Coaches Calls

Welcome to NLL semifinals weekend! Only four teams remain: Albany will play San Diego, and in the time-honored tradition of the best rivalry in lacrosse, Toronto will host Buffalo. On this week’s podcast: Rusty Krueger. He is the offensive coordinator for the Toronto Rock and also the head coach of the Orangeville Northmen in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League. Krug Dog, one

It's playoff eve! On this bonus episode of Coaches Calls, we preview the highly anticipated 2024 NLL Playoffs with exclusive highlights of conversations with the 8 NLL head coaches still competing for the NLL Cup. Insights, strategies, expectations and philosophies from Matt Sawyer (Toronto Rock), Mike Hasen (Rochester Knighthawks), Patrick Merrill (San Diego Seals), Tracey

John Lintz has a lacrosse path and resume like no other. And a chip on his shoulder. Growing up in Edmonton, he had to roll the dice early and headed west to Coquitlam to try out for the Junior Adanacs in 2006. Now as Head Coach of the Edmonton Miners Junior A team, he is a big reason why Alberta boys and girls don’t have to leave home anymore to carve a path to college or the

Troy Cordingley’s NLL coaching career has come full circle, all in an effort to never stop learning, growing and changing. He's all about lacrosse. A two-time NLL Champion head coach. 2008 Calgary and 2011 Toronto. Two-time Les Bartley Award winner for head coach of the year. 2008 Calgary and 2013 Toronto. He is fifth all-time in career coaching wins with 107. He start

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 st

The shorter the bio, the more impressive the man. John Tavares is the GOAT. The all time leader in goals and points in the history of the National Lacrosse League. A three-time league MVP in ’94, 2000 and 2001. In addition, four time champion in ’92, ’93, ’96 and 2008. He was inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame in 2016. Lacrosse’s Wayne Gretzky he is not. He is John Ta

Patrick Merrill coaches a super team and has one of the best gigs in lacrosse. He is the first and only Head Coach and General Manager of the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League. Lacrosse and sunshine. A playoff team every season of their existence so far. A roster riddled with some of the league’s most electrifying players but early playoff exits in 2022 and 2023

Shawn Williams is living every lacrosse nerd’s dream. Building a team from scratch. Picking his players. Developing the system. Developing the culture. Putting his 17 years of pro playing and life experience into his role as the inaugural Head Coach and General Manager of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. The first ballot hall of fame player won two NLL Championships and is widely rega

Jimmy Quinlan is the youngest coach in the National Lacrosse League, for whatever that is worth. He started coaching long before his playing career ended in 2013 though, so the experience is there. How could it not be stepping onto the Toronto Rock team in 2005, a roster riddled with at least 11 players who coach or have coached in the NLL. Legends of the game. His first coach was

Dan Ladouceur is the head coach of the New York Riptide of the National Lacrosse League. A role he has held since 2020. He joined the Riptide after spending four seasons as the offensive coordinator with the Georgia Swarm. In his first season behind the bench in Georgia, the Swarm set a new NLL record for the most goals scored with 266 and won the NLL championship. The six foot s