Wikipedia / Minto Cup
Wikipedia / Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's box lacrosse team of Canada. The 2026 competition is in Calgary, Alberta, from August 16-23.
It was donated in 1901 by the Governor General, Lord Minto. Originally restricted to amateurs, within three years the first under-the-table professional teams were already competing for it. After 1904, with efforts to keep the professionals out of competition proving to be futile, it was made open to all challengers.
The last successful amateur challenge came in 1908 when New Westminster Salmonbellies won it; the last amateur challenge was made in 1913 by Vancouver Athletic Club. This would be the only time in Canadian lacrosse history when the Mann Cup champions (Vancouver) faced the Minto Cup champions (New Westminster) head-to-head – with the silverware (Minto) going to the winner.
With the professionals essentially in control of the cup by 1910, the newly inaugurated Mann Cup became the replacement for the senior men's national amateur championship.
The Minto Cup professional competition was dominated by the New Westminster Salmonbellies, who held the trophy for 21 of the 29 years in which it was contested (the competition was suspended during World War I). 1924 was the last year professionals played for the Minto Cup—after the Coast professional league folded in June 1924, it was then placed into storage and for a time lost and forgotten when the last trustee died. The trophy was located just prior to the 1938 junior competition, underneath a desk in his office. During the trophy's period of inactivity, there were suggestions to make the Minto Cup an international championship trophy.
In 1934 the last trustee appointed to supervise the Cup died, and the Lord Minto of the day eventually transferred it to the Canadian Lacrosse Association, which decided to award it as the trophy for the national junior men's champion, starting in 1937. Originally, the competition was between all-star provincial teams formed by adding players to the provincial champion. In 1960 this practice was abandoned and the trophy has since been competed for by the Junior A provincial champions of British Columbia of the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League, Ontario of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League and recently Alberta, of the RMLL the only provinces where organized lacrosse thrives.
Champions
Senior Amateur Champions (1901–1903)
1901 Ottawa Capitals - defeated Cornwall Lacrosse Club
1901 Montreal Shamrocks - defeated Cornwall Lacrosse Club and Vancouver YMCA
1902 Montreal Shamrocks - won cup through league play; defeated New Westminster Salmonbellies
1903 Montreal Shamrocks - defeated Brantford Lacrosse Club
Professional/Senior Champions (1904–1908)
1904 Montreal Shamrocks - won cup through league play
1905 Montreal Shamrocks - defeated St. Catharines Athletics
1906 Montreal Shamrocks - defeated Souris (Manitoba)
1906 Ottawa Capitals - defeated Toronto Tecumsehs
1907 Montreal Shamrocks - won cup through league play
1908 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Montreal Shamrocks and Ottawa Capitals
Professional Champions (1909–1924)
1909 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Regina Capitals and Toronto Tecumsehs
1910 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Montreal Lacrosse Club and Montreal Nationals
1911 Vancouver Lacrosse Club - defeated New Westminster and Toronto Tecumsehs
1912 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Cornwall
1913 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Vancouver Athletic Club
1914 New Westminster Salmonbellies - won by default
1915 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Vancouver Lacrosse Club
1916 no competition
1917 no competition
1918 Vancouver "Greenshirts" - claim disputed by New Westminster
1919 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Vancouver Terminals
1920 Vancouver Terminals - defeated New Westminster
1921 New Westminster Salmonbellies defeated Vancouver Terminals
1922 New Westminster Salmonbellies defeated Vancouver Terminals
1924 New Westminster Salmonbellies - won by default
1925–1936 no competition for trophy; placed in storage by Trustee (New Westminster Salmonbellies claims the titles for these years of non-competition)
Junior Champions (1937–Present)
1937 Orillia Terriers - defeated Vancouver Burrard Bluebirds
1938 Mimico Mountaineers - defeated Richmond-Point Grey Juniors
1939 no decision
1940 Ontario All-Stars - defeated British Columbia All-Stars
1941–1946, no competition
1947 St. Catharines Athletics - defeated Vancouver Burrard BC All-Stars
1948 Vancouver Burrards - defeated St. Catharines Athletics
1949 Vancouver Norburn Eagletime - defeated Ontario All-Stars
1950 St. Catharines Athletics - defeated Vancouver Burrard BC All-Stars
1951 Mimico Mountaineers - defeated Manitoba All-Stars
1952 Brampton Excelsiors - defeated Vancouver Kerrisdale BC All-Stars
1953 New Westminster Salmonacs - defeated Long Branch Monarchs
1954 Vancouver PNE Junior Indians - defeated Manitoba All-Stars
1955 Long Branch Monarchs - defeated Manitoba All-Stars
1956 Mount Pleasant (Vancouver) No.177 Legionnaires - defeated Brampton Excelsiors
1957 Brampton ABC's - defeated Victoria Shamrocks
1958 Brampton ABC's - defeated Victoria Shamrocks
1959 Brampton ABC's - defeated New Westminster Salmonbellies
1960 New Westminster Salmonbellies - defeated Whitby Red Wings
1961 Hastings Legionnaires - defeated Burnaby Norburns
1962 Victoria Shamrocks - defeated Brampton Armstrongs
See also
References
External links