For the first since the 1993 Orangeville Northmen, the Minto Cup had a first time champion in 2023 – the Burlington Blaze.
From 2007 - 2022, only four teams have won Canada’s national junior A lacrosse championship - Six Nations, Orangeville, Whitby and Coquitlam.
History and tradition were not on Burlington’s side.
That all changed when Head Coach Dan MacRae’s vision started to take shape.   
An NLL and Mann Cup champion as a defensive stalwart player, MacRae brought a confidence and belief to the Blaze that had never quite fully developed before. A long-term plan.
They knocked off an undefeated Orangeville team in the
Ontario final, battled a travel nightmare to Edmonton, and came from behind in multiple Minto games, en-route to a magical national championship title. It is the kind of run movies are built to tell.
Dan MacRae is also in his first season as the defensive coordinator for the Colorado Mammoth in the NLL.
A proven leader and captain of 2 different NLL teams, he only retired from playing in 2023 so he is bringing a fresh perspective to a pro bench in a role that he’s learning and growing in towards a bright future.
Originally drafted by the Calgary Roughnecks in 2010, he played 12 NLL seasons, 9 under head coach Curt Malawsky in Calgary, and his final 3 with the then expansion New York Riptide.
The Oakville native played college lacrosse at RIT and his junior lacrosse in Burlington so it is close to his heart.
On this episode, we talk about getting Burlington to believe, what he has learned from Pat Coyle and Curt Malawsky and how his personal leadership style is taking form.
Follow on X @BradChall
Email [email protected]

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