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Chapter 5 Images

A lacrosse match on the Shamrock Grounds, Montreal, 1867. Though a slightly blurry image, this picture taken in Confederation year shows the nature of competitive lacrosse at the time, complete with distinctive uniforms for each team (very different from the all-white uniforms of cricket teams) thereby making it easier for spectators to follow the game. Also notice the size of the wooden sticks, the un-netted flags for goalposts (which caused endless disputes about goal-scoring), and the elaborate, for the time, spectator stands at the Shamrock Grounds. Library and Archives Canada/Credit: Josiah Bruce/Andrew Audubon Merrilees fonds/C-087235 (p. 83)

The Canadian lacrosse team that toured England and Ireland in 1883; Dr Beers, Canada’s “flaming lacrosse evangelist,” is in the centre. This is the first known use of the maple leaf emblem to denote a “national” team in Canadian sport. Note that this team was designated the “Canadian” team but the Native team that travelled on the same tour was somehow not-Canadian. Courtesy of Don Morrow (p. 88)

Guelph’s Maple Leaf Baseball Club, 1874. Notice the narrow, by contemporary standards, wooden bats, the use of the maple leaf emblem (though not for national representation), the specialized high-ankle boots (likely not spiked), and the below-knee length socks—very “modern” and fancy outfits befitting the professional nature of baseball in southern Ontario during this era. From the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Scrapbook, volume 14. Courtesy of Don Morrow (p. 96)

Tecumseh Park in 1871, London Tecumsehs versus Syracuse Stars. Located near the forks of the Thames River, the Park was very close to the current location of Labatt Park in London, Ontario. The civic and county courthouse is in the background. Note the top-hatted gentlemen spectating (very few, if any women represented in this image), and the stylized “diamond”-shape of the baseball infield. Library and Archives Canada/Canadian Intellectual Property Office fonds /PA-031482 (p. 100)

An early baseball game on the Prairies between Lethbridge and Calgary at Lethbridge, Alberta, 21 January 1905. This is such a good characterization of baseball during the turn of the twentieth-century in the Western provinces where baseball was played at every possible level of competition. Notice the dress of the spectators and the background landscape with the railway, stockyards, grain elevators, and prairie vastness. Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives, NA-1276-1 (p. 106)

Baseball players in Ramsden Park, Toronto, 2 June 1926. Impromptu games of baseball such as this one were played everywhere in Canada during this era when baseball was played by so many people. Notice the players’ dress and the cars in the background. Archives of Ontario, Digital Image Number: I0001520 (p. 109)

Jimmy Claxton, born in 1892 on Vancouver Island, was the first black player in organized baseball. Marc H. Blau Collection (p. 111)

McGill University Hockey Club, 1881. Note the colourful, striped jerseys; long pants and knickers with socks; short, field-hockey-like sticks; caps; and the absence of gloves, the latter very likely reflecting the staged, in-studio photography of the time. The skate blades are longer than the boot and are only slightly curved or “rocked” thereby limiting the players’ lateral and turning maneuverability. Library and Archives Canada, C-081739 (p. 115)

The Montreal Hockey Team, 1893, the first team to win the Stanley Cup. Note the padded, rugby-like nature of the uniforms. The large trophy in the centre of the photograph is that of the AHAC; just below it can be seen the rim of the much less prestigious (at the time) Stanley Cup. © McCord Museum, MP-0000.587.119 (p. 117)

Dawson City Nuggets hockey team, Stanley Cup challengers, in Ottawa, 1905. Compare the uniforms, number of players, and location of the picture to that of the Stanley Cup champions featured on p. 117. Courtesy of Don Morrow (p. 120)

The Vancouver Millionaires Stanley Cup winners, 1915. Note the evolution of the hockey equipment compared to other hockey team photos in this chapter. Standing at the back, second from the right is Fred “Cyclone” Taylor, arguably one of the best professional players of his era. Courtesy of Don Morrow (p. 122)