OSHAWA, ON– Lacrosse is a sport that was given to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada by The Creator to honour him, restore health within tribes, and to settle disputes while preparing for war. As the game of lacrosse expands across many different towns and provinces, the National Lacrosse League has made its way to Oshawa, where the city and surrounding areas have thrived in the sport in many different facets. Oshawa lacrosse began way back in the 1940’s when the first ever lacrosse team in Durham region was founded–the Oshawa Green Gaels.
“Even though the Green Gaels were established in 1946, the Green Gaels’ first team wasn’t until 1948,” said Doug Luey, who is a former player, general manager, and president for the Green Gaels. “Jim [Bishop] was the head coach, and was the head coach for a very, very long time in Oshawa.”
Some people in the lacrosse world say that the Oshawa Green Gaels are the greatest Junior “A” Box Lacrosse team ever. In their prime, the Green Gaels won seven straight Minto Cups from 1963-69 while posting a record of 220-20-1 over those seven seasons. The team was coached by the late Jim Bishop, who built a winning program in Oshawa for decades. He coached in Toronto, Huntsville, Newmarket, Oshawa, and Whitby before he passed.
“Jim had quite a bit of success from ‘63 to ‘69 and was impressive at not only developing great lacrosse teams, but also developing young men to be a credit to society,” said Luey. “I think people gravitated towards that and his impact in the game of lacrosse, because sometimes he would coach three and four teams in a year, and has impacted this community for many, many decades, and hopefully continues to do so.”
While Bishop may go down as one of the most successful Jr A. coaches in history, in his career, he always credited his players for their performance on the floor that made the Green Gaels a spectacle to watch back in their historic championship run. Another reason as to why they were atop the Jr A box was because of the community. The community–both lacrosse fans and non-fans–were showing up to games to watch such a dominant team and being introduced to lacrosse. Aside from the Oshawa Generals, the Green Gaels were the next biggest Oshawa sports team, and because they play in different times of the year–Generals from October until April and Gaels from May until August–it made them a hot commodity, which led to their triumphs.
Many people who are immersed in the lacrosse world in the Durham Region were overjoyed when they found out that an NLL franchise would be coming to their backyard, and even more so when the FireWolves announced their theme nights and saw that one of them would be in honour of the Green Gaels. To play in a city that has deep lacrosse roots, along with an outstanding fanbase, will make Saturday’s game an entertaining experience for fans and a good look-back on memories for the fans that were around during the Minto Cup run.
Minto Cup champion with the team that began their run in 1963, Mike Gray, was a defender for the team and reflected on what made Bishop such a legendary coach and why his style was indefensible.
“Jim Bishop was the type of coach that was preaching his system of lacrosse, which was different than what we were used to playing around,” said Gray. “In this area at the time, he was a run-and-gun coach. Now, his whole style was offense, to be as fast as you could and get down the floor. That’s what made an impression on him. And we had played the old type of game which other teams couldn’t keep up with.”
The Oshawa FireWolves are excited to pay tribute to the original lacrosse team from the city that began 80 years ago. With former Gaels players Dyson Williams on the roster, along with Dante Kulas, it’s meaningful to them to wear their once junior lacrosse colours and logo at the professional level.
“When I was in my final year of minor lacrosse, I got called up to play a few games with the Green Gaels and played in the Founder’s Cup, which was really cool,” said Williams in his reaction to the new jerseys for Green Gaels night. “A ton of history with the Green Gaels, Oshawa, and Clarington, so very excited for it.”
Since the Green Gaels became a Jr. B team in the Ontario Lacrosse Association, the team has won the Canadian National Jr “B” Championship–Founder’s Cup– a total of four times. They won every other year from 1998 to 2004 and last played in the Founder’s Cup in 2016, where they earned a silver medal.
It doesn’t matter that the team now plays in Clarington; they still remember where they came from and think about all the great players to wear the Green Gaels logo on their chest before them. Another element that the Green Gaels team does is have an award named after Bishop in memory of his service, dedication, and passion for the sport.
Now that the NLL has a professional team in the heart of the Durham Region, the Oshawa FireWolves are paying homage to the original lacrosse team when they host a Green Gaels Night on Saturday, January 10, at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa. The FireWolves will be wearing new jerseys for the occasion, along with players, coaches, and other members of the organization in attendance for the game. There will be a Minto Cup presentation, along with both the Minto Cup and Mann Cup trophies, at the game for fans to view on the concourse.
The Oshawa FireWolves are excited and happy to wear a crest that started the lacrosse scene in Durham Region eight decades ago and are eager to show the public their new jerseys for Saturday’s game. Faceoff between the FireWolves and the visiting Halifax Thunderbirds will occur at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday, January 10, at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.
Fans can purchase their tickets for the game here.
About Oshawa FireWolves
The Oshawa FireWolves are Durham Region’s professional box lacrosse team, competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) out of the Tribute Communities Centre in downtown Oshawa, ON. For more information, visit OshawaFireWolves.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/FireWolvesNLL, Twitter @FireWolvesNLL, and Instagram @FireWolvesNLL.
About National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s largest professional lacrosse league and welcomed more than 1 million fans for the third consecutive year during the 2024-25 season. Founded in 1986, the NLL is comprised of 14 franchises across Canada and the United States, and recently unveiled its largest brand campaign ever, “Welcome to The Next Major League™” and introduced its comprehensive grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed™, that will expand the League’s footprint to 60 communities across North America by 2028. For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok. Games are available live and streaming on TSN, TSN+, the ESPN family of networks, ESPN+, and NLL+.
About Tribute Communities Centre
The Tribute Communities Centre is Durham Region’s premier sports and live entertainment facility and is managed by Oak View Group. The Tribute Communities Centre is home to the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, and hosts a myriad of events including concerts, circuses, ice skating and family shows. Visit TributeCommunitiesCentre.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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