Historic MacNaughton Cup Comes to Minnesota State University, Mankato

Dating back 100 years to its original purchase in 1913, standing three-feet high, and weighing more than 40 pounds, the MacNaughton Cup is the shining symbol of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and its distinguished tradition as a premier collegiate hockey conference since the league’s founding in 1951.  The MacNaughton Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the league’s regular season championship, and as a traveling trophy, is on display each season at the home of the reigning champion.  The Mavericks Men’s Hockey Team closed out the regular WCHA season with a 3-0 win at Bemidji State on Saturday, March 7, 2015 claiming the MacNaughton Cup as the 2014-2015 Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season champions.  
 

Minnesota State University, Mankato Men's Hockey Team and the MacNaughton Cup, March 7, 2015
Image Courtesy of the Minnesota State University, Mankato Athletic Communications Office

The MacNaughton Cup has traveled a long and winding road since its initial purchase in 1913 by the Calumet (Michigan) and Hecla Mining Company, but officially settled into a home with the original WCHA (MCHL/WIHL) in 1951.  In 1913, James MacNaughton, then president of Calumet and Hecla, Inc., and an avid supporter of amateur ice hockey, authorized the president of the American Amateur Hockey Association to purchase a cup (he said the price didn’t matter) and present it to the Association’s championship team at the end of the season. The first winner was a team from the Cleveland (Ohio) Athletic Club. The MacNaughton Cup remained with the AAHA until it ceased operations in 1920.  From 1921 to 1950, the Cup was fought for by semipro and intermediate hockey aggregations in Michigan’s Copper Country. 

In 1951, the cup was donated by Calumet and Hecla, Inc., through the generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Endicott R. Lovell, to the newly-founded Midwest Collegiate Hockey League, forerunner of the WCHA.  Lovell, president of the company at that time and the son-in-law of James MacNaughton, was also an ardent supporter of amateur hockey.  The MCHL chose to award the trophy to its regular season champion. The MacNaughton Cup remained a part of the MCHL/WIHL until the league disbanded in March of 1958 for one year. In 1959-1960, the seven original teams resumed formal competition under the name Western Collegiate Hockey Association.  The MacNaughton Cup has gone to the league’s regular season winner on all but seven occasions since 1951.  From 1962-1965, the MacNaughton Cup was presented to the league playoff winner.

Interesting Fact:  Michigan Tech is the custodian of the MacNaughton Cup.  From 1981-1984, the trophy left with Michigan Tech and was presented to the champion of the CCHA for those three seasons.

You can see the MacNaughton Cup on display in the Hall of Champions in the Taylor Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato.  

 

MacNaughton Cup in the Hall of Champions at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Image Courtesy of the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato

For more information about the Minnesota State University, Mankato Men’s Hockey, visit: http://www.msumavericks.com/index.aspx?path=mhockey

Thank you to the WCHA and Matt Hodson for providing the History of the MacNaughton Cup.  Visit http://www.wcha.com/men/index.php to learn more about the WCHA.