BRIEF HISTORY

One of the oldest team sports in North America, the origins of lacrosse lie with the Native American people who lived in Ontario, Quebec and western New York. The first written rules were established in 1867, and although the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League was not established until decades later, formal competition in Ontario began in 1887. In the beginning of the nineteenth century and up until the First World War in 1914, lacrosse was the most popular sport in Canada, bar none.

Officially incorporated in 1933, the league has featured many Ontario lacrosse communities throughout its storied history including Akwesasne, Elora, Hamilton , Huntsville, Mississauga, Orillia, Oshawa, Ottawa, Rexdale, Scarborough, Sarnia, and Windsor.

BOX LACROSSE

Lacrosse became an indoor game at the professional level in 1931. Arena owners and National Hockey League club operators, introduced an indoor version of lacrosse to utilize their empty facilities during hockey's off-season. This new version of lacrosse became known as "box lacrosse".

The birth of box lacrosse increased the popularity of the sport among both athletes and observers and the advent of a professional box lacrosse league employing many popular hockey heroes brought the sport before a wider audience. The professional circuit included the Montreal Canadians, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Cornwall Colts.