Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ head coach Mike O’Shea is going on the road with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hockey Night In Canada‘s Elliotte Friedman has reported that the 54-year-old Canadian Football Hall of Famer has been invited on the team’s annual mentors trip, which sees every player and staffer bring along someone greatly influential in their lives. Other notable figures joining the trip, which begins on Monday, include former NHL stars Joe Thornton, Doug Gilmour, and Wendel Clark.
It is unclear which member of the team invited O’Shea, though three Leafs players hail from Manitoba. One of those is veteran forward Ryan Reaves, who is the son of former Bombers’ running back and CFL Most Outstanding Player Willard Reaves. His brother, Jordan Reaves, also played in the CFL and spent his first training camp under O’Shea in Winnipeg.
O’Shea was hired by the Bombers to be their head coach in 2014, beginning one of the most successful eras in franchise history. With a 107-69 record through 10 seasons, he sits ninth all-time in CFL wins and has already surpassed Bud Grant as Winnipeg’s winningest coach ever. The two-time CFL Coach of the Year has helped the team reach five straight Grey Cup games, winning championships in 2019 and 2021.
Prior to his coaching career, the native of North Bay, Ont. played 16 years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts. A four-time divisional all-star, he was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 1993 and the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1999. O’Shea retired in 2008 with 1,320 career tackles, 30 sacks, and 22 interceptions.
The Leafs will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Tuesday, January 7 at 7:30 p.m. EST, before visiting the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. EST. They return home against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, January 11.
