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 pros.

He won three NLL Championships before stepping aside at 32 to coach the Vancouver Stealth’s defence. The youngest coach in the league at the time. He returned to the floor with the Colorado Mammoth in 2022 and won another title as a player.

As a coach, he took an Alberta team further in the Minto Cup than any Rocky Mountain Junior team had a gone before – to the finals against Whitby in 2022.

Edmonton with high hopes hosted the tourney in 2023 with heavy expectation to win it all. We’ll talk in this episode about why he thinks they fell short and the lessons learned.

A member of the Rush dynasty in Edmonton and

An educator and multi-sport coach, it won’t be long before Lintz is back behind an NLL bench when he’s ready and the right opportunity arises.

On this episode we talk about his coaching foundation of role definitions, honesty, and the evolution and growth that is so important to junior lacrosse players.

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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

He is fifth all-time in career coaching wins with 107.

He started his NLL coaching career as an assistant with

He has coached junior ‘A’, minor lacrosse, Major Series and in the women’s game all while maintaining a career as an elementary school teacher in his home province of Ontario.

Known as one of the fiercest, most passionate competitors the game has ever seen, Troy is trying to marry some of his old school tactics with the modern game and player. In this episode we talk about his fundamental traits of the most successful teams, how to keep adapting as a coach and what the sport as a whole can learn from the women’s game.

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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

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.

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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 Tavares. He is ours. He belongs to Banditland, the city of Buffalo where he played for 24 seasons, and now coaches and stares up at his retired #11 hung from the rafters of the Key Bank Centre. A place where up to 17,000 screaming fans go to watch lacrosse on weekends – in large part because of what he helped build. A culture of winning.

An intelligent, cerebral player with an edge, he played until his mid 40’s and is one of only two players ever to have played more than 300 games.

The Bandits tapped him to run their offence after he retired and after a few seasons he was named Head Coach. After falling in the finals in 2019 and 2022, Tavares led the Bandits to their first championship in 15 years when they defeated the Colorado Mammoth in 2023.

He is a low key kinda shy guy who avoids media stuff if he can. Maybe that is the key to his success? Nothing else matters. It is the locker room and being close to the game where he shines and you will hear in this chat that it is still the intricacies of the game that motivate him and that motivating others is still not his favourite thing to do.

On this episode, we discuss his in game principals, the pre-game speech, and the secret ingredient of the most

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Patrick Merrill coaches a super team and has one of the best

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 are obviously leaving something to be desired for this group and Merrill and his staff are working tirelessly to get this group to the finals where the whole lacrosse world feels they belong. But is there pressure there?

Merrill played 15 seasons in the NLL under some of the game’s best coaches. The first overall pick in the 2002 draft - he won three championships with the Toronto rock.

His early coaching gigs saw him win two Minto Cup championships coaching the Six Nations Arrows.

Away from the NLL, but not away from lacrosse, he co-founded and coached at the Hill Academy, a lacrosse powerhouse independent private high school in Ontario.

He is a World Champion and four-time Mann Cup champion.

Super smart, super passionate and a very calm, focused and intense leader.

The Seals are going to be able to recruit based on location, ownership, and being competitive but I really think Patrick Merrill is a person that players want to play for first. He is a leader of men.

On this episode, we walk through a typical week in a coach’s life, talk about the importance of building relationships with players, and talk about how teams get what they earn, and get what they deserve.

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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 regarded as one of the best teammates and leaders the game has ever seen.

Multiple Mann Cup Champion, he also won a Minto Cup as head coach of the Whitby Warriors.

Though born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, he made his name synonymous with Brooklin and Whitby lacrosse and is a pillar in the Ontario lacrosse community.

On this episode, we discuss his approach to building an expansion team, the 12 round fighter mentality, Scarborough bus trips and the three pillars of success that will help take his team to the next level.

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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 Terry Sanderson. It was a long road to Toronto for a kid who grew up in northern Alberta. Not even close to a lacrosse hot bed at the time.

His grizzled playing career saw him playing both offence and defence so his understanding off all aspects of the game is unmatched. His number 81 is still the only number retired in Rush franchise history.

His mentor Derek Kennan offered him his first coaching job shortly after his playing career ended and he was with the Edmonton/Saskatchewan Rush during their string of three championships from 2015-2018.

Time away with family brought him back to the team in 2022.

He was named Co-Head Coach by the end of that season and full bore Head Coach in 2023.

At the time of this recording, and offensive struggles to start 2024, GM Derek Keenan is back on the Rush bench as a Co-Head Coach while Quinlan is Co-Head Coach and acting as the offensive coordinator, tapping into his IQ.

We will talk about the yo-yo head coach position in Sask that past three seasons and what he’s learning from the experience and how he is trying to lead this young team back to prominence.

A true chatterbox of the game, Jimmy loves to talk, and his energy is tangible. Another NLL Coach/Educator by day, he literally talks, teaches and coaches for a living.

Jimmy Quinlan is on Coaches Calls. Thanks for listening.

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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 six “Big Dog” played 11 seasons as a defender for the Les Bartley led Toronto Rock dynasty and was a pivotal part of five championships.

One of the most feared defenders who has ever played the game.

His 428 penalty minutes is the second most in Rock team history.

Following his playing career, he spent five seasons behind the bench for the Rock, serving as the defensive coordinator, and helped lead the team to the finals in 2015.

In addition to his coaching duties, Ladouceur is a Sergeant for the Durham Region Police Service in Ontario.

A six foot six police sergeant and lacrosse coach, you would think he would come with ferocity, but Laddy is a bit of a gentle giant.

On the podcast, we get a little spiritual, as he talks about his vulnerabilities and how important that openness is for his team’s culture. We also discuss how policing influences his coaching and what sets the super elite players apart from the rest.

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They call Glenn Clark the Professor. I’ve never really traced that back to know why but I imagine it’s because he’s smart.

He’s an educator by trade, and a born leader and coach.

Over two decades of NLL experience as both a player and a coach, he was one of the youngest coaches that ever took over an NLL bench when he became head coach of the legendary Toronto Rock the season after retiring from playing. That was in the summer of 2006 when he was just 37!

It was a bit of a rocky road in Toronto that included overcoming law suits, ups and downs on the floor and was a role that eventually saw him fired.

He spent half a decade away from the NLL but continued grinding in CLAX, Junior A and internationally with team Canada.

He eventually returned to the NLL to coach the New England BlackWolves in 2015 - a role he still holds today, albeit as the modern day Albany FireWolves.

Another coach born out of the Les Bartley led Toronto Rock dynasty era, he won five championships as a player with the team.

Glenn Clark is the General Manager and Head Coach of the Albany FireWolves and he'll be Canada's Head Coach at the 2024 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships.

On this episode we discuss his “nervous awareness” approach to defence, what he’d do differently as a young first time coach, and how he spent his 5 years away from the pro game.

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THE HALIFAX THUNDERBIRDS HAVE BEEN A TEAM ON THE CUSP OF A CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 2020. THEY’RE RIGHT THERE, AND THE GUY DRIVING THE BUS IS MIKE ACCURSI.

A FOUR TIME NLL CHAMPION AS A PLAYER, HE’S BEEN THERE. HE KNOWS WHAT IT TAKES.

NOW IT’S TIME TO GET HIS TEAM TO REALIZE THAT, PUT IT TOGETHER AND GET OVER THE HUMP. BUT IT HURTS. WE’LL HEAR FROM MIKE THAT THE BEST TEAMS HE’S BEEN ON HAD TO GO THROUGH THAT PAIN TO COME OUT SHARPER AND BETTER ON THE OTHER SIDE.

THE PIECES ARE THERE IN HALIFAX. THE FANS ARE THERE. NOW IT’S TIME TO BRING IT HOME.

THEY CALLED HIM NO MERCY AS A PLAYER. MIKE ACCURISI IS THE HEAD COACH OF THE HALIFAX THUDNERBIRDS.

A CARRER COACHING WINNING RECORD HOVERING AROUND .600

HE PLAYED AN IMPRESSIVE 17 SEASON IN THE NLL. 237 GAMES PLAYED WINNING 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS, 3 WITH ROCHESTER FROM 2012-2014 AND ONE WITH BUFFALO IN 2004.

HE’S A SCHOOL TEACHER BY DAY, ANOTHER NLL COACH WITH A CAREER THAT COMPLIMENTS HIS LACROSSE

ON THIS PODCAST WE DISCUSS HOW PLAYOFF HARDSHIP SHOULD MAKE HIS TEAM BETTER IN THE FUTURE, HOW

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