Original Indians raised roofs THE SPECTATOR If THE reincarnated North Shore Indians lacrosse team ever develops the fan appeal of the original 1930s model, something will have to be done about their Rec Centre . playpen on Lonsdale, such as - Kaising the roof 50 feet or so and cramming in a few thou- . sand more seats. ‘Those original Indians were Vancouver’s most popular team — of any sport — in the Dirty ’30s, ‘ when mass unemployment stalked the land and a mere 25 cents would get you a seat to see them play at _ the now long gone Denman Street Arena.” It burned to the ground late in the summer of 1936, but before it did the guys from the North Shore ° ~ half of whom, it seemed, carried the name Baker — regularly filled its 10,000 seats. At 83 and still a lively, crackling ; “personality, Simon Baker remains the only. living member of those _long ago teams. He celebrates his 60th wedding anniversary June 4 ‘and, as part of the celebration, will handle the ceremonial faceoff at the : game | that evening. . : There was nothing ceremonial about his play 60 years ago. A big, rugged defenceman, he was one of the key members of a team that would have been entitled to use an alternate name. Such as the Baker Family Players. Besides Simon, there were Henry, Dominic, Ray, Frank, Stan and Chief Moses Baker. Henry, who played goal, likely was the most colorful of the clan. Every stop he made was a produc- tion in itself, as he scooped the ball out of the air and flung it back over his head and into the upper tier of the old wooden pile at Georgia and Denman. Actually, the team was not an entire North Shore production when it peaked in the mid-’30s. The coach and manager, Andy Paul, went east in 1935 and came back with a handful of talent from the Six Nations reserve in Ontario. Guys named Hubie and Beef Smith, Stu Bomberry and Jack Squires among others. With this added help, the Indians won the Inter-City. League championship in 1936 and went east to play for the Mann Cup, the national champi- onship. Because he had injured his back -in a car accident a few weeks previ- ously, Simon didn’t go. But he remembers that the excessive hos- pitality by Six Nations leaders — " who wanted to honor this all-Indian’ team — likely cost them the cham- pionship. A reception and dinner on the eve of the deciding game? Not exactly good timing. In any event, the trip. east was more enjoyable than the 1932 ven- ture, the year the Indians. became. the only team in Canadian sports history to cop a plea of malnutrition as the cause of their failure. There’s a lot of talk about -hun- gry athletes being winners. But there’s a difference between hunger and starvation. Simon remembers: “We had no money and no food. - We won in Calgary and then moved on to Winnipeg. We weren’t getting: enough food to keep our strength From $39.95 Price $ 39.95: 46.95 54.95 56.95 Size P155/80R13 ANW P165/80R13 XNW F185/80R13 XNW P195/75R1.4 XNW up. The Winnipeg team was made up mostly of big football players (they were to become known two or three years later as the Blue Bombers) and we couldn’t handle them physically.” Sociologists may have some the- ories on why this all-Indian team (except for one player, Vancouver policeman Bill Morphett) from North Vancouver was the darling of Lower Mainland fans. Why, at playoff time people lined up all night at the Dunsmuir and Granville ticket centre. Then there’s Johnny Cavallin, who played against them for a team named Richmond Farmers. (That's when Richmond was all farms, not housing pro- jects.) “Boy, was that ever a team!” Johnny told your agent a few years back. “Most of the Indian players worked as longshoremen. One sum- mer there was a waterfront strike, so they were out of work and on the picket line. This was the Depres- sion and all the fans were on their side. “One of our players was a big policeman named Angie McDon- ald and one of his jobs was escort- ing strikebreakers through the pick- et lines. So, as soon as he stepped on the floor, the fruit and vegeta- bles came flying down at him. That wouldn’t have been so bad if their aim had been better. We all caught it, including the Indians.” _ After the Denman Arena became a heap of ashes, lacrosse moved into the forum at the Pacific National Exhibition and the Indians still played to full houses of 5,000. After WWIi the team was revived under PNE sponsorship, and Paul went east again to bring in rein- forcements from the Six Nations. ture public imagination the way the originals did, your agent retains a vivid memory of opening night when eastern import goalie Judy Garland — yes, yes, that really was his name — stepped a blazing shot on his chin and was carried to * the dressing room unconscious. Eagie Gi+4 High Performance : AitSeason Radiais From $104.00 Decathlon All-Seasen Radials | Workhorse Light Truck & Vans Size 235/75R15 OWL 215/95R16 OB 225/75R16 BSL 875R165 OBL 235/85R16 OBL Price $ 104.00 108.95 120.95 121.95 122.95 A 16-year-old kid finished not only the game, but the season for him. When Garland came to, he dressed, walked out into the night and was next heard from on a com- mercial fishboat at Prince Rupert. That 16-year-old went on ty an out- Standing 20-year career and induc- tion into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Take a bow, Stan PORTABLE STEREO SYSTEMS PERFECT FOR THE BEACH! .And while this team never did cap- | er ae as ee Wednesday, May 11, 1994 - North Shore News - 17 and spirits PORTABLE CD PLAYERS _. GREAT FOR WALKING, : JOGGING, BIKING & ROLLERBLADING!! . Take a 1994 Hydrogen Miata for a drive this. Friday with Greg Wilson in the aulo section. re ee ae P205/75R14 XNW P215/75R15 XNW P2RS/7RRI 5XNW 64.95 68.95 76.95 Greg will give you the goods on the latest vehicles to hit the showrooms, from high performance sports cars to family sedans. : Spend a few minutes kicking the tires on a ‘94 Hydrogen Miata with Greg this Friday. 124.95 132.95 31X1050R15 OWL 245/75R16 BSL forn AIR MILES on all Goodyeor passenger, light truck tires and service including the greot values listed in this ad. Ask your putticipating retoiler. Tire sofe ends Moy 2 (st, 1994. Call for additional sizes ond sole prices. Savings may vary. Up to four months to pay on credit card purchases exceeding $250.00. 0.A.C. @ Free Rotation © Free Installation iacare NORTH VANCOUVER 880 Wes? 15th Street 985-9131 AIR CARE Repair Centre - Open 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Mon. to Thurs. Fri: 800 a.m. - 8:00 p.m, Sat 8:00 am. 5:30 p.m.