Volume 02.01| July 2022
Onward Lacrosse!
July 2022 week 1
July 2022 Week One - In this issue:
  1. Welcome - from Matthew Black
  2. In conversation with Larry Smeltzer - hosted by Travis Cook
  3. "The Best Sr A Team in Lacrosse History" - by Bruce MacDonald
Coming July 2022 - Week Two ... 
  1. Executive Director's Corner - with David Soul
  2. "Understanding Gender Equity" - by Dr. Lori Livingston
  3. "Politics, language and the Minto Cup' - by Pierre Filion
With much more in the three additional issues to come this month!
Welcome!
Matthew Black
Chairperson
CLHOF
Hello lacrosse enthusiast,

As we are all enjoying the 2022 lacrosse seasons out in the fields and arenas, it is so great to see all the games live and in person after the past two modified years that Covid affected. I am very happy to be able to attended and partake on behalf of the Canadian lacrosse Hall of Fame the celebrations recognizing 150 years of Peterborough Lacrosse! Myself and our Executive Director David Soul will also be looking forward to meeting and renewing friendships with organizations in the region.
I am also very happy to announce that in 2023 the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame will be holding our first ever Induction Banquet in Ontario. We at the CLHOF are very fortunate to have people step up and volunteer to take on the heavy load of organizing and holding the event to be held in November of next year. I have been assured that the party will go on longer and with more exuberance than has happened at previous Induction Banquets. With a successful event I hope that we can alternate locations for the Induction Banquet as our game continues to grow.

I would also like to thank all those people who have taken the time to write up nominations for worthy candidates to be considered for induction in the Hall. If you have ever asked yourself why so and so is not a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, please ensure that that person has been nominated.
With the growth of the field game and the introduction and expected inclusion of Sixes into the Olympics, the Hall is reminding people to consider the greats of the outdoor game as well when considering nominations.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this edition of Onwards.

(Note, opinions regarding the “greatest” in lacrosse are those of the authors and not of myself or the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The conversations and excitement is something we are looking forward to hearing).

Matt
Chair
Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) DAVID SOUL, CLHOF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; JOHNNY “SHOOTER DAVIS, MANN CUP CHAMPION; RJ “BOBBY” ALLAN, FOUR-TIME MANN CUP CHAMPION (TWICE WITH THE LAKERS); AND MATTHEW BLACK, CLHOF CHAIR.
PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.
In conversation with the legendary Larry Smeltzer - hosted by Travis Cook
Larry Smeltzer
CLHOF Class of 1993
Travis Cook
CLHOF Class of 2004
Before I get to the conversation, allow me to briefly highlight a few of the achievements of this Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame goaltender. As stated to me, his highlights are team successes rather than individual achievements and here are a few:

  • 1975 NLL Professional Lacrosse Champion with Les Caribous de Quebec
  • 1977 Mann Cup Champion with Vancouver Burrards
  • 1978 Commonwealth Games Champion with Victoria Shamrocks
  • 1979 Mann Cup Champion with Victoria Shamrocks
  • 1985 Presidents Cup Champion with North Shore Indians

TC. Where did you start out in lacrosse and what motivated you to play as a goaler?
LS. I started out playing in Fergus, ON. We lived a few miles out of town on a farm. Sadly, we lost our barn in a fire and my dad did not want to rebuild, so he moved us to a house on the edge of Fergus. I liked it because there was more to do in Fergus than on the farm. I made a friend quickly and he said to me, "if you’re gonna make friends in Fergus, you’ve gotta start learning how to play lacrosse." So he had an extra stick for me and he began to teach me to catch and throw. He came by again about a week later and told me that his team had been practicing, but it was not great because they had only one goalie. They had practice that night, so he asked me if I had the testicular fortitude to be a lacrosse goalie and I said yes. I went to practice and found out that the next night we had a game in Owen Sound! So we went and I was the starting goaltender that night. We won 4-2 and I was now their number one goaltender. There was no turning back and I was loving it and making new friends.
TC. So you started in goal, did you ever want to play out?
LS. No, I began to really enjoy stopping the ball. I enjoyed the community that was Fergus lacrosse. Our weekends in this community was Fergus Thistles lacrosse on Friday nights and about 3 miles away on Saturday nights was the Elora Mohawks lacrosse. Both communities have solid lacrosse histories of participation in the sport and Fergus Thistles lacrosse dates back to the early Confederation days around 1867. Lacrosse popularity with the local faithful was evident and its support was an inspiration to the players. So on the weekends both barns were jumping. When Six Nations, Hagersville, or Ohsweken came to town, there would be 1200 fans in the barn and as many outside in the parking lot and surrounding the building.

TC. Did you have a role model in goal to pattern your style after or did you incorporate your own style of goaltending?
LS. I did not have one particular player who I modeled my play after. I believe I learned something from every goaltender that I saw. If you really study the shooters, you will see that they have a favored shot, or a favored move in certain situations to get them to the favored shot. It is up to the goaler to study and prepare. Once I was prepared, I would give the shooter what he liked, then disappoint him by taking it away.
 
I learned from Pat Baker from Peterborough the importance of passing and head manning the ball. Once I saw how effective he was at passing, it became an element of the game that I wanted to master. When I got to the Syracuse Stingers of the pro league in 1974, I got a goalie stick made for me by Alfie Jacques and wow that added to my game. Alfie made it with a long handle to help scoop and trap balls around the crease. Passing was a necessary component of the game back then to trigger the fast break, and I could just arc the passes to forwards on the run. That stick really added to my game and gave me confidence. I got many assists in those two years in the NLL.
 
As a matter of fact, I was the 10th leading scorer in pro league playoffs in 1975! I also admired Ernie Mitchell, the opposing Montreal Quebecois goaltender in the NLL Finals. We had similar styles in goal but I was bigger in size. He was acrobatic and very quick to stop a shot. Often he would catch the shot and move it up the floor quickly for a potential fastbreak. Rick Palla was an opposing goaler in Jr A lacrosse. We became the goaltenders for Quebec of the pro league in a roundabout way. I was drafted in the first round by Rochester (Morley Kells) and Rick was drafted by Toronto (Jim Bishop). I held out for more money in Rochester and I think Rick was a disgruntled employee in Toronto. We both ended up in Syracuse shortly into the first pro league season. We became good friends. There was no jealousy between us. We were supportive of each other as a pro lacrosse goaltending tandem. We offered our insights during timeouts to whomever was playing and between periods also. I hit the goaltending lottery when I was paired with Rick Palla for those two memorable seasons.

TC. Tell me who were the top shooters you faced in your career?
LS. These are in no particular order. Kevin Alexander was a very deceptive, tricky and intelligent shooter. He could somehow worm through two guys and still get to the goal, and finish. In his prime, Gaylord Powless was the man. Smart, tough, great stickhandler, could rag the ball, and what a touch when it came to scoring. Johnny Davis must have hated every goaltender he faced as he tortured goaltenders. He was relentless and you could not take the ball from him, and had that feathery touch around the goal. Doug Hayes was a beast to stop. He was the poster boy for power forwards. He had all the tools to succeed and the muscle to overpower defenders. Hayes had the lethal combination of size, speed, and power. John Grant Sr was simply a magician with his stick. He was 6’ 7" tall and his overhand shot was deadly because it came from such an awkward, downward angle. He could bounce it at your feet or find the corners. He was a very difficult player to gauge. His stick fakes and cradling kept you guessing on what he was about to do, and his backhand pass to the corner shooter or to the crease was money.

TC. Where did your nickname Mooner come from?
LS. I was teased by teammates in Quebec because a reporter heard the guys calling me Mooner and the wrote it in the French paper. So the Caribous fans called me, Mooner. Next thing all the players are calling me Mooner.
 
Moon Wooten was a goaler from Peterborough who played for Owen Sound. He was an outstanding goaltender. I was playing for Brampton and the NHL referee John McCauley was the coach. I was having an exceptional game and he muttered at the bench that this must be the second coming of Moon Wooten. The players laughed and the handle Mooner stuck. True story.

TC. I want to give you an opportunity to provide any closing thoughts.
LS. I would like to sing the praises to the community of Fergus for its remarkable support of the game of lacrosse. They were great fans and I sensed as a youth how important the game was to this small community. Their encouragement spurred me on to reach higher. We had a season ending banquet at the end of my first season. Bob Dobbie from Fergus was the featured speaker and had recently won the Mann Cup with Brampton. He told the audience of how the traveled to beautiful Victoria, BC and won the Mann Cup. I was so moved, I blurted out to the people at our table that someday I will go to Victoria BC and win the Mann Cup. The people at the table roared with laughter as this second year peewee rookie goaltender declared his future success. Well in 1979, it happened.
 
Another time, we were walking of the floor after a loss and our minor coach, Cleve Self, stopped me and patted my head and said, "stick with it son, someday you’ll be an excellent goaltender". In 1967 and 1968, our neighbor Elora Jr B was the Founders Cup Champions (Castrol Cup). An OLA rule was that if you won back to back National Championships, you were automatically moved up to the next level. Little Elora (pop of 3000), was now competing in OLA Jr A lacrosse in 1969 against the Toronto area teams, plus Peterborough, St Catharines, Huntsville, etc. We in Elora and Fergus didn’t have the player numbers to compete. We on a good night had 15 runners dressed, most games 12. We were being outshot by 30 or 40 shots.
 
This is in the Oshawa Green Gael era of dominance. We played them and got outshot 100+ to 20, and lost 18-2. Not too bad, and Jim Bishop walks over and tells me what and outstanding performance I had. That was comforting. A few years, I got called up to a Sr A game for Windsor as they hosted Peterborough. Before the game we were getting our pep talk and I was adjusting my pads and not really paying attention. Bishop hollers and asks me what I should do in the situation he was describing and I had no answer. Bishop went off on me and I was in shock. An OLA rule about playing up was that you had to start the game and play. After the first 5 minutes, the score was 4-0 for the ‘Boro. Bishop calls timeout and I slowly walk over to the bench for the hook. I was dumbfounded. They took 4 shots and 4 goals against me. Bishop is on the end of the bench nearest our goal and I walk over. He puts his hand around the back of my neck and says to me, "I flew you down here because I knew you could do it...now get back out there and do it"!
 
I go back out to the goal and am greeted with a Johnny Davis all alone breakaway right off the faceoff. He throws a half dozen fakes and I get a toe on it to keep it out. The crowd goes wild and I get my confidence back. There are 3500 fans at the game, more than the population of Fergus! We come back and win 22-8. I get first star of the game. I come back up a couple more games during the season. Now, I was there with Bishop long enough to learn something from Bishop but not long enough for him to ruin me. He was a very demanding and overbearing coach. But I have respect for Bishop because he could have yanked me in that game and further destroyed my confidence, as he had with his tirade in the dressing room. But he did not. He gave me a second chance in that instance and I am grateful for that.
"The Best Senior A Team in Lacrosse History"
 by Bruce MacDonald
Matthew Black
Chairperson
CLHOF
HEADING: The Sure-fire No-miss Dead-certain Objectively Speaking Absolute Greatest Senior A Lacrosse Team in Recorded History Beyond A Shadow of a Doubt.
 
COPY: Maybe you’ve had this discussion with your buddies and teammates: What team is the sure-fire no-miss dead-certain objectively speaking absolute greatest Senior A lacrosse team in recorded history beyond a shadow of a doubt?
 
It’s a surprisingly easy question to answer: Whatever lacrosse playing Canadian town you’re from is also the home of the greatest team ever. Everyone knows that. No research required. It’s a stupid question. Foregone conclusion. Okay, which team is the second best ever? Answer: who cares?
Even though you already know the answer, we at the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame got to thinking about the greatest team ever, just as an exercise, you understand, just for fun.
 
So, we devised criteria. First, to be considered for the title of greatest ever Sr. A box team the team has to be a CLHOF inductee. Inducted teams: 1876-83 Caughnawaga,* 1938 St. Catharines Athletics, 1951-54 Peterborough Trailermen, 1958-59 & 1962 Salmonbellies, 1961-67 Vancouver Carlings, 1968-72 Salmonbellies, 1985-91 Brooklin Redmen, 1980-89 Salmonbellies, 1994-96 Six Nations Chiefs. There is one exception: The 1934-36 Orillia Terriers. Had there been a team category from 1965 when the CLHOF was founded to the induction of the first team, the Vancouver Carlings, in 1999, the 1934-36 Orillia Terriers would without question be in the Hall of Fame. Therefore, we have included them as worthy contenders for the best ever team.
 
* The Caughnawaga teams of 1876-83 were inducted into the CLHOF in 1998. Is one of those teams the best ever? Unfortunately, we don’t know much about them, other than that they toured England, there are no stats, and of course they did not compete for the Minto or Mann Cups, so it will have to stay an open question for now.
 
Sr. A lacrosse was a field game between 1900 and 1932. The Minto Cup was introduced in 1901 and the Mann Cup was introduced in 1910. We are going to name a best field lacrosse team in addition to a best box team.
 
Even though we are choosing only one team as it was in one year from field and box to be our greatest ever, we must consider a team’s performance in a continuous span of time, because it says too much about a team’s greatness to ignore it. Even though players arrive and depart, and a team’s line up changes to some degree year-to-year, we must still award it points. Call it points for core longevity. Therefore, we are awarding a point for each Mann Cup won in a row. (Using the example of the Orillia Terriers, who won three Mann Cups in a row: 3 points.)
 
More points are awarded to a team on the basis of how many individuals on that team are also members of the CLHOF. So, for example, the 1961-67 Vancouver Carlings have ten individuals in the Hall: 10 points.
 
We must also consider a team’s regular season record. With that in mind, we have awarded one point for an undefeated regular season. In the same vein, we have awarded teams one point for an undefeated playoff record. Then there is the Mann Cup final series. Any team that swept the series is awarded one point.
 
The Orillia Terriers won three Mann Cups in a row, 1934-36. The ’34 Terriers defeated the Salmonbellies in Barrie, Ontario, led by CLHoFamers Bill Wilson, Ed Downey, Bill Wilkes, the Curran brothers Bill and Ernie, and goalie Pete Anthony. The ’35 Terriers defeated Winnipeg’s Elmwood Pats and Calgary before beating the Richmond Farmers for the Cup. In total, Orillia in ’35 played about 50 games. The ’36 Terriers defeated the North Shore Indians for the Cup at Maple Leaf Gardens. A 1950 nation-wide poll of Canadian sports editors and broadcasters gave the Terriers an honourable mention as one of the great teams of 1900-1950 alongside the 1938 St. Catharines Athletics, the 1909-10 Salmonbellies, and the 1929 Oshawa General Motors. It is a mystery why the Terriers are not in the CLHOF—they should be. We pick the 1935 edition of the team.
 
Orillia Terriers? That’s nothing, you say. You’ll find the greatest box team ever in St. Catharines. The Athletics won it all in 1938, lost narrowly to the New Westminster Adanacs in ’39, but won two Cups in a row 1940-41, and two more Cups in ’44 and ’46. And let’s not forget, the Athletics did all this during WWII. It takes a hell of a team to defeat the best in Canada and Hitler at the same time. The A’s have 7 players in the CLHOF: Roy “Pung” Morton, Carl “Gus” Madsen, Frank Madsen, John “Wandy” McMahon, Bill Wilson, Bill Whittaker, and Joe Cheevers. The best. Hands down. The St. Catharines team in the CLHOF is the 1938 version, so that’s the one we have to go with.
 
We turn our attention to the 1951-54 Peterborough teams. Four Mann Cups in a row. Only been done once before (by the Vancouver Athletic Club 1910-13) and not since. Ergo, Peterborough of the early ‘50s must be the best of all time. Look at the 1953 line up: Jack “Curly” Mason, Ross Powless, Russ Slater, Don “Nip” O’Hearn, Harry Wipper, and Lloyd “Moon” Wootton in goal. Victoria’s 1953 Mann Cup team was just as strong with Archie Browning, Jack Northup, and Whitey Severson. But Victoria’s net minder allowed 51 goals out of 113 shots over 5 games: a 54% stop average. With goaltending (and defence?) like that, can you really say unequivocally that the ’53 Peterborough Mann Cup team is the best ever? Or maybe their shooters were really that good? The facts remain: four Mann Cups in a row and 11 players in the CLHOF. We’ll go with the 1953 Peterboroughs as a contender for the best ever. 
 
In 1959 CLA President Les Gilmore called the ’59 O’Keefe’s (Salmonbellies by a sponsor’s name) “perhaps the greatest team the West has ever produced.” The playing-coach of the team the O’Keefe’s defeated in ’59, Moon Wootton, said of the ’59 O’Keefe’s, “That is the greatest team I ever played against.” High praise. But Moon’s praise is for the greatest team he ever played against. Wootton did not say the O’Keefe’s were the greatest team ever. Jack Fulton, Sr., however, has no qualms about ranking the ’59 O’Keefe’s as the greatest ever. But should we discount his opinion? After all, Fulton, along with GM Harry McKnight, assembled the ’59 team, so his opinion is hardly disinterested or objective. But hold on, the ’59 O’Keefe’s featured Jack Bionda who racked up 144 points over the course of the season, and in the Mann Cup against the Peterborough Mercury’s tallied 12 goals in 4 games, leading all scorers on both teams by a wide margin. Of course, Bionda didn’t do it alone. He had big time teammates. In fact, eight 1959 Salmonbellies are in the CLHOF: Jack Byford, Cliff Sepka, Stan Joseph, Jack Barclay, Ivan Stewart, Mario Crema, Les Norman, and Doug McRory. So, the ’59 O’Keefe’s represent that era. (And who are we anyway to disagree with Jack Fulton, Sr.?)
 
How about the 1961-67 Vancouver Carlings? In 1964 the Carlings were down 3 games to 1 in Brooklin and came back to win the Mann, only the fourth time that a Western team had won in the East since 1932. Many knowledgeable observers have called it the greatest series ever. Ten Carlings have gone into the CLHOF including Gordie Gimple, Fred Usselman, John Cervi, and Bill Chisholm, and in 1999 the 1961-67 Carlings were inducted into the CLHOF, the first team to receive the honour. We select the 1964 Carlings to represent the era.
 
Not so fast, they say in New Westminster. Granted, the Carlings were good, the 1908 Salmonbellies set the standard for the future, and the 1959 O’Keefe’s were awesome, but, with apologies to Jack Fulton, Sr. and Les Gilmore, if you’re looking for number one look no further than the 1968-72 Salmonbellies.
 
In 1968 the Salmonbellies opted out of the amateur Inter-city Lacrosse League and were one of four Western teams competing against each other and against four Eastern teams in the interlocking East-West professional league begun by Jim Bishop and Morley Kells (the NLA). In the regular season the Salmonbellies could only muster a 19-19 win-loss record, but in the playoffs defeated Vancouver in seven games to advance to the semi-finals against the Portland Adanacs. The series went to seven games, with New Westminster prevailing. The very next night, the Eastern champs, the Detroit Olympics (mostly the graduated cream of the Jr. Oshawa Green Gaels), arrived in the Royal City. The series went another seven games, with the Salmonbellies winning. It was a grueling season for all teams involved, and New Westminster played an incredible 60 games. Up-and-coming youngsters such as Wayne and Ed Goss, Al Lewthwaite, and Ken Winzoski blended with established stars such as Paul Parnell, Wayne Shuttleworth, Cliff Sepka, and Larry Henry to get the job done. The Salmonbellies lost the NLL final to Peterborough in seven games in 1969, but were back in the Mann Cup in 1970, winning in four straight against the Lakers. The Bellies lost to the Brantford Warriors in the Mann Cup in 1971, but captured the Cup the following year again against Brantford. Two more Mann Cups followed in ’74 and ’76, and there are 14 Salmonbellies of that time period in the CLHOF including, in addition to those players already mentioned, Doug McRory, Ken Oddy, Mac Tyler, Steve d’Easum, Kerry Gallagher, and Joe Comeau. So, let’s go with the ’68 ‘bellies to represent the 1968-72 teams.
 
As impressive as the 1968-72 Salmonbellies are, the heir to those teams, the 1980-89 editions of the Salmonbellies, might be even more impressive. Might be. Possibly. Maybe. In 1981 the ‘bellies defeated Brampton for the Mann Cup. In 1985 the team set a Mann Cup record they didn’t want, losing four straight Mann Cup games to Brooklin after being up by three. New Westminster revenged its loss to Brooklin in ’86 and became the first Western team to win a Mann Cup in the East in ten years. It was a different ending in ’87, with Brooklin winning the Mann again. The Salmonbellies closed out the decade with another Mann Cup in 1989, for a total of 3 Cups in 9 years (adding another in ’91), but none in a row. Seven 1980-89 Salmonbellies are in the CLHOF: Ben Hieltjes, Geordie Dean, Eric Cowieson, Rod Banister, Lyle Robinson, Andy Ogilvy, and Dave Durante. We’ll pick the ’86 Bellies to represent the 1980s New Westminster teams.
 
The 1985-90 Brooklin Redmen are by any measure among the elite teams in history. The ’87 Redmen were undefeated in 20 league games, 3 of 3 in round robin games, and then defeated Peterborough 4 straight to advance to the Mann Cup for the third time in four years. The final, against the Salmonbellies in New Westminster, went seven games, with the Redmen prevailing. In 1988 Brooklin repeated ’87’s extraordinary record of no loses by winning 28 of 28 total games, including 4 in a row over Peterborough in the Eastern finals. The Redmen then disposed of Coquitlam in the Mann Cup 4 games to 2. In ’89 Brooklin was even stronger—if that was possible—thanks largely to the addition of superstar Gary Gait. Yet again, the Redmen were undefeated in 24 regular season and round robin games. Brooklin then beat Peterborough 4 games to 3 in the Eastern finals and only a determined effort by the Samonbellies at home in Queen’s Park Arena stopped the Redmen juggernaut 4 games to 2 in the Mann Cup. Let’s add up Brooklin’s 1987-89 record: 60-0 in league play; 93-12 in round robin, playoff, and Mann Cup play. Two Mann Cups in three years, including one played in New Westminster. An incredible record, to say the least. Ten Brooklin Redmen are in the CLHOF including Gil Nieuwendyk, Ken and Wayne Colley, Tom Wreggit, Derek Keenan, Eric Perroni, and John Fusco. It’s a toss up for the single best team of the ’87 through ’89 Redmen, but on the strength of a 27-0 regular season and playoff record, followed by a 4 to 3 Mann Cup victory in the West—without Gary Gait—over a powerful Salmonbellies team, we’re going to pick the ’87 Redmen to represent the 1980s Brooklin teams.
 
How about the 1993-95 Six Nations Chiefs as the best ever? No visiting team has won the Mann in the West since Six Nations did it in 1994 against the Salmonbellies. Four members of the team are in the CLHOF: Cam Bomberry, Duane Jacobs, Darris Kilgour, and Paul Gait. We’ll select the ’94 Chiefs.
 
The Montreal Shamrocks won and retained the Minto Cup five years in a row, 1901-1905. In addition, in the years before the Minto Cup, the team won the National Lacrosse Union title in 1899, placed second in 1900, and won the Minto for a final time in 1907. An impressive record. By general consensus, the 1904 edition of the Shamrocks is the finest of all, winning all 7 league games, scoring 81 goals and allowing only 19. The Shamrocks defeated Brantford in two games in a two-game Minto Cup final. Three Shamrocks are in the CLHOF: Patrick “Paddy” Brennan, Henry Hoobin, and Jim Kavanagh. It’s entirely possible that the 1904 Montreal Shamrocks are the greatest ever field team.
 
The New Westminster Salmonbellies won the Minto Cup in 1908 (defeating the mighty Shamrocks at home in Montreal) and successfully defended the Cup 1909-10 before losing to the Vancouver Lacrosse Club in 1911. The Salmonbellies won back the Cup in 1912. The 1908 version of the team won all 7 league games, scoring 88 goals while allowing only 14. Very impressive. Their great rivals, the Montreal Shamrocks, scored 7 fewer goals and allowed 5 more in 1904. Eleven 1908-10 & 1912 Salmonbellies are in the CLHOF: Alex Turnbull, Cliff Spring, Gordon Spring, George Rennie, Pat Fenney, Jimmy Gifford, Bun Clark, Tom Gifford, Buck Marshall, Len Turnbull, and Hugh Gifford. We’re giving the nod to the 1908 team to represent the Salmonbellies of that era.
 
What about the 1911 Vancouver Lacrosse Club? With a couple of exceptions, it was an Eastern all-star team bought and paid for by the team’s owner, the great and colourful Con Jones. The team’s biggest star by far was Eduard “Newsy” Lalonde (cited in a 1950 poll of Canadian sports editors and broadcasters as the greatest lacrosse player of 1900-1950.) Not far behind Newsy in the goals department was Billy Fitzgerald and Angus “Bones” Allen. Another Easterner, Harry Pickering, played an important mid-field defensive role. Harry Godfrey, George Matheson, and Dave Gibbons provided the local talent. All seven players were inducted into the CLHOF. Simply put, a lacrosse team starring Newsy Lalonde has to be given consideration for top spot. 
 
Scoring System
 
1 point for each Mann or Sr. Minto Cup win in a row.
1 point for each individual on a Mann or Sr. Minto Cup winning team.
1 point for an undefeated regular season record.
1 point for an undefeated playoff record.
1 point for an undefeated Mann Cup final series.
          
The jury is in. The greatest Sr. A box team in history is the 1953 Peterborough Trailermen.
 
In second place is the 1987 Brooklin Redmen, and in third place is the 1968 Salmonbellies.
 
The greatest ever Sr. A field team is the 1908 New Westminster Salmonbellies, followed by the 1904 Montreal Shamrocks and the 1911 Vancouver Lacrosse Club. 
Peterborough 1951- 1956
Team Category - Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame - Class of 2022
From 1951 to 1956 this team dominated Canadian Lacrosse, taking part in six consecutive Mann Cup finals, winning four straight titles (1951-1954) - a feat no other team in box lacrosse history has matched.
 
The dynasty operating under the names "Timberman" and "Trailermen" attracted an incredible number of superstars.
Classic John Davis move -
from the left corner across the middle
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