Penalties

Penalties

A fight during a lacrosse game between two players on the Toronto Rock and Calgary Roughnecks

For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and his team has to play without him and with one less player for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for two minutes unless a major penalty has been assessed. The team that has taken the penalty is said to be playing shorthanded while the other team is on the power play.^[42]
A two-minute minor penalty is often called for lesser infractions such as slashing, tripping, elbowing, roughing, too many players, illegal equipment, holding, or interference. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, as well as for fighting. Players are released from the penalty box when either the penalty time expires, or the opposition scores a goal (or three goals for the instance of a major penalty).^[33]
At the officials' discretion a ten-minute misconduct penalty may be assessed. These are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the playing area unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with the misconduct (a "two-and-ten" or "five-and-ten"). In that case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent. A player who receives a game misconduct is ejected and may not return to play. Receiving two major penalties in a game will result in a game misconduct.^[33]
A penalty shot, where a player from the non-offending team is given an attempt to score a goal without opposition from any defending players except the goaltender, may be awarded under certain circumstances. By rule, teams must have at least three runners in play. If a team commits a third penalty resulting in a "three man down" situation a penalty shot is awarded in favor of having the offending player serve in the penalty box. A penalty shot may also be awarded, at the referee's discretion, if a defensive player causes a foul to prevent a goal (by throwing his stick, holding, tripping, or by deliberately displacing the goal, or a defensive player intentionally falls and covers a ball in his own team's crease).^[33] In the NLL, a penalty shot is awarded against any team taking a too-many-men penalty in the final two minutes of the game or overtime.

Fighting

Similar to fighting in ice hockey, fighting is tolerated in professional box lacrosse. Professional players are not automatically subject to ejection, but incur a five-minute major penalty. In CLA (Canadian Lacrosse Association) play, players are assessed a five-minute major penalty plus a game misconduct. Fighting in youth or club level box lacrosse is typically penalized with expulsion and suspensions. In 1990, when the Six Nations created the new Mohawk lacrosse league, fighting was specifically targeted as unacceptable. Violators were ejected from the game in which the altercation occurred and given a minimum three game suspension.^[48]

International competition

Box lacrosse is the most popular version of the sport in the Czech Republic.^[49] It is also played to a marginal degree in Australia, primarily by players who have played field lacrosse.^[50] Club level box lacrosse leagues in the United States have increased the number of players exposed to the sport, including the: Baltimore Indoor Lacrosse League,^[51] the Philadelphia Box Lacrosse Association,^[52] and the Metro Area Box Lacrosse League.^[53]
The first ever world championship of box lacrosse, "The Nations in 1980", was staged in several arenas in British Columbia, Canada in July 1980 involving teams representing the United States, Australia, Canada East, Canada West and the Iroquois Nationals. Canada West (Coquitlam Adanacs) defeated the Iroquois in the nationally televised world championship game from Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. This was the first time in history that Indigenous peoples of the Americas people represented themselves in an athletic world championship competition.^[29] In a spirited contest at the other end of the bracket, the US defeated Australia for bragging rights.
The second international box lacrosse tournament was held in 2003, with the inaugural World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. The competitors were national teams from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Iroquois Nation, Scotland, and the United States.^[54]
The 2007 Championships had eight nations participating: the previous competitors plus England and Ireland.
The 2015 WILC^[55] was hosted by the Onondaga Nation which marks the first time an international sporting event has been held on indigenous land.^[56] 13 teams competed in the championship: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Haudenosaunee, Ireland, Israel, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.^[57]
Canada, Iroquois Nationals and the United States have won gold, silver, and bronze respectively in each of the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships held. Canada has yet to lose an international game in box lacrosse.
Other international tournaments have been played. Annually, the European Lacrosse Federation holds the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial tournament in Prague. This is the largest European box lacrosse tournament.^[49] In 2002 and 2004, the Heritage Cup was played between the United States and Canada featuring mostly players that were members of NLL teams.^[58][59]