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1932 Pro Box Lacrosse As Viewed From Afar

The marketing of professional lacrosse in 1932 contained many of the same challenges faced by similiar pro attempts in other generations...such as hot,humid indoor venues and the competition of other summer attractions. The 1932 International Professional Box Lacrosse League could throw in one more roadblock, a crippling economic depression. Brother can you spare a dime?

Bill Gaynon, sports editor of the Niagara Falls Evening Review, was a friend to the "gutted stick pastime" and he did his best to promote the new league and the great game. The following column excerpts follow the optimisms, the tribulations and the ultimate frustations of the early days of "the most thrilling game in existance."

By BILL GAYNON: The Niagara Falls Evening Review

APRIL 22, 1932:

Professional box lacrosse continues to hold the spotlight and with United States cities joining the International League, the gutted stick pastime will more than likely take the place of hockey in the hearts of the fans throughout the summer season. A four club circuit operated a year ago and three of the teams played to packed houses and made considerable money. Cornwall, the fourth team, was down in the race and their territory was too small to keep them in such a league. The franchise will be transferred to an American city this year, and the fans on the other side are bound to approve of the summer national pastime of this country.

The Maroons and Canadiens will continue in Montreal, the Maple Leafs and Tecumsehs will represent Toronto and the quota from the other side will likely be two teams. A six club circuit looks like the best thing this year with the number being raised to eight in 1933. This league will give the amateurs a real break, and to date several of the good ones have signed to play in the moneyed ranks. Bill Pennie and Art Shaw were approached by the Maroons last fall, and Max Peart is in receipt of an offer from one of the Toronto clubs during the past week. The salaries are nearly as high as received by hockey players, and an outstanding amateur has a great deal to look forward to.

MAY 11, 1932

With so many of the Brampton stars gobbled up by the professionals, it is almost a sure bet the Excelsiors will not make the trip to Los Angeles to represent Canada at the Olympic games. After losing a couple of their men, they were determined to fill the gaps with prominent juniors and take the jaunt, but when the raids continued, they had little left to build around. It is too bad the boys had to jump this season, as the team from the Flower City would have had a splendid chance of copping world laurels.

But honors will not keep the wolf from the door, and with some of the players out of employment and others on short time, they could do nothing but listen to the offers from the pro owners. With the box game going over big, there is a great chance for promising amateurs, so it is up to the player to make hay while the sun shines.

A suggestion is out to send an all-star team to the big matches. If this materializes, it will hardly prove beneficial. All star teams lined up in a hurry do not work together like the clubs that are wise to the moves of their mates, this has worked out in opposite direction on many occasions in the past.

MAY 12, 1932

Corbett Dennenay, coach of the Tecumsehs lacrosse club of the Intrenational professional league, is one of the most travelled players in the history of hockey and lacrosse. He has played with some of the best teams in both sports since he broke into moneyed ranks twenty-two years ago. He was only fourteen years of age at the time.

He spent most of his lacrosse days with Cornwall and the Toronto Tecumsehs, and was considered a very valuable member of both teams. In hockey he has played in numerous leagues, starting in the mining loop of northern Ontario, he graduated to the National Hockey Association and continued in the same body when the association part was dropped for the name league.

Later he was in the Pacific Coast League, Western Canada and American League. He was manager of the Chicago Shamrocks in the independent loop in 1931, and last year, retired and spent most of his time refereeing in the O.H.A. He has played with and against some of the best players in the history of the game, and may decide to get back into action next year.

MAY 21, 1932

If the professional lacrosse game spreads to the bigger cities of the States, the teams will likely have the benefit of signing several of the promising amateurs of that country to take part in the big games. The box idea had brought the National game of Canada back with a bang, and the amateurs have practically adopted the new system in its entirety. The four clubs of the International League riddled the amateurs pretty hard this spring, and the very fine Brampton team was forced to cancel its Olympic trip.

One of the drawbacks to the game spreading to the other side, is the scarcity of high class players to fill the roster of four new teams. The minor leagues in different Provinces have been flourishing for the past two years, but it is very questionable if they will be ready to turn over sufficient material for the added teams.

The great showing of the American College teams in their games has brought out the point that the gutted stick pastime is making rapid strides on that side, and possibly several American born boys will be operating with the big teams when the places on the other side enter the International loop.

JUNE 9, 1932

The management of the Maple Leaf gardens is somewhat surprised at the drop in attendance at the box lacrosse games this season from the paid customers at the Arena last year. The crowds at the old palace averaged thirty-five hundred a game, while this season many of the games have been attended by less than one thousand. The fact that the clubs are strengthened and the Queen City is represented by two teams does not seem to matter.

The game is full of excitement and carries everything that goes for thrills, and the people are not losing interest. Possibly the biggest reason for the drop is the amount of box lacrosse played at the new Gardens. With the amateur league and two professional teams playing at the same place, the building is passing out games three or four nights a week, while a year ago the contests came a week apart.

It was a serious mistake to allow the amateurs so many playing dates. The game is still popular, but the fans have many other sports to go to and they cannot take in the other branches, and be present at all the games at the Maple Leaf Gardens.

JUNE 15, 1932

Canadiens and Tecumsehs won the lacrosse games in the International League last evening, but Maroons and Maple Leafs were very much in the picture, and forced their opposition to extend all their energies to cop the honours. The game between Tecumsehs and Maroons in Toronto was extended for ten minutes after the regulation play before the home team sunk one into the twine to cinch the night’s work.

Reports of games during the past two weeks would lead to the belief, that the warnings sent out by president Caron for clean play and disregard for the defensive brand, had fallen on good ground, and the clubs were attending to business and giving the fans the wide open, fast style. A continuation of this method will mean a great deal to the game, and the box offices will show better results. The head of the circuit was forced into coming out with the edict by the methods used in the early games by all clubs, and a great many complaints were being heard from outside.

All clubs have been going at the top of their form in recent matches, and the race is still very much open.

JUNE 20, 1932

The new professional lacrosse league has not made inroads on the players of the International Professional circuit, and more than likely the two organizations have decided to keep their hands off the signed players of the other loop. The reports coming out of the American cities state that the games to date have been well attended and the sport will likely remain on the other side.

With the American colleges turning out so many first class players, the new loop will have a good developing ground without touching the Canadian amateurs. The teams in Canada could collect their reinforcements from the amateur clubs of the Dominion, and both organizations could live in peace and harmony. The class of the amateurs on the other side compare favourably with the Canadian players, and it would help the drawing powers of the clubs in the outdoor league if they decided to sign the most promising of their countrymen.

The four teams of the International indoor loop made great inroads on the amateurs of Ontario at the beginning of the season and seem well provided for at the present time. It would not be to the best interests of the game if the two bodies decided to start warring methods in the player question.

JUNE 24, 1932

The decision of the International Box Lacrosse League to have a few weeks recess in between the first and second halfs of the schedule seems like sane reasoning. The first series ends this week and the next schedule will not start until the first week of August. While the attendance at all the games in Toronto and Montreal have not reached the expectations of the league executive and teams, the boosters of the game feel that they have had a successful session and when the games are resumed, it is likely that the turnstiles will click in a bigger manner.

Despite the real excitement attached to the box game, it is hardly possible that the fans would care to spend the warm months inside. In the bigger centres there are a number of outside attractions and those who like their sport would be more inclined to take it under the moon and starlight. Therefore, the league is playing to the wants of the supporters by calling a few weeks of halt and allowing the customers to partake of the great outdoor life.

The race has been very exciting in the first half and when the clubs resume action in August, the four entries will be prepared to give the fans a repetition of the good games of the past.

JUNE 30, 1932

The first half of the schedule in the International Box Lacrosse league ended last Saturday night and the clubs will have a vacation period until the middle of August. The first series has been a success from a playing standpoint but far from such financially. The warm weather and the number of games is given as the reason for the drop in attendance, and the circuit heads feel that a layoff will prove beneficial to all concerned.

The last week spurt of the Tecumsehs enabled them to finish on even terms with the Canadiens at the top of the first half. They were forced to defeat the other teams to accomplish the trick, and came through in handy fashion. The Canadiens played consistent lacrosse all the way and will be hard to displace when the curtain is lowered in the fall. Maple Leafs were also in the thick of things, but Maroons were never able to get going.

It is more than likely, the management of the Montreal team will add some strength during the off season, and they may be very much in the swim in the second half. The teams will keep in shape for the next season by playing exhibition fixtures throughout the different parts of eastern Canada.

JULY 8, 1932

The decision of the Canadien Lacrosse club to tour the eastern cities of the States during the latter part of this month should prove a benefit to the game on the other side. The Montreal club will engage in games with the clubs of the new professional league lacrosse the line and will give the fans a chance of comparing the brand of game played in both countries. Amateur lacrosse has been one of the major sports in the eastern territory of the States for the past eight years, and the new professional loop has been having more than ordinary success in the few games played.

The Canadiens are a first class club, they copped the honours in the International circuit last summer and are holders of world’s honours. Their play this season has been on par with a year ago and it is the general feeling among the followers of the game that they will repeat when the present schedule ends. They were given plenty of hard opposition in the first half, and should be in the best of shape for their exhibition tilts in Uncle Sam’s country. Newsy Lalonde, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is coaching the champs, and he will make the trip with the club.

JULY 11, 1932

Lacrosse fans in the Niagara peninsula will have an opportunity of seeing some of the professional brand in the next schedule of the International Box League. An all-native (tc edit) team will enter the league under the colours of the Bowmans of Buffalo. The short jaunt to the Bison City will make it possible for patrons in this section to leave after work and be on the scene at staring time. The Bowmans will have all the leading native (tc edit) players of the other clubs in the circuit and some of the best performers in the league are native (tc edit).

The Bowmans will be taking the place of the Maroons and another club will fill in for the champion Canadiens. It is regrettable that the Montreal teams cannot see their way clear to continue in the race, but with Maple Leafs, Tecumsehs, Bowmans and another entry composed of the best players of the champs and Maroons, the race will be very close. The warm weather during the first half of the schedule made it impossible for the teams to draw big crowds but with the climate a bit more fall like in the next series, the attendance should come back.

If Bowmans make a creditable showing, they will likely become permanent holders of the franchise in the big league.

JULY 26, 1932

The professional lacrosse magnates are looking forward to the opening of the second half of the schedule in the International Box League and hopes are entertained for better attendance than was the case in the first series. The teams will get underway the third week in August and the games will extend into October. The intense heat of the latter weeks of the initial series was given as the reason for the low response on the part of the customers and it is hoped that the weather conditions will be more suitable for the second half.

The officers are working on the makeup of the next group. Canadiens and Maroons have decided to disband, while the Maple Leafs and Tecumsehs have agreed to continue. An effort is being made to have a team of native (tc edit) players represent Buffalo, and there is a strong possibility of Detroit taking the other berth. This should be a compact grouping and would cost less for travelling than the Montreal jumps. The weather may be none too cool in September and the circuit may run into the same difficulties as during the first half. The clubs may find it necessary to play the game outside in order to get the crowds.

AUGUST 31, 1932

While the International Professional Lacrosse League will finish the season with three clubs, it is more than likely the game will revert back to outdoors next season. The Montreal Canadiens and Maroons will not continue and Buffalo will fill in with two Toronto teams. The box scheme did a great deal to revive interest in the National game last summer, but the warm climate is against its progress this year.

The smaller roster tends to speed the game and if the monied circuit would operate under the arcs at an outdoor cushion, there is no question of the response from the followers. With the number of promising players who deserted the simon pure ranks this spring, the teams will be able to field first class outfits and the old pastime is too good to pass up.

The O.A.L.A. will likely decide on the open spaces and the good Falls team may be performing at Oakes Stadium. The amateurs have also experienced the lean returns at the indoor contests and back to the green stomping grounds may be the answer to the problem and lacrosse will likely take its place with the other major sports of the summer season.

SEPTEMBER 17, 1932

Professional box lacrosse will make its bow to a Buffalo audience tomorrow night when the Tecumsehs of Toronto and the Bowmans play the first game of the International Professional league at the Broadway Auditorium. The Bowman team is composed of the best native (tc edit) players in the game, and are taking the place of Canadiens in the second half of the league schedule.

They have been preparing for their start in the big circuit and recently made a tour of the eastern States meeting some of the good teams of that section. Lacrosse has been going over big in the Bison City this season, but this is the first attempt at the monied racket. The Tecumsehs were serious contenders in the first schedule, finishing tied with the Canadiens. They will be without the services of a couple of their best men for the next round but have added other notables to take their places.

If the gutted stick sport goes over well for the remainder of the schedule, it is almost a certainty that the Bowmans will be permanent occupants of a berth in future years.

SEPTEMBER 24, 1932

The Buffalo Bowmans are showing the way to the teams in the second schedule of the International Box Lacrosse League, and in their games have produced a high class brand of the gutted stick pastime. Toronto writers have many nice things to say about the showing of the natives (tc edit), and it would not be surprising if they were to come out on top at the end of the schedule.

Previous to starting their schedule, the Bowmans took a trip to Baltimore and other cities down in the States, meeting the leading professional teams of that section and coming through with the laurels. They also defeated the World’s champion Canadiens in a game at Atlantic City. Reports state that the game is going over well in Buffalo and if the moneyed loop operates next summer, it is likely the Bowmans will be in.

OCTOBER 7, 1932

The many good amateur lacrosse players that made the leap to professional ranks this spring are none too comfortable at the present time. The box sport went over big in Toronto and Montreal last year and it was the intention to expand to the States in another year. Some of the larger centres on the other side were interested in the new pastime and it seemed like a real move on the part of the promising boys who joined the salaried loop.

For some unknown reason, the response from the spectators was not as big as a year ago and the Montreal teams withdrew from the second half of the schedule. The Maple Leafs and Tecumsehs decided to carry on and Buffalo Bowmans came in to fill in the schedule. No difference has been shown in the attendances and it os hardly possible that the league will be in existence next summer.

This is a tough break for the newcomers and will mean that they will be holding the bag unless the States cities decide to take over the franchises. It is regrettable that so many took the chance and it would be a great break if conditions would switch in the next year, and the pro game took over the spotlight.

OCTOBER 15, 1932

The playoffs series for the professional lacrosse championship will start at Maple Leaf Gardens tonight with Buffalo Bowmans and Toronto Leafs being the opposing teams. The series is the best three of five and will draw the curtain on a game that has been anything but profitable to the owners. Despite the popularity of the indoor gutted stick pastime in Toronto and Montreal last season, it has a very difficult time existing in its second year.

Crowds of five and six thousand attended the contests in the two largest cities of the Dominion in its first season, and the backers were so enthused that they went in for the sport in a big manner last spring. Several of the most promising amateurs of the country were lured into the salaried loop and high class amateurs teams were broken up by the desertion of their stars to professional ranks. The most notable incident of this kind was the Brampton Excelsiors, figured to bring the Olympic title to the Dominion.

It is hard to account for the lack of interest this summer, as the games were well played and all clubs showed many outstanding stars. Another attempt will likely be made next spring to revive one of the most thrilling games in existance.

OCTOBER 24, 1932

Box lacrosse will come in for much study by the amateur and professional league heads during the off season and no doubt next spring will find a few changes over the present system. It has been a tough season on the inside gutted stick exponents and it is very doubtful if any club in either the monied or simon pure ranks finished out of the red.

The indoor angle seems to be the stumbling block and it is a very hard matter to coax fans inside when the balmy weather is on. It would be advantages to play inside in fall and spring, but June, July, August and September are generally very warm months and the followers have so many other attractions in the evenings, that they pass up the inside sports.