ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Dave Stewart-Candy has been a resident of Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia. Starting in May 2000, he has spent the past twenty-three years researching the statistical history of lacrosse, with a focus on the previously-undocumented 1882-1931 period when field lacrosse was the primary and popular version of the game in British Columbia.
He has been a member of the board of governors and an historian for the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in New Westminster, British Columbia since July 2012.
Beginning in 2002, he has compiled the Canadian Lacrosse Almanac as an annual compendium of league standings and history covering Canada, the United States of America, and overseas. Initially printed in April 2002
as a 102-page softcover book with a print-run of 200 copies, the Canadian Lacrosse Almanac was inspired by sports writer Jim Hendy [1905-1961] and his pioneering work The Hockey Guide which first hit the shelves in 1933 and remained in yearly production until 1951.
The almanac’s initial focus was primarily on the statistical history of British Columbia lacrosse leagues – namely, annual league standings along with post-season play. It was the first publication to research and examine the pre-1932 field lacrosse era in British Columbia, which until that time had never been documented at any statistical level.
Cost and production issues made the author switch from a print format to releasing the alamanc in a PDF format when he completed a second, updated edition in 2005. The almanac has expanded over the years to cover the rest of Canada as well as American NCAA collegiate, major and minor professional leagues, international competitions, and foreign domestic leagues where information is available.
In February 2012, after ten years of research, he self-published his pioneering work Professional Field Lacrosse in British Columbia 1909-1924. An in-depth statistical history of professional-level lacrosse played in Vancouver and New Westminster between 1909 and 1924, this publication thoroughly detailed the statistical aspect of the pro game from the days when lacrosse – and not hockey – captivated the attention and won the hearts and minds of sports fans in the Lower Mainland.
During the course of his research, he came across numerous old lacrosse photographs from the era in the various city archives as well as at the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He set up the Old School Lacrosse website in September 2013 as means to discover and tell the story of these photographs, the people in them, and their relevance to the history of lacrosse in the province and in Canada.
A second, revised printed edition was completed in November 2014, renamed Old School Lacrosse – Professional Lacrosse in British Columbia 1909-1924 to keep it consistent with the associated Old School Lacrosse website.
In the spring and summer months, the author would take a break from historical research to play as a defenseman for the Prince George Stylers of the Prince George Senior ‘C’ Lacrosse Association. He completed his final season in June 2015, hanging up his old wooden stick at the age of 46. Prior to signing with the Stylers in the spring of 2011, he played seven seasons between 2004 and 2010 with the Vancouver Vipers and Vancouver Burrards of the West Central Senior ‘C’ Lacrosse League.
A REQUEST TO THE READER
Comments, corrections, submissions: please drop me a line at davidjsc @ gmail.com
