History of the A's

1905 Minto Cup Challenge

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The 1905 edition of the St. Catharines Athletics had all of this, and something more, a trip to Montreal and a chance to play the Shamrocks for the highest honour in the world of senior lacrosse, the Minto Cup.

Something old was the return of four crafty veterans for one more go-round at the old corner lot. Billy Elliott had played for the Athletics for better than 10 years, and as he aged, he transformed himself from an offensive force to one of the best defensive players in the game. Eddie Hagan was at the other end of the field and “Uncle” still knew a trick or two on how to get the ball behind the opposing goaltender. John “Shooty” Richardson was brought back and as the Daily Standard would report, he “was dropped by last year’s management on account of his fractious temperament, but ‘Shooty’ is a tower of strength, all pasts are buried and he will be out.” And also back was George “Tod” Downey, a steadying force on the Athletics defence and now the last of the three Downey brothers still in the game. He was the only active player from the team’s last championship season and that was fifteen long years previous, in 1890.

Something new for the 1905 Athletics was the three junior-aged players on the big club. All were offensive stars, all were from St. Catharines and all were something special. Jack O’Gorman began playing lacrosse with the Young Athletics in 1902 and was part of the three district championships that the junior team had won. This youngster had an abundance of speed and would need all of it to survive in the senior circuit at only 125 pounds. Pete Barnett was also making the early jump to senior and his outstanding play-making ability would eventually earn him a berth in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. And the third lad was another fleet of foot, stick-handling artist extraordinaire. But George Kalls played the game like very few others could and the youngest of the three “juniors” was actually now starting his third season with the Senior Athletics. Georgie would have an outstanding career as a professional lacrosse player, become a Canadian Lacrosse Hall-of-Famer, and even score a goal as a remarkably quick and agile seventy-year old in an Athletics old-timers game at the Haig Bowl some 50 years into the future. Yes, Kalls was something special.

The something “borrowed” actually came with a price. Three imports brought in to bolster the line-up and to hopefully dethrone Brantford as perennial Canadian Lacrosse Association champions. The C.L.A. in 1905 was an openly professional league and the three Toronto clubs (the Torontos, Tecumsehs, and Chippewas) along with Brantford and the Athletics were all involved in some active bidding wars to bolster their teams. St. Catharines signed defensive star Don Cameron out of Cornwall who, when combined with the A’s Billy Elliott, gave the team perhaps the best 1- 2 defence combination in the league. Ex-Tecumseh star centre James J. “Grassy” Forrester hailed from Fergus and might today be recognized as the prototypical “middie”, a player with speed, endurance and an eagerness to get on the ball. "Grassy" had missed the 1904 playing season due to illness, but it was felt he was now back in peak form and ready to pull on a double-blue jersey. And last but not least, the man who was generally regarded as the best goalie in the game, Corydon Ashton “Cory” Hesse. Hesse from Cornwall was the real prize and this future Canadian Hall-of-Famer would push the team to a whole new level.

The team also tried to secure the services of the Hall of Fame bound Angus “Bones” Allen. “Bones” had played for the A’s in 1903 and was offered an enticing $60 a week to come back to the city. But he now had a position with the Department of the Interior and opted to stay in Ottawa and play for the Capitals of the National Amateur Lacrosse Union. 

Something blue of course would be the traditional colours of the Athletics, but now sporting a new look. The Standard would report on May 11^th, “the Athletics will be seen in a new uniform this season. The blue prison stripes will be discarded, though the light and dark blue colors will be retained. The body of the shirt will be of dark blue, with light blue yoke border and cuffs. On the breast will appear an “A” of light blue.” Added to this was the player’s number appearing for the first time on the back of the sweater. 

The team opened with a Victoria Day exhibition game against rival Brantford and came away with an impressive 8 – 0 win. The only complaint of the 1,500 paid spectators on the day was the 700 or so who climbed the fences to gain admission. The management responded by installing barbed wire along the top of the fence before the next home game. The fence jumpers were now few and far between. 

The Athletics started off the regular season with three good wins (two of them on Hesse shutouts). Their fourth game would come on June 17th against their main rivals, the Tecumsehs at the Toronto Island. The importance of this game would not be lost on Tec star Charlie Querrie who was quoted in the Toronto News as saying, “Its not a question of can we. We’ve simply got to. Why if St. Kitts win to-morrow the championship is theirs in a walk. And you know we want that championship ourselves.” 

5,000 spectators at the Tecumsehs home grounds would see their team hand the A’s their first defeat by a score of 6 to 3. But the resilient A’s would rebound to beat the Tecumsehs by a score of 11 to 2 the following Saturday in St. Catharines. 

When the team pushed their record to 6 – 1 less than midway through the season, the fans were very much in a celebratory mood. After a 5 – 2 win against the Torontos at the Rosedale grounds, the Daily Standard on July 10^th would report, “On the arrival of the train about 9:35 o’clock they were met by the 19^th regimental band, which played ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as the train pulled into the station. The victors were placed in busses and a parade was formed over 100 broom torches being carried, adding a picturesque appearance.” 

“Arriving at the top of the hill rockets blazed forth and much cheering was heard…the parade continued as far a Timmons and McIlwain’s cigar store where it disbanded, and anxious friends swarmed around to hear how it all happened. A big bonfire was built at the corner of Mary and St. Paul streets and joy reigned supreme.” 

The Rosedale win would be a rough one for goalie Cory Hesse. The Daily Standard would report, “Hesse had an unusual experience on Saturday. In the second quarter a ball struck him in the throat, dazing him, rendering him unable to see. Harris gave him good assistance until the end of the quarter, when the plucky goal tender was given attention in the dressing room. In the next quarter he received a hot shot from Powers directly in the eye, which laid him on the field. When he recovered, however, he appeared fresher than ever, and stopped almost innumerable shots that Toronto had in advance counted as goals.” 

The Daily Standard would go on to mention a further insult to injury for the gallant Hesse on the day, “After the match an incident occurred of which few are aware. As he came out of the club house, a couple of Toronto young ladies standing near with a bottle of ginger ale in one of their hands, and when Cory came near them one of the two damsels opened the bottle and let the contents go over him, saying ‘I hereby christen you Kitty, in honour of St. Kitts’” The fans in St. Catharines would take to the new nickname and shout “Kitty!” every time Cory Hesse would make a big save. 

The Athletics would again split their next home-and-home series with the Tecumsehs in the second half of the schedule, losing 8 – 0 before another crowd of 5,000 at the island before winning the return match the following week in St. Catharines. The Daily Standard would supply this account of the pure athleticism of young Georgie Kalls against the Tecs, “Kalls was the star of the St. Kitts home, he was here and there, and several other places, and had Menary to the bad. He played all kinds of lacrosse too, now going around a man to shoot, again coming around from back of the net to take one of Downey’s drives and drop it into the net, and once going right up in the air amidst a crowd of redshirts, grabbing a high one and driving it into the net before he reached the ground again.” 

The August 19^th win against the Torontos at Rosedale pushed the team’s record to 12 – 2 and virtually assure them the league championship. They closed out the C.L.A. schedule with a 27 – 0 win against the Chippewas on August 26^th (Charlie Lowe getting 11 and Eddie Hagan 10) and they then beat the Torontos by 12 – 3 on September 2nd. The 14 – 2 Athletics had won their first Globe Shield, a trophy donated by the Toronto Globe newspaper to the C.L.A. champions. 

There was some concern that the Montreal Shamrocks, three time defending Minto Cup winners and champions of the National Amateur Lacrosse Union, would be unable to accept the challenge of the champions of the professional league. The Canadian Amateur Athletic Union wasn’t clear if the Shamrocks could retain their alleged amateur status if they played the pros, but the Minto Cup trustees then said they had no problem with the challengers from St. Catharines. That seemed to be good enough for the Montrealers and the 1905 Minto Cup championship would be decided with a two-game, total-goals-to-count series. 

The Shamrocks would host both of the games, the first on Saturday September 16^th and the second on Saturday September 23^rd. The first game would be played under N.A.L.U. rules while C.L.A. rules would govern the second game. Both would be officiated by the well-respected Joe Lally of Cornwall. 

The Athletics were the decided underdogs, as the Shamrocks had by now developed a legendary status. The Daily Standard would write just before the first game, “It is certain that St. Catharines has a chance of doing what has never before been achieved by any team – wrestling the cup representing the championship of the world from the Montreal Shamrocks. This chance exists if every man plays his game and pulls with his fellow player. But let one man let stage fright creep upon him and that chance fades away as February snow from Mount Royal would disappear under a Florida sun.” 

Could the A’s wrestle the cup from the world champions on their own turf? 

Would a full week layover between the two championship games be too much of a detriment to the visitors from the west? 

Would a game played at the home of the C.L.A. champions have made a difference? 

Could the small and inexperienced attackers of the Athletics make inroads against the Shamrocks tough defence? 

Or were the Montreal Shamrocks simply too good to be beaten by any team in the country in the late summer of 1905? 

Well, the rest is history.

ATHLETICS SHAKE THE MINTO CUP 

GAVE WORLD’S CHAMPIONS A SCARE IN FIRST GAME 

SHAMROCKS WIN: SCORE, 5 TO 3 

The Daily Standard 

Monday September 18, 1905 

Since the extra edition of the Standard on Saturday announcing the result of the world’s championship matches at Montreal, the later details show that the Garden City dozen made a most remarkable showing against the invincibles. The Globe says: 

“It was one of the hardest struggles in the history of that precious trophy. Both teams showed beyond a doubt their right to be called champions. The doughty Shamrocks, heroes of a hundred fights, played one of the finest games in their glorious career. In the Athletics they had foemen worthy of their prowess, and they were forced to play their utmost every minute of the match. Clean, fast lacrosse was the order, and the immense crowd was kept at fever heat throughout. The game was played according to the rules of the N.A.L.U.” 

“The reports which had been received from a few men who had seen the play in the west had given an impression that the visitors, who aspired to possession of the Minto Cup, were really not in a class with the teams that Montrealers have been accustomed to see play for this honor. That this was an error the splendid game which the men from the west put up proved conclusively.” 

“The man who distinguished himself considerably in the early part of the match was Forrester, St. Catharines centre, till little Johnny Currie made up his mind that he had done about enough, and watched him after that closely.” 

“Those who believed the stories that had come from the west to the effect that St. Catharines would be afraid to close in upon the Shamrock defence, and would be unable to stand the heavy checking, that is customary in this part of the country, so far, came to the conclusion that they had been misled, a gamer crowd never played for the much-coveted trophy. They rushed in several times close on the Shamrocks goal and hurled themselves against the defence, which has been known for years as a stonewall, without a care as to what might happen to them as long as they could get the ball into the net.” 

“The officials of the Shamrocks remarked after the match that St. Catharines were about as clever a team as they had ever run up against in any of the matches which virtually are played for the lacrosse championship of the world, and they fully expect that next Saturday their players will have even a harder time than they had yesterday.” 

Although beaten by a score of 5 to 3 here Saturday afternoon, the Athletics of St. Catharines were by no means disgraced. Their light and young home made things decidedly interesting for the Shamrock defence, while Hesse, Cameron and Elliott put up a defence game seldom witnessed on any field, and kept the score even for more than half the distance, but the Irishmen once more demonstrated that they are great finishers by running in a couple in the third period that cinched the match. The Irishmen demonstrated early that they were out to win by hook or crook. After the visitors had taken the first goal they began to rough it a little, but Joe Lally with the assistance of Murphy, of Cornwall, let them know that he was master of the situation, though a couple of visitors suffered just the same. Kalls was marked dangerous and received the butt of a stick in the stomach early in the game, which put him out for a few minutes, while Hesse, who put up a remarkable game in goal, was cut down in the final period. The Shamrocks are without doubt, the greatest lacrosse team playing the game. The combination work of their home was magnificent. The Athletics put up a fast, clever game but lacked the experience and weight of their opponents, who, man for man, are pounds heavier. 

The Teams Line-Up   

AFTER THE MINTO CUP MATCHES 

ATHLETICS ARRIVING HOME AFTER TWO GREAT STRUGGLES 

THE FIELD WAS WORN OUT IN THE SECOND GAME – THE SHAMROCKS FRESH – TRAINING IN THE SUN AND PLAYING IN RAW TEMPERATURE 

The Daily Standard 

Monday September 25, 1905 

Each through train since Saturday night brings home members and supporters of St. Catharines C.L.A. champions, whose performance at Montreal Saturday was not equal to that of the wonderful one a week ago by half. 

Judgment from the press dispatches and opinions of the followers of the team who were spectators at the game would show a complication of causes responsible for the reversal in form. The cold weather had an unfavourable effect on the boys, who had been all week training in the sun – and it may be gathered their exhibition showed the effects of too much practice in Cornwall. The week’s stay there at any rate did not produce the results that were hoped for.

The Athletics field was non est – Forrester showed plainly that he was worn out and the great Johnny Currie had no difficulty in outshining St. Kitts pride, who showed his form in the opening of the first game. Barnett, who was equally worn down, was fresher in vigor, but his legs were sore and he was forced to retire more than once. It was impossible to expect his usual game. O’Gorman’s usual quick footwork and lightning maneuvers were missing. He apparently suffered from the same complaint as the other two and was never a factor in the game. The two freshest of the field were Downey on the defence and Lowe on the home. Tod’s work was even better than in the first match, as was expected from nearly the whole team. Lowe, on the home end, was forced to play farther out than usual on account of the weakened condition of the other fielders. This kept him off the firing line more than would otherwise have been the case. Then he had one of the greatest defences imaginable against him, all other things being equal. The lapse of the field, of course, prevented Hagan and Kalls from having the opportunities they otherwise would have had. 

With the field gone, the defence, of course, could well be expected to have a more difficult time with the odd Shamrock fielders that would be invariably raced down. Yet Richardson, Elliott, Cameron and Hesse played great lacrosse, nevertheless – Shooty was generally able to hold his man. Even the mighty Hoobin was not too great for the cool, heady and powerful Richardson, and only once did the mountainous Irishman get away from him; then it was that a couple of other green shirts dashed in with him and made confusion. Elliott and Cameron were always able to take care of their men, but when it came to Harris, he was plainly a source of weakness. Hogan invariably got around him and into close quarters with Hesse, who even at that by marvellous quickness of eye stopped several which looked like impossible ones, and in this way kept down a score that would have otherwise gone into the double figures. 

Yet the team made a great showing when it is considered the obstacles that where in their way at the beginning of the season. The Shamrocks are superior to any other dozen in the world. St. Kitts has the next best, and to be second in class with such an aggregation is an honour which does St. Catharines proud, but more particularly that dozen men who were put in the field finished the game here this year, and came out with a clear sheet after completing the greatest year for lacrosse that St. Catharines ever knew, or will probably experience in ages to come. 

The two accounts of the game, received by special wire from the Shamrock grounds and published in an extra edition of the Standard on Saturday, are given elsewhere today. 

The Globe has the following:

“Shamrocks still hold the Minto Cup, by defeating the Athletics of St. Catharines, a second time Saturday afternoon before a crowd of about four thousand five hundred. The score was 8 to 1, showing that the challengers were entirely outclassed. The weather at Cornwall, where St. Catharines had gone for the week, and the well-known hospitality of the Factory Town, together with their trip to Malone, apparently did not do them much good. Their work a week ago, combined with reports which had been received from Cornwall during the week, had made some of the more timid of the Shamrock supporters imagine that they had an opportunity of getting ahead at least the three goals necessary to take away the cup, but this idea was thoroughly dispelled after the first quarter. Although the visitors were fast and made attempt after attempt to score, they really could do nothing against the Shamrock defence till the third quarter, when the latter got a little careless, and allowed Hagan, by an underhand throw, to register one for St. Kitts.”  

FOOTNOTE: In August, the Toronto News printed their 1905 all-star selections for the two leagues. 

The National Amateur Lacrosse Union: 

GOAL – Larne (Montreal Nationals)

POINT – Howard (Montreal Shamrocks)

COVER POINT – Ralph (Ottawa Capitals)

1^ST DEFENCE – Kavanagh (Montreal Shamrocks)

2^nd DEFENCE – Finlayson (Montreal Nationals)

3^rd DEFENCE – McKerrow (Montreal Nationals)

CENTRE – Currie (Montreal Shamrocks)

3^rd HOME – Robinson (Montreal Shamrocks)

2^nd HOME – Hoobin (Montreal Shamrocks)

1^st HOME – Eddie Murphy (Ottawa Capitals)

OUTSIDE HOME – Allan (Ottawa Capitals)

INSIDE HOME – Hogan (Montreal Shamrocks)

The Canadian Lacrosse Association: 

GOAL – Hesse (St. Catharines)

POINT – Francis (Torontos)

COVER POINT – Cameron (St. Catharines)

1^ST DEFENCE – Elliott (St. Catharines)

2^nd DEFENCE – Graydon (Chippewas)

3^rd DEFENCE – Lambe (Torontos)

CENTRE – Forrester (St. Catharines)

3^rd HOME – Querrie (Tecumsehs)

2^nd HOME – Whitehead (Brantford)

1^st HOME – Lowe (St. Catharines)

OUTSIDE HOME – Kalls (St. Catharines)

INSIDE HOME – Powers (Torontos)

ST. KITTS MOURN FINE ATHLETE

THE TORONTO GLOBE

APRIL 20, 1906

St. Catharines, April 19 (Special) - The following letter has been sent to the family:

To the parents and relatives of James J. Forrester, 

The management of the Athletic Lacrosse Club, St. Catharines, the club and thousands of admirers in the Garden City and neighboring towns, desire to convey our expression of the large measure of regret experienced at the sad demise of their young friend. It is not our selfish feeling of the loss of a valued player that we speak, but that one so faithful and true should be cut down at the beginning of a promising life. Though not a St. Catharines-born youth, he was honest and loyal to his charge, and without flattery we can bear testimony to the fact that his conduct was not only a high and noble example to athletes, but to future citizens. We must consider this bereavement as one of the mysterious ways of an all wise Providence. To this same source of all comfort we would commend you in this present, your hour of sadness, which may be lightened by the trust that when the final score is announced, he will be numbered with the eternal champions.

(Signed) John Dawson, President. Joe J. Timmons, Secretary.

FEATURED STORIES

HOME