Growing up, Brad Kri spent many hours in Sir Donald Mann Park, which backed on to his house in Acton.
In the winter, his dad would build a rink for the neighbourhood kids to skate on. In the summer, Kri would throw a lacrosse ball around or ride his motorbike, “though I’m not sure that was legal,” he says with a laugh.
Kri got a late start in lacrosse, not picking up a stick until he was 10. And though the hours on the rink paid off – he played four years of junior hockey – it was on the arena floor in the summer where he really shined.
“I really liked the physicality of lacrosse,” he said. “It was similar to hockey in terms of athleticism, and I was always a good runner.”
Though he played defence in hockey, that wasn’t what led him to the same position in lacrosse.
“The honest answer is my hands just weren’t good enough,” the 31-year-old said.
But whatever he lacked in finesse, he made up for in determination. Even now in the pro ranks, Kri is among the best in creating turnovers and recovering loose balls.
That defensive ability has been highly sought after during his career and a key element in helping his teams succeed. He won two national titles in junior, a Founders Cup with the Jr. B Halton Hills Bulldogs and a Minto Cup with the Jr. A Orangeville Northmen. Last week, he captured his second Mann Cup as the Six Nations Chiefs defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies for the Canadian senior championship.
But it wasn’t until before his first Mann Cup with the Victoria Shamrocks in 2015 that Kri learned about the origins of the trophy and his childhood connections to it.
Sir Donald Mann was a railway contractor who built large portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Canadian Prairies and through the Rocky Mountains. In 1910, Mann donated a trophy to be awarded to the Canadian senior lacrosse champions.
Mann grew up on a farm in Acton, where the park named in his honour, and the Kri home now stand.
“Growing up, I had no idea who Sir Donald Mann was,” Kri said. “It wasn’t until a lot later that I found out who he was, but last time, for my day with the cup, I was able to bring it back to the park.”
Despite a 14-2 regular season record, the Chiefs’ path to the Mann Cup wasn’t easy. Just to get out of Ontario, Six Nations had to beat Peterborough, who won the last four national titles.
Led by their stingy defence, Six Nations held Peterborough to 5.75 goals per game, almost half what the Lakers averaged during the season, in a four-game sweep.
“That was a relief for us,” Kri said. “Being able to sweep and rest for a week was a big advantage because New Westminster had a tough seven-game series with Langley.”
But New Westminster had home floor advantage.
Prior to the series, Kri‘s mom sent him a picture with the message ‘Bring the Cup back to the park.’
Kri promptly went out and scored a goal in series-opening 10-7 win. The Chiefs followed that up with 13-11 and 8-7 victories. Though New Westminster postponed the celebration with an 11-10 win, Six Nations closed the series the next night with an 11-9 triumph.
“It was incredible. We had a really solid fan base that followed us out. They brought drums. It was super loud for an away game,” Kri said. “This journey is such a grind. It was such a relief to get to hoist that trophy again.”
And now he will have another opportunity to bring the cup back to the park.
