In spite of a competitive league, this season will only be remembered for one event. Not the opening of the Rose Bowl. Though on July 1st it was opened at Roselea Park and the Excelsiors performed in front of a near capacity crowd of 2,700. The one event people would talk about for years to come also involved Brampton. That much darker event was the tragic death of Lance Isaacs.

The Isaacs brothers had joined Toronto Marlboros for the '37 campaign. They were the team's two leading lights. The game which was to be Lance's last was played at Maple Leaf Gardens. Isaacs was injured seconds before the halftime break. He received a blow over the heart which caused the rupture of the coronary vessel. Lance struggled to the bench and went straight to the dressing room. His teammates soon joined him as Issacs was checked out by the trainer. Lance was heard to groan then dropped into the arms of the trainer. Bill rushed to his brother and, seeing that he was dead, fainted. The game was called off and the spectators received their money back. Brampton asked the O.L.A. to award the game to Toronto. Marlboros were leading 7-5 as Lance had scored the last goal, his 20th of the year. Isaacs had played with his brother, first at Haldimand, then Burlington in Intermediate, before making the jump to Senior in 1935. In August a Provincial Inquiry ruled that no one was at fault for Isaacs' death.

This year Bill Anthony did not have his bid for a scoring title derailed by his team. Brampton lasted the entire season and Anthony led the league with 71 goals and 89 points, both league records. Gordon Gair was 13 points back, followed by league leading playmaker Rusty White with 32 assists. Despite missing five games due to his brother's death, Bill Isaacs still made the Top Ten. He placed seventh with 65 points. But 48 goals left him two shy of his third straight 50 goal season. In fact Isaacs would score more than 50 in five out of six years. Even better, he would win his second scoring championship in 1938, the first of five consecutive titles. A record which would survive over fifty years.

A new playoff format was introduced as the top six out of seven teams made the playoffs, with first place playing sixth, second meeting fifth and third pairing up against fourth. Mimico took top honours with an 18-6 record, equalled by second place Orillia. St.Catharines was next at 13-11, then came Toronto(12-12) Brampton(11-13) and Fergus(9-15). Brantford missed out due to their 3 win season.

The opening round was short and decisive. Mimico, Orillia and St.Catharines each won two straight to advance. The Mountaineers had the option of playing the Athletics or taking a bye. They chose to wait for the final, leaving the defending champs and Double Blues to duel. The best of three series commenced with a stunning 18-8 victory for the youthful A's. Bill Fitzgerald scored five goals and Pung Morton added four to shock the titleholders. The Terriers recovered to win 14-8 as eight different players scored. The third game was much closer. Once again Orillia's depth prevailed. Nine different goal scorers in a 12-9 victory. They went on to defend their title by beating Mimico three games to one. They were all very tight wins. First was an 11-10 victory as Dick Walsh set up three goals. Next came a wild 17-14 shootout. Norman Gair fired in four markers, while Duke Harrison had his second straight hattrick, not good enough. Joe Cheevers scored four times for the winners. The finale was an even wilder 20-17 match. Defensive specialist Vern Steggall stepped up with a five goal effort.

Mann Cup play began with an 11-10 loss to Cornwall! The Cupholders put that setback behind them and won the next two games by scores of 17-6 and 25-6. Ernie Curran scored seven times in the last game. Montreal Canadians were next beaten two straight. The Eastern Canadian Champions began their trip west in Elmwood. They won 23-8, another seven goal game for Curran. Next to fall were the Calgary Rangers, 23-8.

This brought Orillia to Queen's Park, to face a New Westminster club with five former Terriers: Pete Anthony, Ed Downey, Hank Munro, Bill Wilkes and Bill Wilson. Note that none of those players were Orillia natives.

The Terriers were treated like visiting royalty as they arrived in the Royal City. They were strong favourites to win their fourth straight Mann Cup. A great dynasty at the height of its power! Little did anyone realise that the dynasty was about to end with a tremendous crash.

The series opened on October 8th, in front of 5,000 fans. New Westminster survived some late penalties to hang on for an 11-9 win. It was the ex-Terriers who did the damage. Tiny Bramptonite Pete Anthony shutdown the Orillia shooters, Bill Wilson and Ed Downey both scored a pair and Hank Munro topped all scorers with six points.

Queen's Park Arena was deemed too small, thus the series moved to the larger Vancouver Forum for Game Two. The easterners took advantage of the larger floor to lead throughout much of the contest. At the mid-point of the fourth quarter they were up 10-9. Then the roof fell in. Wilson tied it, the first of six straight goals as the Salmonbellies won going away 15-10. Remarkable finish because the Fishmen only used nine players the entire game!

The third and final game was a 19-12 western rout. A western rout with eastern flavouring. Of New Westminster's 45 goals scored in the series, 37 came from the sticks of Ontario boys! Nevertheless, the Salmonbellies had won their first Mann Cup of the box era. It was like 1908 all over again as the Royal City fans celebrated with a huge downtown bonfire. There was nothing eastern about these fanatics and it was their support which had made this championship possible.

For Orillia it was indeed over. Ol' Bill MacArthur retired. Yorky Jordan, the hired gun of the '37 campaign, departed for small town Fergus. Joe Cheevers and Wandy McMahon returned to St.Catharines. How quickly the worm was to turn.

In this campaign every team made the playoffs. This was due to Brantford dropping out in mid season. With several additions from Orillia, plus Bill Wilson's return home from New Westminster, St.Catharines finished first with a 23-5 record. The defending champs also won twenty games, good enough for second place. Brampton and Mimico tied for third. Even though they were scheduled to meet in the Quarter Finals the Mountaineers and Excelsiors had to play a two game tie break to determine home advantage. The two games were split but Mimico scored the most goals to win the series. They then turned around and lost two straight playoff games to Brampton. So much for home advantage.

The regular season featured a tremendous scoring race as the 100 point barrier was eclipsed. Bill Isaacs, back with Hamilton-Burlington, edged Pung Morton 111 to 101. Isaacs also scored a record setting 80 goals. Morton counted 73, closely followed by Bucko MacDonald's 70. MacDonald returned to the OLA wearing Terrier colours. Orillia also signed Toronto junior sensation Bill Brunskill. Brunskill was one of the most natural goal scorers the game has ever seen. He scored 50 in 24 games his freshman year. The defending champs also coaxed Gord Boettger out of retirement. It was an annual spring tradition for Butch Boettger to announce his retirement and he usually rejoined the Terriers by June atthe latest.

Both St.Catharines and Orillia had easy Quarter Final series. TheDouble Blues defeated Hamilton-Burlington by scores of 15-12 and 16-7. The Terriers had an even easier time. They faced Fergus, minus league leading playmaker Rusty White. The Thistles were crushed 22-8 as Brunskill scored six and Ernie Curran added five. White returned for the second game and counted a hattrick. Orillia still romped, 21-15.

In an odd twist, the Athletics declined the bye and chose to play Brampton in the Semi Final. They nearly regretted it as the Excelsiors gave them two very tough matches. 2,600 attended the opener in Brampton. It was a rugged, hard checking battle. Fairly even as St.Catharines only took a 5-3 lead to halftime. Four straight goals to begin the third quarter broke it open. The home side battled back late. Two George Gowland markers cut the lead to 11-8 with 5 minutes remaining. The Excelsiors added one more in the last minute, losing 11-9. Over 3,000 watched the rematch three days later. As Hitler marched through Czechoslavkia, the A's moved on to the Final, thanks to an 8 goal second quarter. They led 11-4 at the half, enroute to a 12-9 win.

A rested Orillia squad promptly surprised the Double Blues by winning the opener of their best of five final 14-8. Over 4,200 saw the purple and white Terriers sail to victory. Carl Madsen scored 12 seconds into the contest. Orillia replied with the next 6 goals. It was 12-3 by the end of the third quarter. Hattricks for junior call, redheaded up Onions Smith and Bucko MacDonald.

On September 19th, the defending champs continued to look good. They led St.Catharines 2-0 early then 3-2. Bill Brunskill next went to work. He set up MacDonald for a score, then added another on a solo effort 20 seconds later. By halftime Orillia led 6-2. The biggest blunder of the match was made by Terrier goaltender Ted Hall. Four minutes into the quarter Hall went the length of the floor only to be stopped by Bill Whitaker. Whitaker fired a quick pass to Bill Wilson who beat defender Don Willson to the open net for an easy goal. That sparked an Double Blue rally, cutting the lead to 6-5. Brunskill stopped the bleeding with Orillia's final goal of the quarter and their last of the night. George Hope made it 7-6 at the end of the period. Eleven scoreless minutes followed. Finally George Urquhart tied the game. With 2 1/2 minutes remaining, Roy Barnard set up ex-Terrier Wandy McMahon shorthanded for the winner. Two more Athletic goals were counted in the last minute.

After a days rest the series continued. 4,300 braved a continual downpour. Jerry Connell fractured his leg when Carl Madsen fell on top of him. This injury ended the big Orillia defenceman's season. Roy Morton missed the match due to two cracked ribs. The contest was even 3-3, then Whitaker shutout the champs for a 32 minute stretch. St.Catharines scored nine times during that stretch. They went on to an easy 18-7 win. Late in the evening, Tom Teather and Bill Brunskill treated the fans to a penalty box fight.

The A's were without George Coles(stomach disorder) for the next game. They won without him. St.Catharines led 4-2 after fifteen minutes and 8-3 by the half. It was 14-10 late when they punished the desperate Terriers with two open net goals. The purple and white's domination of Ontario lacrosse was at an end.

A week later, the Double Blues began their Mann Cup quest in Cornwall. They were challenged by a game local crew. Angus George beat Bill Whitaker five times and Lawrence Deebank scored four. After thirty minutes the contest was tied 6-6. The Athletics won the third period 6-2 to take control. They went on to a 17-11 victory as George Urquhartzscored four times. The second match was in Toronto and a wild one. Twenty second half goals as St.Catharines took it 25-8.

There had been a revolution in Royal City lacrosse. A New Westminster club was coming east, however it wasn't the Salmonbellies. They had been surpassed by the Adanacs(Canada spelt backwards). Which brings us to one of the great western myths of lacrosse. Common knowledge has it that the Adanacs were created because the Salmonbellies were importing easterners and denying local kids a chance to play. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Ontario imports did not hit New Westminster in force until 1936. The Adanacs meanwhile had finished 4th in the ICLL in 1933(7-17 record) 4th in '34(8-16) 4th ahead of the Fishmen in '35(9-15) 4th in '36(10-14) as the Bellies soared back to the top with their eastern talent and 2nd in '37(15-13). With the Salmonbellies going after out of province players the Adanacs did become the team for the local boys to play on but that wasn't the reason the A's were created. Regardless of the reasons, '38 was to be the year the Adanacs capped their improvement with a championship. They finished first in league play with a 17-7 record, slightly ahead of the 15-5 Salmonbellies. In the ICLL final, they defeated their hated rivals 3 games to 1. The western A's were about to duel with the eastern A's.

The first game at Maple Leaf Gardens drew a crowd of 6,000. Chief Thomas of Six Nations made Charles Querrie an honoury chief before the series kicked off. New Westminster took the opening quarter 4-3. It was 6-6 by halftime, thanks to Pung Morton's hat trick. It was 9-9 by three quarter time as Morton potted another pair. There was a 10 minute delay when a fan tossed a bottle onto the floor. A burly cop escorted the troublemaker from the building in no gentle manner. New West grabbed their final lead early in the last period. 35 seconds later George Urquhart tied it. A minute later Morton scored yet again. Then 84 seconds after that Morton's 7th goal made it 12-10. The Double Blues blasted home four more by the eight minute mark. The final was 18-11.

On October 10th the Adanacs again started well. Ali Baba Gus Madsen hit them early, with a goal 98 seconds into the match. Still the westerners kept it tight and only trailed 7-6 by the half. To begin the third quarter, Carl Madsen again and Urquhart scored 30 seconds apart. After that New West was swept away by the Double Blue tide. 15-7 by the end of the period, as St.Catharines eventually doubled them 22-11. Bill Fitzgerald led with five goals. Madsen and Roy Morton each scored four times.

Inspired by the New York Yankees just completed sweep of the Chicago White Soxs, the Athletics looked to finish New Westminster off. Yet Again the Adanacs started out tough to beat. They led 6-4 after thirty minutes and took a 6-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Roly poly defenceman Roy Barnard tied it after running down the righthand boards to score. Bob Saunders put the westerners ahead one last time at the 5 minute mark. It was soon level again, then George Hope scored the winner with 5 minutes left. Morton and Barnard added two more, making the final result 10-7. One hundred motor cars followed the Double Blues team bus back to St.Catharines.

On the Junior front, Orillia's Tiny Terriers were poised to repeat as Minto Cup champions. They were just as strong in '38. They had lost a handful of players, including future C.F.L. Commissioner Jake Gaudaur, but their many talented youngsters were a year older and that much better. However there was one player, in his final year of junior, who would spoil Orillia's chances. Mimico's Jack Williams was unstoppable. Much of the Junior Mounts scoring records have been lost, however in two Regular Season meetings Williams twice scored six against Orillia! Imagine what he did against the weaker teams in the league. In the provincial final, the unbeaten Mountaineers easily disposed of the Tiny Terriers. The game scores were 24-4 and 30-8! Big Jack counted seven in the first and eleven in the last. Williams made quite an impression because he ended up with the Senior Terriers for the '39 season.

It was a year for rewriting the record book as Bill Isaacs took the game to a new level. He scored 101 goals and 64 assists over a 30 game schedule. His goal mark is the second highest in league history. His assist record lasted until 1950. And his 165 points were not surpassed until 1971. All three records were extraordinary but one should not underestimate the 64 assists. It was an era when statisticians awarded assists begrudingly. The idea of a team counting two assists for every goal, something Six Nations Chiefs did in two games during the '96 campaign, was unthinkable. Most goals went unassisted and only on rare occasions were two assists given for a goal. To make a point, five years later Bill Brunskill won the scoring title with 67 goals and only 3 assists! Using modern scoring standards, it is not unthinkable to double Isaacs' assist total. Which would make his accomplishment the greatest in OLA history.

It is easy to see why Isaacs racked up the assists, he was on one of the most offensive lines ever put together. Hamilton Tigers Indian Line was awesome. While Isaacs won the scoring title, Bob Jamieson finished second with 84 goals and 37 assists, followed by Scotty Martin with 70 and 40. Martin and Jamieson were the second and third best playmakers in the league, even finishing ahead of passing legend Rusty White! Also on the Indian Line was Jack Squires, who missed the Top Ten by seven points.

The faltering Orillia Terriers began their slide this season. To start the year, four players were lost to suspension. Ted Hall, Vern Steggall, Hugh Kelly and Bill Brunskill all had to sit out ten games because they had played professional lacrosse over the winter in California. Orillia's greatest loss, however, came during the off season. The big guy Jerry Connell passed away that winter. He was honoured at the home opener when a special poem was read in his memory.

With only six teams in the circuit the playoff format was altered. First played third, second met fourth, while fifth took on the Intermediate champion. This bizarre system lasted three years.

There was little to choose between the top four clubs in the league. St.Catharines led(21-8-1) then came Mimico(18-11-1) Orillia(18-12) and Hamilton(18-12). Fergus was a distant fifth and Brampton missed post season play.

The Indian Line had a short playoff run of only three games. Second place Mimico defeated fourth place Hamilton in the best of three series. Bill Isaacs broke loose with 6 points in the Tigers lone win, however he was held to single goals in both losses.

The high profile First Round match-up was between St.Catharines and Orillia. The Terriers went to the Garden City and shocked the Mann Cupholders 15-9. Bill Brunskill scored four times, Ernie Botting three and Don Willson set up four as the Athletics suddenly faced elimination up in Orillia. Their season nearly came to an abrupt end as they narrowly survived an 8-7 nail biter. Deuces from Bill Fitzgerald and Pung Morton, plus three points from Gus Madsen saved the day. Back in St.Catharines, the Double Blues romped to a 15-3 win. Tom 'Tank' Teather fired in a hattrick, Willie Hope and Bill Wilson added four points each, while Madsen chipped in five assists.

Again the A's declined the Semi Final bye and took on Fergus in a brief two game series. They crushed the Thistles 22-13. Morton potted seven goals as Rusty White counted seven points in a losing cause. The second game wasn't much closer, 14-9 Double Blues. Hope led all scorers with five points, four goals for Fitzgerald and a hattrick to Wandy McMahon. Bill England was Fergus' star with three goals.

A Mimico/St.Catharines Final was appropriate. These two squads had placed eleven players among the Top Twenty scorers - eight of them A's. The series commenced on September 15th. Archie Dixon's four goals were not enough in the opener as St. Catharines won 15-9. Mimico came back at the Drummond Bowl to win 10-8. McLean and Gordon Gair both registered hat-tricks. Then the championship defence of Art Brown and his outstanding goaltender Bill Whittaker took over. An 11-2 triumph as Madsen scored four goals, followed by a 9-5 victory with McMahon counting five.

This led St.Catharines west to defend their Mann Cup title. Like the Terriers, two years earlier, they were treated by the B.C. press like invincible titans. "One of the greatest lacrosse teams to come from the east," was the Vancouver Sun's view. New Westminster Adanacs surprised them with a tight 12-10 win. The Double Blues had led most of the way but lost the final quarter 5-2. It was a chippy game with plenty of slashing and a popular penalty box. The Athletics were not happy with the officiating but blamed the long trek west for their fourth quarter fade. They promised that Game Two would be different. It was the toughest, hardest checking game ever seen. The Double Blues had a heavy crew, not afraid of using their weight. The Adanacs had already survived a playoff series against the hated Salmonbellies, plus a seven game final versus Vancouver. They did not wilt under the St.Catharines pressure. Gordy Saunders scored the winning goal with six minutes remaining as New Westminster hung on for a 9-8 win. The Athletics were so dissatisfied with the officiating that they forced the CLA to fly out Ontario referee, and former A, Max Peart. Peart would make the twelve hour flight just for one game. Over 6,000 fans celebrated as the western A's won the third game 15-11. An all BC team had actually won the Dominion's Box Lacrosse championship!

Nine teams were set to challenge for the Junior championship, however only six actually competed. In Group One, Brooklin dropped out. Orillia went perfect through 14 games. They did lose playoff games to Brampton and Toronto, still the Tiny Terriers won group honours. In Group Two, neither Hamilton nor Orangeville played a game. Thus the St.Catharines city championship was for the group title. The Shamrocks prevailed.

The provincial final was a homer series. The Shamrocks won twice in the Garden City and Orillia registered one home triumph. The last game was a 10-9 overtime thriller going St.Catharines' way. The next day the championship was awarded to Orillia because several Shamrock players did not have junior cards. It wasn't that they were overage or illegal imports. Simply put, their paperwork hand not been completed to the satisfaction of the OLA. The Tiny Terriers went on to represent Ontario and win their second Minto Cup.

This would be the final season of Senior lacrosse in Fergus and Orillia. Both would drop down to Intermediate for some time to come. In the Thistle's case it was understandable. They slipped to the bottom of the league and won only two games during the '40 campaign. The end had been coming for some time. The momentum created by Fergus' Junior championship in 1931 had long passed and the scotsmen's regulars, like the Bergins and Rusty White, were ageing. In the late thirties Fergus had become a retirement home for old lacrosse players. So many former greats, such as: Toots White, Max McGregor, Hal Wallace and Dunc Littlefair, wrapped up their careers with the Thistles. The death blow fell when an injury sidelined Rusty White for the entire 1940 season. The scots summer was downhill after that.

The fall of Orillia was more puzzling. In 1940 their record was 16-14 and they made the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year. Most importantly, they had the best juniors in the country. Arnold 'Onions' Smith, Marlowe Woods and Merv McKenzie had already joined the club, plus John Hewitt, Tom and Bun White were poised to graduate from the Tiny Terriers after another Minto Cup winning season. Also, Orillia continued to attract out of town talent with the likes of Bill Brunskill and Bucko MacDonald in the lineup. Unfortunately support for the team had fallen off, partly due to the war and partly due to the fans being spoiled by too much success too soon. Even the press coverage, still very good, was not as intense. The idea may have been to take refuge in Intermediate until the war passed. In fact Orillia returned to senior in 1946, with disasterous consequences. By that time all the local talent had bolted to other clubs and none came rushing home. Thus ended Orillia's days at the top of lacrosse. For the next half century the town would be regarded as a 'B' centre.

At the other end was St.Catharines. The Athletics were better than ever. They comfortably finished first, while Hamilton, Orillia, Mimico and Brampton were all bunched together, well back. The Double Blues then ended the Terriers' Senior career with a two game sweep. Orillia had been without Bucko MacDonald, injured for the year. He was the last of many casualties which began with Bill Brunskill being out for six games, Ernie Curran missing five games and Bill Allum three weeks. In mid season, the Terriers had to bring in Huntsville blond bombshell, George Snowden. The oddest moment in the playoff match-up came courtesy of that great showman Bill Whitaker. In Orillia, the hostile Terrier fans so displeased the netminder that he delayed the game as only Whitaker could. He sat down in his crease, took off his shoe, then began to massage his foot!

The surprise of the year was Brampton. The Excelsiors finished with a 15-15 record, eleven wins better than the previous summer, then went on a playoff run which took them to the Final. They were led by the four Thompsons: longhaired Moe, Mush, Barney and Fish. In the best of three Semi Final they upset Mimico, despite blowing the opening game. They led the Mountaineers 9-7 with five minutes remaining but surrendered 4 unanswered goals to lose it. At the Rose Bowl they took a convincing 11-3 decision. That set the stage for a thrilling one goal finale. Toronto Star writer Andy Lytle caught the third game in poetry:

The glue of gloom was falling fast
As through a Mimico village passed, tall youths
Who bore'mid cries and strife
A banner with the odd device
EXCELSIOR!

"Oh stay" the savage maiden twit
"And let us clip thee with our mit"
No tears bedimmed the reddened eyes
As they all answered with no sighs
GET BRAMPTONIZED!

In english that all meant a dramatic 6-5 Excelsior win. Brampton led 4-3 at the half, then lost Bill Anthony in the third quarter. Anthony was checked from behind in the goal mouth and forced to retire for the night. Big Fred Hatton extended the visitors' lead to 5-3. Gordon Gair then outwitted goaltender Arthurs to draw Mimico close. That was followed by a Tony Worsencroft power play goal to tie it. In the last quarter Chuck Davidson brought the Mountie fans to their feet with a goal which was disallowed by referee Max Peart. Gair set the stage for Mooney Gibson's winner by taking a penalty. The Brampton veteran broke the tie with a tricky side shot which fooled goaltender Ray Mortimer. The Excelsior defence spent the final 9 minutes checking Mimico's offence to the ground.

The final series started with a huge 18-5 St.Catharines win. Ted 'Ginger' Hall lasted only three quarters before being chased from the Brampton goal. Once again Columnist Lytle waxed poetic:

These are the saddest of possible words:
"McMahon to Morton to Fitz"
Trio of snipers fitter than birds
McMahon and Morton and Fitz
Ruthlessly pricking our tiny bubble
Running our boys into fuddle-duddle
Names they are heavy with nothing but trouble
McMahon to Morton to Fitz

Over 3,000 fans crowded into Maple Leaf Gardens for the second encounter. Ted Hall played with an injured thumb. Joe Cheevers struck 15 seconds in and it looked like the Double Blues would once again go through the Brampton big boys they Germany had marched through Poland. A goal and assist from Don Arthurs settled the Excelsiors down. Yet they still struggled to cope with the A's speed. St.Catharines dominated loose balls and built up leads of 7-4 and 9-6. Brampton rallied with two late goals and Mooney Gibson just missed tying it at the end. $99.88 was raised for the Red Cross.

The third contest was a 25-10 rout. Normally three consecutive wins would have clinched the championship but this year the OLA had decided on a best of seven final. So the Double Blues made the trek to the Rose Bowl for an ugly fourth game.

Brampton won 18-11 in a game described as lacrosse in slow motion - best enjoyed reading a book or snoozing on a girlfriend's shoulder. There were a half dozen significant scuffles to slow proceedings further. At one point a rotten tomato was thrown from the stands. On another occasion George Coles claimed to have been bitten. If all that wasn't bad enough, a section of seating gave way with a loud crash, dropping the spectators seven feet below. Fortunately all were unhurt. Fine work by Ginger Hall won it for the home team. His rival Bill Whitaker was beaten easily.

It was a much faster fifth game. Too fast for the Bramptonites. St.Catharines clinched the title with a resounding 22-3 victory. Pung Morton had six goals as a dozen different players scored for the Double Blues.

The Mann Cup final commenced October 7th. The Vancouver Burrards hit Toronto and the Blue Bombers were ready to challenge for their first Dominion championship. Blue Bombers? "Where are the Blue Bombers?" the crowd of 5,125 wondered throughout the opening game. The A's led 9-8 at three quarter time and looked poised to turn it up and win going away. Then the Blue Bombers arrived! Four goals in 3 1/2 minutes. John Cavallin, Bo Bradford, Bill Dickinson and John Dale started the final frame off in style. It was the Burrards who turned it up and won going away. Six unanswered goals for a 14-8 triumph.

Next came the Battle of the Sweaters. The team colours of Vancouver and St.Catharines were very similar. The A's had been forced to wear Toronto Maple Leaf white jerseys for the opening contest. Their conclusion following the loss was simple: "They jinxed us! We won't wear 'em again!" "You will," replied the CLA triumvirate of McConaghy, Dopp and Kelley, "or else!" The threat of default did not impress the St.Catharines management. Jim McConaghy's bluff called he went to the Burrards and Vancouver pulled their club off the floor to don those dreaded white sweaters. The A's agreed to wear white Friday and toss after that.

The match began fifteen minutes late. For Double Blue supporters it was worth the wait. They humbled the western champs 15-5. Did the uniforms really make that much of a difference? On this night the real difference was Bill Fitzgerald's six goals. Twenty-nine years after his father had led Vancouver in scoring and helped them win their only Minto Cup, Bill Jr. turned the tables in a Mann Cup against Vancouver. As Andy Lytle saw him, "the thin wispy fellow, runs stoop shouldered as his father did and looks as though a light breeze would whiff him away. He sneaks along the side, gets a quick pass then breaks like a startled deer." The Burrards were unable to stop him.

The largest crowd of 6,922 witnessed the Friday night contest. They saw the Blue Bombers defused. Vancouver was listless, without fire, venom or organised attack. Their defence wasn't much better. Twice Jack McMahon, while ragging the ball, beat tree defenders to score. St.Catharines rolled to a 17-10 win. Only great goaltending from Walt Lee avoided a more onesided score. But it was an ugly game. The Montreal referees called 23 penalties. To be more precise, Langevin handed out 21, often for the most minor of infractions. His partner Mullins appeared to be on vacation.

The fourth match was held Monday, October 14th. Another crowd of over 6,000 witnessed another easy A's win. Bill Wilson set up a Fitzgerald break away 44 seconds into the contest and it was 1-0. A minute later, Fitz waltzed in alone again for a second goal. From that point on St.Catharines proceeded to embarrass the Blue Bombers 18-5.

St.Catharines extended it's dynasty in Ontario, plus repeated as Mann Cup Champions, however it wasn't pretty. They made a fine start to the season by defeating Hamilton Tigers 9-6 on May 30th. For the next month they would struggle on the floor and behind the scenes. The bickering which went on between them and Hamilton was most important of all. The disagreement was over St.Catharines native Doug Cove. Cove played for the Tigers in 1940. Now he wanted to return home and join the Double Blues. The league eventually ruled in favour of Hamilton, sparking a very embarrassing boycott. On July 2nd St.Catharines quit the league. For two weeks they would hold to their position, thus defaulting six games. Finally a compromise was reached to bring the Athletics back. By a 10 to 2 vote the OLA decided to forgive St.Catharines and even to allow them to reply the six defaulted matches. Yet Doug Cove remained Tiger property(he would play 7 games) thus the protest had accomplished nothing.

With such turmoil, the defending champions failed to finish first. Mimico ran away with the regular season pennant and finished with a 19-5 record. The other teams were all well back: St.Catharines(14-10) Hamilton(13-11) Brampton(9-14) and Etobicoke(4-19). Bill Isaacs won yet another scoring title with 41 goals and 77 points. He narrowly edged Roy Morton, though Morton led the league with 47 goals. Rookie sensation Jack Gair placed third on the last place Etobicoke Indians.

He ended up with Etobicoke and slipped through Mimico's fingers, something the Mountaineers would soon regret. Still Mimico was well supplied with talent. They had picked up former Terriers Merv McKenzie, John Hewitt and Bill Brunskill. That trio accounted for nearly a third of their offensive output. Plus the Mountaineers had plenty of young talent from the '38 Mimico Junior team, namely: Archie Dixon, Scoop Hayes, George Masters and Jack Williams. Hamilton added Arnold Smith and Red Storey. Brampton settled for Fergus star Rusty White. Etobicoke had 3 out of the 4 Gairs, plus famed Toronto Argonaut Anis Stukus.

First met third in the playoffs, to the eternal regret of the Mounties. The team poised to end St.Catharines' dominance were unceremoniously dispatched by the second week of September. Hamilton took the series opener 7-5 as Isaacs and Bob Goldham both scored a pair. Mimico's only playoff win was a convincing 13-4 decision. Jack Williams broke loose with four goals. He did not score in any of the three losses. Two more close wins fell the Tigers' way. The scores were: 11-9 and 9-8. Isaacs and Smith led in Game 3, while Norm Worthy produced five timely goals in the finale.

Meanwhile the Mann Cup holders found their championship form against Brampton. Three straight wins as netminder Bill Whitaker dominated. The first result was 12-5, Jack McMahon popped in three goals and Bill Wilson added four points. Next was a 9-5 win, with hattricks to Morton and Wilson. Finally a 9-6 victory as McMahon, Bill Fitzgerald and Joe Cheevers each scored three points. The Excelsiors lone star was Moe Thompson. He scored twice in each game.

The Double Blues next steamrolled over Hamilton in one week. They defeated them 9-5 in the initial contest. Fitzgerald scored four times. This was followed by a 13-8 blasting. Two way star Carl Madsen led with four points. Isaacs was held to three points. Game Three was a closer 8-6 decision. Another four goal game for Fitzgerald, supported by Morton's five point effort. Bill Isaacs finally came to life the next match. He scored two times and added a pair of assists. Hamilton still lost 11-9. Hattricks from the unstoppable Fitzgerald and Tom Teather ended the Tigers season.

Seven consecutive victories, yet the A's were still not OLA champs. Last place Etobicoke had been playing the Intermediate champions from Owen Sound and defeated the Georgians 4 games to 3. This put them into the League Final. Talk about an easy playoff route!

The Indians hit the defending champions hard in the best of three final. Jack Gair and Grant Gillespie both scored a trio as they pushed the Athletics at home. St.Catharines narrowly escaped with a 12-9 win. Bill Fitzgerald was still on a roll with another hattrick. Curly haired Frank Madsen contributed five points and Roy Morton chipped in three assists. The Double Blues winning streak was snapped in Game Two. 9-7 Etobicoke as Jack Gair scored four times and Lloyd Gair added three. Fitzgerald again led the A's offence but he was held to a pair.

Suddenly the defending champions found themselves in a deciding third game of the series and facing elimination. They produced their best lacrosse and a 14-8 victory. Jack Gair was stumped by Bill Whitaker and managed only one assist. Gillespie registered a hattrick and Bill Harrison scored a pair, however that wasn't nearly enough. Morton's seven point effort led St.Catharines. He and George Coles each scored five goals. The Ali Baba, Carl Madsen, contributed six points as well.

With the beginning of October came Mann Cup play. The Athletics travelled to Lachine, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, to face the St.Regis-Caughnawaga Indians. In the first game they routed the easterners 18-5. Jack McMahon counted 5 goals and 6 assists, while Bill Wilson added 7 and 3. After a days rest, The Double Blues were victorious again. A sad affair which ended with one minute remaining in the third quarter. St.Catharines led 14-0 at the time and that would be the official result. A Mann Cup shutout for Bill Whitaker! The incident which ended the contest prematurely, involved Indian captain Angus Thomas. He objected to a penalty call against his side and went after referee Leo Murray. He struck Murray on the chin, knocking him out and giving him a 4 inch gash. Thomas was arrested. The Indians left in protest, which ended their pathetic bid for the Dominion championship.

The Final began on the west coast a week later. It was a weird series. Richmond Farmers represented British Columbia. They had dominated ICLL play with the best offence, best defence and 24 wins against only 4 losses. Richmond was situated directly south-east of Vancouver and a short distance west of New Westminster(not walking distance, I know!). It didn't really matter which town was closer because in a series against any Ontario squad the Farmers would have home advantage. Yet there would prove to be a major difference between the Vancouver Forum and New Westminster's Queens Park Arena. St.Catharines would win every game played in Vancouver and lose every one played in New Westminster. Queens Park was the smaller venue, however both arenas were sold out the entire series. It was just one of those things. The A's settled into their home away from home and took the series opener in front of 8,600 fans. It was a clean game with St.Catharines receiving 18 minutes in penalties to Richmond's 15. The Double Blues led 7-5 after three quarters but were stiffly challenged in the last period. The Farmers won it 4-3, however fell short by a 10-9 count. Defenceman Art Noble had a controversial goal disallowed midway through the session for a crease violation.

Over the long weekend the visitors obviously indulged themselves with too much food. They rolled into Queens Park for the Monday night encounter like a stuffed turkey heading to the slaughterhouse. Richmond devoured them as any good farm boy would clean his plate at the family dinner. Coach Eddie Gilmore put out a call for help and added three players fresh from their RCAF duties. The match was a level 4-4 in the second quarter when Richmond went on a 14 goal run, including 10 third quarter goals. Penalties were a big problem for St.Catharines as they ended up being thumped 21-10. John Smith added five goals for the winners as Joe Cheevers answered with four for the losers.

Back in Vancouver Wednesday night the Athletics avoided the rough tactics. Bill Whitaker was unbeatable early as they took the opening period 5-0. Bill Fitzgerald scored a pair. By halftime it was 9-1 as Cheevers potted a couple of second quarter goals. The Double Blues went on to take the game 17-9.

Friday night a New Westminster crowd of 4,000 watched Richmond prolong the series. They struck fast with two goals in the first 30 seconds. The Farmers took the period 3-1, then extended their lead to 10-3 by the half. At 14-6 in the last quarter they were well on their way to winning when the defending champs made a late rally. St.Catharines scored three times in 5 minutes. They also added two more before the final bell. A more respectable looking 14-11 loss, as the series headed to a fifth and deciding game.

Only the second Mann Cup Final to go to a fifth contest and the Vancouver audience was in for a treat. After resting on the weekend, the Athletics were at their best defensively. They'd need to be as they would have to deal with a remarkably bad break in the middle of this crucial game. Bill Whitaker took a shot to the head which temporarily knocked him out of the game. St.Catharines had no back up goaltender with them! Coach Art Brown desperately looked up and down his bench for a solution. How Joe Cheevers got the job is a matter of debate. One version had him calling for some water and caught with his hand in the air at the wrong time. Another version had the players drawing straws and Cheevers losing. Perhaps he just wanted more floor time? Regardless of the reason, the St.Catharines sniper took his position between the pipes, despite never having played goal in his life! Well it might as well have been his son Gerry in a Boston Bruins uniform 30 years later. Thanks to great Double Blue defensive work and lots of ragging Cheevers pitched a 12 minute shutout. By then Whitaker had recovered sufficiently to return to the game and the A's had beaten all the odds and survived. What saved then was the fact that they played in front the entire game. A 2-1 first quarter lead was increased to 5-1 by the 30 minute mark and 7-2 heading into the fourth period. Thanks to St.Catharines penalties, Richmond shooters finally solved Whitaker and reduced the lead to 7-5 and 8-6. That was the closest they would get. Two more Athletic goals iced it. 11-9 was the final score.

The '41 Mann Cup marked the first time a series MVP was chosen. The Mike Kelly Award made it's debut with a curious choice, a member of the losing team won it. Clayton Black took the award thanks, in part, to a 6 goal 7 assist effort in the series. His teammate John Smith scored 13 goals and defenceman Art Noble 14! On the Double Blue side: on top of his goaltending heroics, Joe Cheevers scored 10 goals and 15 points in the series. Not good enough! The Mann Cup was returning east, however the Mike Kelly Award would remain in the west. This was Bill Wilson's final Mann Cup appearance. He contributed 7 goals and 3 assists. For the veteran it was his 7th Mann Cup win. He had also won while playing for Hamilton, Orillia and New Westminster. Was it a case of the player picking the right team or the team picking the right player? I suspect the latter. Wilson was leading scorer in two finals, '37 and '40, plus Orillia's top pointgetter in 1934. He played in 8 Mann Cup Finals, 28 games, and scored 60 goals and 29 assists. In all Mann Cup games he played 40 and scored a still untouched total of 90 goals. His 131 points is second best all time.

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