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Brian Burke is an optimist when it comes to growing the game of rugby in Canada.

Burke, the former Maple Leafs general manager and president who can be seen dishing his opinions for Rogers Sportsnet on Hockey Night in Canada, is doing his part for the sport dominated by nations in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere.

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He is a minority investor in the Toronto Arrows of Major League Rugby, and he’s happy that Canadian players have a place to develop their skills.

“It gives Canadian players a pathway to play professional rugby and not go overseas,” Burke said. “If you were an elite Canadian player up till last year, you had to go overseas to play. And a number of top Canadian rugby players have made good livings playing there ….

“Now, we hope to get to the point where a top young Canadian player has a place to play professionally here at home.”

The Arrows are entering their second rugby union season this year. In their inaugural season, the team had an uneven start while on the road before ringing up consecutive wins at home to finish third, good for a playoff spot. They lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Seattle Seawolves.

Photo by Gavin Napier / Supplied

Heading into the 2020 season, the Arrows named local product Dan Moor as captain and Markham-born Lucas Rumball as vice captain.

The Arrows spent time in Las Vegas last week for a pre-season mini-camp where the team conducted joint practices with the Colorado Raptors before ending the trip with a friendly against the Utah Warriors on Saturday.