The Mann Cup: Symbol of Canadian Lacrosse Supremacy

The Mann Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in Canadian sport. Donated in 1910 by Sir Donald Mann, it was originally a challenge trophy for field lacrosse before being adapted to box lacrosse in 1932, the form of the game that has since become Canada’s official summer national sport. Contested by the champions of Ontario and British Columbia senior men’s lacrosse, the trophy stands as the ultimate prize in the amateur game.

Made of solid gold, the original Cup now resides in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, having long since been replaced on the floor by replicas. The version that winners lift today is in fact a replica of a replica, after the first copy was destroyed in a celebratory bonfire in 2004 by Peterborough players. Valued at over $230,000, the trophy is among the most valuable in Canadian sport.

The Mann Cup has been awarded 113 times. The format today is a best-of-seven series between the champion of Major Series Lacrosse in the east and the champion of the Western Lacrosse Association in British Columbia, with hosting duties alternating yearly—British Columbia in odd-numbered years, Ontario in even ones. The rules of the Mann Cup are slightly different than those of either league, as the championship is governed directly by Lacrosse Canada, and fans often notice unique wrinkles in how the games are officiated.

The New Westminster Salmonbellies have defined much of the Cup’s history, winning 24 times, more than any other club. Indeed, it was the Salmonbellies who donated the trophy to the Canadian Lacrosse Association for use as evidence of national men’s lacrosse supremacy beginning in 1926. At that time the game was still played on the field, and the Bellies reclaimed the trophy in 1927 by defeating the Weston Westonmen of Ontario, who had captured the inaugural championship in 1926. The Salmonbellies would not win again during the remaining years of the field era, but they came close more than once.

Finally, with the introduction of box lacrosse as the dominant format for the game in 1932, the Salmonbellies returned to glory. In 1937 they swept Orillia after falling short in earlier attempts. That breakthrough marked the beginning of a long series of battles throughout the 1940s, including a hard-fought win over the Mimico-Brampton Combines in 1943, before stumbling against St. Catharines in 1946. Indeed, they watched their sister club, the New Westminster Adanacs, lift the Cup in 1947, only to see Hamilton seize it back from them the following year.

The postwar years gave way to a golden run in the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1958 and 1959 the Bellies dominated at home, sweeping Ontario challengers Welland-Crowland and Peterborough. They repeated that feat in 1962 against Brampton and then survived a seven-game classic in 1965 against Brooklin. Yet the pendulum swung back when Brooklin defeated them in 1969, before the Bellies roared back in 1970 with a sweep of Peterborough. The story repeated in miniature when they lost badly in 1971 to Brantford, only to repay the Warriors with a sweep in 1972. In 1974 they claimed one of the oddest victories in Mann Cup history, an 18–5 single-game decision over Windsor, before traveling east in 1976 to edge Brampton in a grueling seven-game series on the road.

By the 1980s the rivalry with Ontario deepened. The Bellies lost to Brampton in 1980 but turned the tables the very next year with a sweep at home. In 1985 Brooklin came west and edged them in another seven-game epic, only for New Westminster to return the favour in Whitby the following year. In 1987 Brooklin struck back in New Westminster, but the Bellies again restored the balance by defeating them in 1989. Two years later they swept Brooklin cleanly to claim their 24th title. That victory marked the end of an extraordinary period in which New Westminster had never gone a decade without raising the Mann Cup, cementing their reputation as the team most synonymous with the trophy.

Since 1991, however, the Bellies have endured a drought in their chase for a 25th. The most painful chapter came in the Cup’s centennial year of 2009 when they hosted Brampton. In one of the most dramatic series ever played, New Westminster lost each of their four defeats in overtime, including even the decisive game seven where they led in the dying seconds before a last gasp tying goal gave Brampton the opportunity to win the game and the series in overtime. That series has left a painful memory for members of the Salmonbellies’ fan base and is a driving force in today’s efforts to win their 25th.

Over the decades, the Salmonbellies have forged deep rivalries with every major power in senior lacrosse. The Peterborough Lakers, with 18 titles, are the closest challengers in terms of championships, and the Brampton Excelsiors, with 11, have been among their fiercest foes. The Victoria Shamrocks with nine championships and the Brooklin Redmen, with seven each, have also carved out periods of dominance. The Six Nations Chiefs, whose last victory on the west coast came in 2023 when they beat New Westminster at home, remain one of the modern era’s most formidable opponents. The New Westminster Adanacs (later Coquitlam) have combined for three titles of their own, adding a hometown twist to the shared history of the Mann Cup.

Despite its amateur designation, the Mann Cup is regarded as one of the most beautiful trophies in sport, largely because it built in a classic style and fashioned from gold. That’s part of the reason players so value winning it and recognize that hoisting it above their heads is a unique honour amongst Canadian athletes. More importantly, it is widely recognized as one of the most difficult prizes in sport to win, both because of the quality of the competition and because players may have to endure seven games in nine nights against the most physical opponents the game can offer.

As the Salmonbellies can attest, winning is anything but assured and reaching that elusive 25th requires more than talent. It takes teamwork, discipline, and incomparable drive.

If you have never seen lacrosse at this level, this is the opportunity you have been waiting for. The lacrosse promises to be as beautiful as the trophy itself.