1932 - BOX LACROSSE BEGINS
The O.L.A. turned to the box game towards the end of the '31 season.
Several Senior and Intermediate teams played an exhibition league in the
late summer and autumn. They would meet every Tuesday and Thursday night
at Sunnyside Park in Toronto. Charles Querrie donated a trophy for the
league championship. Thus the Ontario league was prepared for the
official transition to box lacrosse the next spring.
With such a major change the minnows suddenly became giants. Two minor
powers took to the box game immediately. Both Mimico and Fergus jumped
to Senior and the first impression they made was impressive. Meanwhile
matters went from bad to worse for the Mann Cup holders.
Excelsiors once again fell victim to Professional raiding. They lost
Bucko MacDonald, Bill Anthony, Oddie Core, Mooney Gibson, Stew Beatty
and Claude Jennings. Plus George Sproule retired for good. Coupled with
the previous year's losses, Brampton went from potential dynasty to a
club
embarking on nearly a half century Mann Cup drought.
The International Lacrosse League took on an ambitious 30 game schedule
in its sophmore year. At the mid-season break it all ground to a halt.
Conn Smythe complained that he could not keep Toronto going with such
small crowds. Meanwhile Montreal owners Joe Cattarnich and Leo
Dandurand, who also owned the hockey Canadiens, took one glance at their
accounts, saw that they were losing money, then shutdown the team. Thus
ended the first professional box league.
Don't feel too sorry for Joe and Leo. They had plenty of money to lose
on the horses. As for the players, talk about being played for suckers.
Every one was now a pro and inelligible to return to the amateur
leagues. All would have to apply for reinstatement and many had to wait
up to three years before they could return to competitive lacrosse. The
list of talent was awesome. One need only look at the top scorers, as of
July 1st 1932 - the end of the league. Scotty Martin(Six Nations) Chuck
Davidson(Oshawa) Art Pim(Toronto) Norm Zimmer(Brampton) Bucko
MacDonald(Guelph) Irv Loundsbury(St.Catharines) Bill Anthony(Brampton)
Toots White(Fergus) Jerry Kendall(Brampton) Oddie Core(Brampton) . . .
and so on. Plus the goaltenders: Roy Sutherland, Bert Large and Bill
MacArthur. The first Pro Box folly had taken its toll.
The transition to Box Lacrosse in Ontario was remarkably swift.
Overnight the field game, which had ruled for better than half a
century, was replaced. Like talking pictures, the box game created new
enthusiasm which was impossible to ignore.
At the club level, Senior Lacrosse was witnessing equally rapid changes.
St.Simon's declined to enter the boxla era. Plus Oshawa was out of the
league. Meanwhile Mimico, Fergus and Orangeville all returned. The
difference between field and box was when games were played.
Prior to 1932, game day was always Saturday or a holiday(Orangeville
Wednesday games being the rare exception). Box Lacrosse introduced night
games and matches six days a week. Thus the stage was set for increased
schedules.
In '32, the Senior schedule wasn't much longer, however it was truly
chaotic. In Group One the intention had been for each team to play
twenty games. Only one made it. By mid-September there were only seven
league games left, six involving Brampton! Excelsiors needed to win all
of them to make the playoffs. They nearly succeeded. After four wins
they lost to Mimico, then did not bother to play the final one.
Group Two had a more sane 12 game schedule. Fergus topped the division
with 11 wins 1 loss, followed by Niagara Falls at 7-5. They met in a
best of three Group Final. Thistles won the initial contest 5-4.
Opposing snipers Robert Ritchie and Bill Pennie both scored a pair. The
difference
was Norman Russell's late winner. Game Two also went Fergus' way, a wild
11-10 overtime affair. The clubs were level after 60 minutes, thus a ten
minute overtime followed. Ritchie again starred with four goals. Deuces
to his teammates Russell, Joe Bergin and Rex Lovell. The scotsmen next
waited for Group One matters to sort themselves.
The top four squads entered Group One's playoffs: Mimico(13-6)
Orangeville(12-5) National Sea Fleas(11-10) and Hamilton(9-8).
Mountaineers met and disposed of the Sea Fleas with two consecutive
wins. Dufferins and Tigers dueled over two crazy games. On Octorber 3rd,
Orangeville won 13-8 as league scoring champ Percy Bradley notched five
goals. Two days later they prevailed 18-17. Thirty-five goals in one
game! Had Newsy Lalonde and the Montreal Nationals returned? Bradley
again scored five. Alex McPherson led the losers with seven! Jack
Worthy, a Brampton defector, counted four markers.
The division final lasted two games. The Mounties won at home 15-9. Five
goals for Bill 'Duke' Harrison and four for Lorne Brydson. Up in
Orangeville, Mimico won again 11-8. Tom Scott led with a trio, followed
by two goals each from Harrison, Norman Gair and Maurice Murphy.
Thus the minnows met for league honours. No surprise really. Mimico was
essentially the old Weston Suburbanite squad, except that they played
their home games closer to the lake - at Drummond Bowl. Fergus had taken
the junior championship in 1931. Senior in 1932? Most experts doubted it
because Thistles had come through a very weak division. Yet the scots
were ready to prove the experts wrong.
On October 13th, Fergus gave Mimico a terrible scare. A narrow 10-9 home
victory for Mountaineers. Harrisons' hattrick, plus Ken Kingdon's winner
saved the Mounties. Up in Fergus, history was made by Jim 'Flick'
Graham. He became the first and only goaltender to post a playoff
shutout in league box history. Thistles humbled Mimico 8-0. Wattie
Henderson led with a trio and Barney Richardson chipped in a pair. Alas
it would be the scots final win of the year. Also Mimico's final defeat.
The next evening Mountaineers won the deciding match 4-3. A brace from
Joe Murphy carried Mimico to its first championship.
Their first and only Mann Cup title would quickly follow. North Shore
Indians were B.C. champs but they lost a one game playoff to Winnipeg
Tigers. Rumour has it that the night before the contest, the North Shore
players were talked into a drinking bout. They thought they were
drinking with the Winnipeg players but they turned out to just be fans.
With no B.C., the coast was clear for Mimico. Mountaineers hammered
Verdun 15-3 for East Canadian honours. Five goals and eight points for
Duke Harrison. Two more wins followed over Winnipeg. They outscored the
Manitobans 20-8. Norman Gair and Joe Murphy led with eight points each.
Fred 'Frip' Harrison took care of matters at the other end.
One final note. St.Catharines won the junior championship this year. At
the time it was hardly an event to concern Senior Lacrosse. Yet those
young Athletics would soon reshape lacrosse in Ontario.
