Minto Cup: Frustrating flight issues delay Burlington Blaze’s arrival in Edmonton
Burlington Blaze, 2023 OJLL Champions (Photo: Sam Hossack/OJLL)
The Ontario Junior Lacrosse League Champion Burlington Blaze already had the longest journey to make it to this year’s Minto Cup in Edmonton, Alberta (August 20-27).
In addition to playing far more regular season & playoff games than the rest of this year’s Minto finalists, Burlington also obviously had the furthest to travel in comparison to the Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL), Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) and the host Edmonton Miners (RMLL).
That’s just how it goes with the Minto and all of Canada’s national tournaments, with hosting duties bouncing around between various participating provinces every summer. But…
Minutes before leaving for the airport on Friday morning, the Ontario league & team were informed by WestJet that their dozens of long-ago booked flights had been cancelled, with no reason given for the last-minute decision by the airline.
The Blaze were left scrambling for other flights with few if any adequate options being provided.
On Friday night, the team was scheduled to have their pre-competition meeting in Edmonton in preparation of the national tournament. Instead, all players, coaches, staff, and OJLL representatives were left wondering & waiting how they’d be getting to Alberta in time for not only meetings, but the tournament itself.
The Minto Cup’s media day started at 9am MT on Saturday morning. The Blaze also missed that.
The OJLL was eventually able to book players & coaches on multiple flights that would get them into Calgary on Saturday morning at various times. There they would then wait for one another to arrive, and later jump on a bus to make the three-hour drive to Edmonton.
Burlington opens the tournament on Sunday evening (8pm MT) against the host Miners, who a year ago were just a single win shy of winning the Minto Cup.
Other league & team staff will only now be arriving in Edmonton mere hours before the club’s opening match against the Miners.
The Blaze are this year’s lone entry that will be making their debut at the tournament. The event has not seen a first timer win the Cup in 30 years when the Orangeville Northmen captured the title while making their debut in 1993.
Burlington enters the four-team tournament as The Lax Mag’s #1 ranked team in the country. A TLM Twitter poll also recently saw the Blaze receive nearly 60% support in favour of the team taking this year’s national title.
Over the last ten Minto tournaments, an Ontario team has won the trophy eight times. The Whitby Warriors were the province’s most recent Cup winner, the club capturing an extremely memorable Minto last year in Brampton.
Since switching the Minto’s format and allowing the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League to compete for the Cup starting in 2003 (Alberta and later Saskatchewan too), counting the upcoming tournament, Alberta will have hosted the national event a total of five times: Edmonton (2005), Calgary (2008), Okotoks (2011), Calgary (2018) and of course Edmonton starting this Sunday at Bill Hunter Arena.
Ontario’s & British Columbia’s representatives have split Cup-winning success when the tourney has taken place in Alberta. Those winners include: Burnaby Lakers (2005), Orangeville Northmen (2008), Whitby Warriors (2011) and Coquitlam Adanacs (2018).
Update: The OJLL has confirmed that Blaze players arrived at Bill Hunter Arena in Edmonton via bus shortly before 4pm MT on Saturday.