After a slow 2-3 start, the CrosseFire added Gary Gait’s twin brother Paul, a 9-time league All-League forward, via a midseason trade with the Syracuse Smash. A subsequent three-game winning streak improved Pittsburgh’s record to 5-3. But the CrosseFire then frittered away three of its final four matches to finish 6-6 and miss the playoffs. The season’s low-point came in the finale, when the CrosseFire dropped a 10-9 overtime decision on the road against Syracuse, a team that had lost all eleven of its previous games.

Gary Gait tied with John Tavares of the Buffalo Bandits for the NLL scoring title in 2003 with 83 points (38 goals, 45 assists) and was named first team All-Pro. But for the first time since 1994, he was not named the league’s Most Valuable Player, an honor that instead went to Tavares. Paul Gait earned 2nd Team All-Pro honors at the forward position.

One month after the CrossFire’s debut season ended in mid-April 2000, owner Dennis Townsend closed the team’s Pittsburgh offices and announced the team was for sale. Several months later, Townsend sold the team to Washington D.C.-area attorney Steve Comiskey. The former Thunder/CrosseFire franchise relocated to the nation’s capital and became the Washington Power for the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

In 2003, the franchise changed hands and moved to Denver, where it remains today as the NLL’s popular Colorado Mammoth club.