How come, in Canada...?

Show all answers

Michael C...

Hi".....the First Nations people invented the game.The game became known to Westerners when a French Jesuit Missionary, Jean de BrÃ©beuf, saw the Iroquois tribesmen play it in 1636 He was the first to write about lacrosse and thus gave it its name.

Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse and others suggest that it was named after the crosier, a staff carried by Roman Catholic Bishops.

Today lacrosse not only remains an integral part of First Nations culture, but is played by thousands of Canadians both male and female .

From its origin as 'The Creator's Game' to the overwhelming popularity of the modern game, lacrosse has survived the test of time after treading down a long, controversial path that led it to become recognized as Canada's official national sport.

In the Lacrosse world the Mann Cup is one of the oldest and most valuable trophies in Canadian sport. It was donated by Sir Donald Mann, builder of the Canadian Northern Railway, to be used for senior amateur lacrosse championships.

Like hockey's Stanley Cup, the Mann Cup began it's tour of duty as a challenge cup. The first recorded winner of the Mann Cup was the Young Torontos in 1910. The following year, however, the Vancouver Athletics earned the right to bring the cup west, where it stayed for the next 15 years.

In 1925, the Canadian Lacrosse Association was organized and a uniform set of rules was adopted. The Mann Cup, which had been held by New Westminster for the previous five years, was turned over to the C.L.A. to be used as the Championship Trophy. The national finals would alternate from east to west each year, just as it does today.

BUT .... unlike today's game, the Canadian Lacrosse Championship was settled on an open field. It was not until 1932 that the field version of lacrosse gave way to box lacrosse. AND .... it would be a long seven year wait until a BC box lacrosse team would drink champagne from the coveted cup. In 1939, the ADANACs .... the New Westminster Adanacs .... finally brought the cup back to BC.

The Coquitlam Adanacs, which were founded in 1965, did not win their first Mann Cup Championship until 2001.... their first Canadian Championship in four appearances

Hope that helps ya and while I like lacrosse I still personally prefer yelling "Go Canucks" at the Garage in Vancouver ! *lol* (Michael C...)

bradleywykes

Because it is a Native Canadian game, carried on for hundreds of years before hockey was invented. The Iriquois and Mohawk played the game, and it stayed popular even after the trappers and settlers passed through.

michelwhite53

I am a Native American Indian with dual citizenship in Canada and the US. My ancestors played the game of lacrosse way before Jacques Cartier discovered Canada and even before the Vikings set foot on soil. The early game wasn't played like today. It was a mix between hockey and football and extremely violent. Today it is similar to hockey. It was played for years in most canadian cities. I used to play Pro and teams from across Canada would take part in tournaments. The oldest organized team sport in Canada deserves to be National..

Jim B

The original game, as played by the Aboriginals,was a form of mock warfare, with teams made up of the entire male population of a village, playing another village, Games went on for days at a time, with darkness forcing the end of play, to be resumed the next day ..

Brutal injuries to the head and arms were normal, and death was not unusual, either. It was a way to let off steam.

Jim B. Toronto.

jake.jakobson

yes, historically lacorsse was listed as the national sport but that was changed back in the '70's to Hockey and Lacrosse as the 2 national sports

Meli

What? I didn't know that??? I always thought it was hockey. it should be hockey, WHY ISN'T IT HOCKEY???

Collie

I honestly thought Hockey was the national game. That is pretty stupid.....sorry but it is.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: