League cancels 2008 season for Shamrox pro lacrosse team

The cancellation of the Chicago Shamrox lacrosse season continues the spell of bad luck for Hoffman Estates' Sears Centre.

A breakdown in salary talks with the players of the 14-team National Lacrosse League have cost the Shamrox -- and the venue -- what was to be the team's second season.

The league announced the cancellation Tuesday, saying they won't meet players' demands.

It's another blow to the Sears Centre, which already lost the Chicago Hounds hockey team in June after it folded under the now-defunct United Hockey League.

The Shamrox's '07-'08 season would have kicked off in Hoffman Estates against the Buffalo Bandits on Jan. 5. NLL games were to start Dec. 27.

The Shamrox's inaugural game last January drew a near-sellout crowd of 8,456 -- the largest crowd the then-three-month-old Sears Centre had drawn. The arena seats a maximum of 9,500 for lacrosse games.

The three-year collective bargaining agreement between the players and teams expired in July. The sides were haggling over raises and whether to institute a salary cap, which is supposed to better ensure competitive balance between the teams, regardless of the size of a fan base or market.

For most of the players, the game is a part-time job. The average NLL salary is $14,500.

Now Sears Centre officials have the dilemma of what to do with the eight open dates for the 11,000-seat arena which opened last year in Hoffman Estates' Prairie Stone Business Park.

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