(OLD) The Rules of Lacrosse — And The Men Who Break Them

What do Wayne Gretzky, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (Maryland), and David Grohl (Foo Fighters / Nirvana) have in common? You guessed it, they all played lacrosse, the sport that’s been dubbed, “The fastest game on two feet.” In an interview with the filmmaker, Wayne Gretzky emphatically states, “I always say this to people—you think football and ice hockey are physical? The most physical sport I ever played in my life was lacrosse.”

However, these “Rules of Lacrosse” were not ripped from the pages of the official rule books for men’s lacrosse, but rather by observation over the past years by a screenwriter-turned-producer, who was writing a lacrosse-themed movie script that required a lot of research on the sport, much more than anticipated. After amassing files of the subject of lacrosse, an opportunity arose to produce a film about the sport! Thus the birth of this documentary film.

This film covers the A to Z of men’s lacrosse, from its rich, Indigenous history to the present forms of men’s lacrosse, both the box and field games. This documentary explores several themes of men’s lacrosse: forming and maintaining professional teams and their players, the college sport and numerous leagues, the wooden stick controversy, and the growing of the game internationally from its North American roots. In fact, lacrosse will become an official men’s and women’s Olympics sport, beginning in 2028!

We have included interviews from some of the greatest names in the sport as well as film footage, artist renditions, and stills from various games throughout the history of the game. In a section of the film entitled “Honor and Recognize Those Who Have Played Before You,” Wayne Gretzky names the best lacrosse player who has ever played, Garylord Powless, from the Six Nations Reserve. In fact, Powless was recently elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, which we cover in the movie, so we think that Gretzky called it right!

The film provides both a serious and humorous look at men’s lacrosse. Sometimes in these extremely competitive games, rules do get broken. We hope to show the good, the bad, and the not too ugly sides of one of the world’s fastest growing sport.