What is the second oldest sports trophy in North America?
It could easily be used as a quiz question and perhaps it already is without my knowledge.

I confess I had no clue under I stumbled across the trophy at The Rooms museum, St. John’s (well worth a visit if you’re ever on the Rock).

Sir Charles Cavendish Boyle, who served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1901-1904 donated the trophy which was originally intended to be an inter-colonial competition between Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritime provinces.

For reasons unknown this would not come to be and the trophy became the championship trophy for St. John’s senior (men’s) hockey and stayed as such until the league collapsed in 1971.

The St. John’s City League was formed with seven teams in January 1899 and they originally competed for the Hunter Hockey Cup. However after Victorias won the competition for three straight years and therefore earning the Cup permanently, a new trophy was required.

The Terra Novas lifted the Boyle Trophy in 1904 and 1905 and would taste success on a further five occasions.
Feildians won the Boyle eight times, the Crescents took the award twice, Victorias won it three times while both Holy Cross and the Royals have one victory.

The competition was dominated by St. Bon’s, who held many advantages including owning their own rink – The Forum (few teams had their own ice).
The Bluegolds won the Boyle Trophy 27 times, including 16-consecutive wins between 1944 and 1959.

The ‘unbeatable’ St. Bon’s were finally knocked off their perch in 1960 as the St. Pat’s performed a hockey miracle by winning the seven games series by a 4-2 margin to claim their first championship success. Calling that game on radio………..Bob Cole.

Members of the 1959-60 St. Pats hockey team which upset St. Bons to win the Boyle Trophy are, from left, first row: Don Johnson, Mike Fitzpatrick, Jack Withers, Pat Barrington, Bart Ford, Johnny Perry, Jim Aucker Byrne; second row: Charlie Walsh, Lloyd Kelly, Dick Power, Derm Connolly, Jim Malone, Joe Kenny, coach Neil Amadio; third row: Leo Fagan, manager Alf Connors, Joe Muphy, Bob Lane, Ed Kelly, John Fitzgerald and Gordon Goobie. Photo: Don Johnson via http://www.thetelegram.com

St. Pat’s went on to win again the following year but would not lift the trophy again.

The Guards had only won twice before 1962 but that all changed with the arrival of a certain Howie Meeker. The four-time Stanley Cup Champion and revered Maple Leaf was persuaded to run the hockey program in St. John’s.
It paid dividends as under Meeker’s leadership, the Guards would claim three consecutive championships from 1962-64, triumph again in 1966 and win back to back Boyle Trophy’s in 1970 and 1971, the last of their overall eight wins before the leagues sad demise.

The Boyle trophy was in limbo after the league collapsed and in a move that upset many, the trophy became the Newfoundland Provincial Boys 4A High School championship trophy starting with the 1984-85 school year.

The original cup is made of sterling silver with three handles shaped as lions that are looking up into the cup.
The cup was mounted on a base of locally turned mahogany.
The names of all the winners up to 1918 are engraved on the silver cup.
After 1918 the winners’ names are engraved on plates attached to the wooden base.

Inscribed on the cup is the verse “We Love Thee Frozen Land” from Ode to Newfoundland, composed by Governor Boyle in 1902. Several months after Boyle donated the cup, Ode to Newfoundland was adopted as the official national anthem for Newfoundland, then a self-governing British Colony. It was re-adopted in 1980 as the provincial anthem.

When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee, smiling land.

We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee, smiling land.

When spreads thy cloak of shimmering white,
At winter’s stern command,
Thro’ shortened day, and starlit night,
We love thee, frozen land.

We love thee, we love thee
We love thee, frozen land.

When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro’ spindrift swirl, and tempest roar,
We love thee windswept land.

We love thee, we love thee
We love thee windswept land.

As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood, we stand;
Their prayer we raise to Heaven above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland

God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland.

Boyle Trophy Winners:

1904 – Terra Novas
1905 – Terra Novas
1906 – Feildians
1907 – Victorias
1908 – Crescents
1909 – Victorias
1910 – Crescents
1911 – Crescents
1912 – Crescents
1913 – Crescents
1914 – Crescents
1915 – Feildians
1916 – Terra Novas
1917 – Victorias
1918 – Terra Novas
1919 – Terra Novas
1920 – Feildians
1921 – Feildians
1922 – Feildians
1923 – Guards
1924 – Feildians
1925 – Feildians
1926 – Terra Novas
1927 – Feildians
1928 – St. Bon’s
1929 – Terra Novas
1930 – St. Bon’s
1931 – St. Bon’s
1932 – St. Bon’s
1933 – St. Bon’s
1934 – Holy Cross
1935 – Guards
1936 – St. Bon’s
1937 – St. Bon’s
1938 – St. Bon’s
1939 – St. Bon’s
1940 – St. Bon’s
1941 – Royals
1942 – No competition
1943 – No competition
1944 – St. Bon’s
1945 – St. Bon’s
1946 – St. Bon’s
1947 – St. Bon’s
1948 – St. Bon’s
1949 – St. Bon’s
1950 – St. Bon’s
1951 – St. Bon’s
1952 – St. Bon’s
1953 – St. Bon’s
1954 – St. Bon’s
1955 – St. Bon’s
1956 – St. Bon’s
1957 – St. Bon’s
1958 – St. Bon’s
1959 – St. Bon’s
1960 – St. Pat’s
1961 – St. Pat’s
1962 – Guards
1963 – Guards
1964 – Guards
1965 – Memorial University Beothuks
1966 – Guards
1967 – Memorial University Beothuks
1968 – Memorial University Beothuks
1969 – St. Bon’s
1970 – Guards
1971 – Guards