Day is one of the most well-known and respected figures in the world of lacrosse. The sport has taken him all over the U.S. and Canada, and he said getting to build the Wings in Philadelphia has been a special opportunity.
“Having the Flyers and Comcast behind us is, (having) the infrastructure, that's the biggest thing if you're starting a pro sports team,” he said. “Before they hired me, they had business people in place. That's the key; that's the No. 1 thing. I was lucky here. I had a full season to spend scouting and planning, getting what kind of team we wanted.”
Day has spent years playing and later coaching lacrosse at the pro level. During much of this time, he also worked as a police officer in Canada.
He had to juggle one year in the playoffs while coaching in Rochester, and serving with the Niagara Regional Police Service.
“I would finish my shift, nights, drive to Rochester. So from Niagara Falls, maybe an hour and a half. Sleep for a couple hours, get up, do video, go to shootaround, sleep, go to the game, coach, we'd win, right back to Niagara Falls and work my second night shift,” he recalled.