Pro lacrosse player from Aamjiwnaang First Nation wins championship with Boston Cannons

By Sam Laskaris

HALIFAX – It’s true there was no lengthy regular season or gruelling post-season schedule.

But Kyle Jackson, a member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation in southwestern Ontario, is not about to let anybody diminish his latest accomplishment.

Jackson was a member of the Boston Cannons who captured the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) championship Jul. 26.

The Cannons defeated the Denver Outlaws 13-10 in the championship final.

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the MLL, an American-based professional field lacrosse circuit featuring six squads, played its entire regular season and playoff schedule over nine days in Annapolis, Maryland.

Teams squared off against all of their opponents once resulting in a five-game regular season. The top four finishers then advanced to the semi-finals.

But because one of the teams, the Chesapeake Bayhawks, had three players with positive COVID-19 tests, the playoffs were thrown into disarray.

When two of the semi-finalists, the Bayhawks and Connecticut Hammerheads, withdrew from further play, the Cannons and Outlaws advanced directly to the championship final.

“The way I look at it is that 15, 20 or even 30 years from now, it’s not going to necessarily be a championship during a pandemic,” Jackson said. “I’m just going to say I won a championship.”

And it’s not as if the Cannons still didn’t earn their crown.

“I think any championship you win in any sport, regardless of the situation, it obviously takes a lot of preparation and other factors,” Jackson said.

For Jackson, 26, this marked his first championship as a pro. It was his fourth season toiling for the Cannons.

Jackson also plays professional box lacrosse. He’s a member of the Halifax Thunderbirds, who compete in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

Before that, he spent three seasons with the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks. That franchise relocated to Halifax prior to the 2020 campaign.

Jackson now lives in Halifax year-round because besides playing for the Thunderbirds, he is also the team’s director of lacrosse development and promotions.

Jackson was one of the Cannons’ top offensive threats at this year’s MLL tournament. He earned seven points (five goals and two assists) in the club’s five regular-season contests.

Jackson admits he had some concerns prior to the tournament on whether he should take part. But he was encouraged by the MLL’s plans to keep all team personnel in a bubble in Maryland.

“Obviously I had reservations about it,” he said. “This thing is so crazy we’re going through. But I think the MLL did a great job of making us safe.”

All of the tournament participants were tested after arriving in Maryland. Jackson said all players were subjected to temperature checks every time before stepping onto the field at the tourney.

After it was revealed that three of the Bayhawks’ players had positive COVID-19 tests, all those with the four clubs that were semi-finalists were tested.

Despite the fact all of the Boston players tested negative on Saturday morning, four of the Cannons opted to head home early, for personal and family reasons, and not participate in the championship final.

Before deciding whether he would stay or go, Jackson made a call to Halifax, to his wife who is pregnant.

“That was the main phone call I had to make,” Jackson said. “We weighed out the pros and cons and decided for me to stay.”