Mimico Lacrosse

The original Town of Mimico, whose name comes from the Ojibwa word meaning “home of the wild pigeon”, was a popular summer vacation destination close to Lake Ontario and its westerly beaches. Originally settled as a farming community, it quickly developed into a hub of activity for new industry; and the ever-expanding railway and heavy manufacturing. Like Toronto, Mimico experienced steady growth during this time, and residents began to settle in the area to work in the local factories, where they were within a short commute to the downtown core.

In those days, you worked for the Railway, Goodyear, Campbell’s Soup or Anaconda Brass.

While the township developed into a bustling suburb of Toronto, the Mimico Lacrosse Club started to churn out some great lacrosse players, builders and teams. Field Lacrosse was played in the early years on pitches bordering Wesley and Portland Streets and at Memorial Park on Hillside Avenue.

In 1931, when the Canadian Lacrosse Association chose the Box game as its new form of play, the Mimico Lacrosse Club built an outdoor box at the corner of Church Street (Royal York) and Drummond Street, where the game has been played continuously until today. It was known across the province as the “Drummond Street Bowl,” which included a dirt floor and old railway boxcars for dressing rooms. Outdoor games at night in front of thousands were the norm for our sport in the golden age. The roar of the crowd and the announcer’s call of the game could be heard all over town.

The Mountaineers brought recognition to the town more than any other sports team, with Mann Cup wins in 1932 and 1942 and Eastern Canadian Senior titles in 1943 and 1947. In WWII, Conn Smythe’s 30th Light Anti-aircraft Battery, dubbed “The Sportsmen’s Battery,” included every member of the Mimico Mountaineers who won the 1942 Mann Cup.

Minto Cup victories were recorded in 1938 and 1951, with Eastern Canadian supremacy logged in 1941 and 1946. Mimico minor lacrosse teams also shared in the success of the Junior and Senior teams, with provincial titles earned as well.

At one point in time, the Southern Etobicoke area boasted thriving lacrosse associations in Mimico, Long Branch and Alderwood, all within minutes of each other. The 1970 Lakeshore Maple Leafs and their Minto Cup win was a combined team from these associations.

Participation in lacrosse dwindled in the late 1970s and 1980s. The Junior A Mountaineers’ last season was in 1978. A short list of dedicated volunteers kept the club afloat, putting in long hours at the arena with various fundraising activities, and driving kids to games and tournaments, keeping the pride and history of Mimico Lacrosse alive.

With the advent of professional box lacrosse, there seemed to be a renewed interest in the game, and membership was on the rise. In 1993, the Mimico Jr. B Mountaineers returned to the ranks of junior competition when a group of former players decided it was time for the players to stay home to play the game. The new team embraced the history of Mimico Lacrosse, honoured past greats from the club, and broadcasted home games on Rogers Cable. Interest in this new team and the sport of lacrosse in the community continued to grow.

Mimico Lacrosse continues to enjoy much success as one of the most significant associations in Ontario with a local box lacrosse league, rep box and field teams at each age division, a thriving women’s field lacrosse program, as well as teams in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (Junior A) and Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (Junior B) and Women’s Major Series Lacrosse (WMSL).

Today, Mimico Lacrosse owes so much to those who came before and laid the foundation for 125 years of memories. There are so many great players, coaches, volunteers and builders of the game from our community, who contributed at the provincial and national level, and each has their own story. Some of these greats have been recognized with inclusion in the Canadian and Ontario Lacrosse Halls of Fame. We appreciate their contribution, and we hope that we honour them with the Mimico Lacrosse Club as it stands today.

Since 1890, Mimico Lacrosse has provided a fun, safe and inclusive lacrosse program that is open to players of all ages and skill levels.

Mimico Lacrosse is the oldest and largest lacrosse club in the City of Toronto. With a wide range of programs for both boys and girls, we are proud to offer a comprehensive experience for kids to learn and play Canada’s national sport in the nation’s largest city.

Paul Suggate

Paul Suggate is not only an outstanding athlete with many accomplishments, he is also an active member of the Etobicoke community for many years, coaching children as well as Jr A and B lacrosse. Although Paul was born in England, he moved to Alderwood when he was two years old and is still an Etobicoke resident.

Suggate is known to be one of the best lacrosse players of his time, breaking all records for scoring. He is also a Minto Cup Champion (1970) and recognized as a key winning team member.

Some of Suggate’s accomplishments include: being the 2005 Ontario Major Lacrosse Coach of the Year, getting inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1993, earning MVP honours and being the leading scorer in the National Lacrosse League in 1974 1975 and being the Mann Cup Champion in 1971, to name a few.

Paul Suggate has been a very successful athlete and has significantly impacted developing lacrosse into what it is today. He is known as an exceptional athlete for being a team player and giving the utmost respect to those he played against. He is well respected in the lacrosse community as one of the best players ever to hit the floor!

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson has retired from a successful career in software development and presently works for the Canadian Premier League of Soccer as their executive VP.

He spends quality time with his family and yet takes the initiative to improve sports in this country at every opportunity, through professional amateur and volunteer actions, by sharing his time and expertise.

Glen began umpiring baseball in the Red River Valley Sports League in Manitoba at the age of 12. His 24-year umpiring career culminated as Canada’s baseball umpire at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. Concurrently, at the age of 18, he started officiating football, including 24 seasons in the Canadian Football League. Beyond Glen’s exemplary on-field career, he has held an amazing number of volunteer positions nationally and internationally as a builder of officiating and sport overall in Canada., and has been inducted in both the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame (2017) and Manitoba Football Hall of Fame (2020). He has also been nominated to both the Canadian Football and Baseball Halls of Fame.

Glen recently retired from coaching elite baseball at the Etobicoke Rangers organization for seven years at the 2005 age group, with teams winning four Toronto Baseball Association AAA Championships, double-digit tournament wins in multiple provinces, and Ontario Baseball Association finalists. He was a volunteer leader for the Challenger Baseball Program in Etobicoke, ON, in 2018 2019. He was also a dedicated coach for minor hockey with both the Humber Valley and West Mall organizations for over ten years.

Denise Dignard

As the GM/Executive VP, Women’s High-Performance at Canada Basketball, Denise Dignard has helped lead the senior women’s team to an all-time high ranking of fourth in the world.

A gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games and, a seventh-place finish at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, two gold medals at the championship of the Americas (2015, 2017) are just some of the highlights. The U16, U17, U18, and U19 women’s teams have also celebrated historic results under Dignard’s leadership.

As a previous player in high school, university, national and professional teams, Denise understands the commitment and dedication required by National program athletes. She has been a role model for many young woman athletes while working and training in Etobicoke since 1998 and growing Canadian women’s basketball taking it to the international stage.

As a tribute to Dignard’s impactful career, a new recreation centre in her hometown of Port Cartier, Quebec, has been named in her honour.

Bill Miller

Bill Miller was very proud of his Etobicoke roots.

His dedication and passion for the sport of slo-pitch has been enjoyed across Canada by slo-pitch players, young and old.

Bill had a simple vision, to create a Canadian Slo-Pitch organization that allowed the worst to be the best for a moment in time. He co-founded the Centennial Slo-Pitch of Etobicoke in 1975 with twenty teams, and the league still exists today with 110 teams and will carry on honouring his legacy.

Miller worked passionately organizing the sport of slo-pitch, beginning with a local Etobicoke league of twenty teams and growing into 12,000 teams Canada-wide. His efforts also included writing a National Rulebook and developing a National Officiating Program.

His significant achievements go hand in glove with his personal characteristics and values. His major contribution was to provide the opportunity for anyone to play the sport of softball. To accomplish that goal, Bill used his marketing expertise to create a desire to enjoy the sportsmanship, camaraderie and healthy exercise that are hallmarks of the sport. That accomplishment spread from Etobicoke to Ontario to Canada and Internationally.

Bill’s values reflected a simple premise; everyone should be able to enjoy the sport – as long as they followed the rules and were good sportsmen and sportswomen. He could be tough when necessary but more often quieted the conflict with humour. He understood that authentic leadership required vision for the future, willingness to take risks, and empathy and understanding of those he served.

Bill Miller | 1950 – 2020

Angela James

Angela James is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played at the highest levels of senior hockey between 1980 and 2000. She was a member of numerous teams in the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League (COWHL) from its founding in 1980 until 1998, finishing her career in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). She was named her league’s most valuable player six times. James is also a certified referee in Canada and a coach.

Internationally, James played in the first women’s world championship, a 1987 tournament that was unsanctioned. She played with Team Canada in the first IIHF World Women’s Championship in 1990, setting a scoring record of 11 goals and leading Canada to the gold medal. She played in three additional world championships, winning gold medals in 1992, 1994 and 1997.

Considered the first superstar of modern women’s ice hockey, James has been honoured by numerous halls of fame. She was one of the first three women inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008 and one of the first two inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. She was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. James was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021.

As of 2022, James serves as co-owner of and General Manager for the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation and the Senior Sports Coordinator at Seneca College in Toronto.

James has been called “the first superstar of modern women’s hockey” and has been hailed as a pioneer who brought the women’s game into the mainstream. Longtime women’s hockey administrator Fran Rider stated that James brought credibility, without which the women’s game would never have gained recognition as an Olympic sport.

An eight-time scoring champion and six-time most valuable player during her senior career, James has been honoured by several organizations. She was named Toronto’s Youth of the Year in 1985 and was presented with the city’s Women in Sport Enhancement Award in 1992. Hockey Canada named her the 2005 recipient of its Female Hockey Breakthrough Award. The Flemingdon Park arena was renamed the Angela James Arena in 2009, and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League presents the Angela James Bowl to its leading scorer each season. She has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Reflecting on her role as a pioneer of the sport, James was one of the first three women, along with Geraldine Heaney and Cammi Granato, to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. They were enshrined in 2008 as part of the IIHF’s 100th-anniversary celebrations. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame hailed James as a role model upon inducting her in 2009. One year later, she joined Granato as the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. James described being informed of her election as a day she never thought would happen, adding: “I’m really honoured to represent the female hockey players from all over the world.”