Tournament History

Established 1937

The Bridgman Cup Tournament was played for the first time during a cold November weekend in 1937. It is the oldest field hockey tournament in North America. The silver cup donated by Commander Montague Bridgman, was a trophy to be played for annually among the few teams in Victoria and Duncan. Specially designed pins were presented to the winners, the prototype kept on file at Birks.  Mrs. Euphemia (or Effie as she was known) Bridgman, wife of the Commander was a keen enthusiast of the sport as well as a member of the Victoria Women’s Grass Hockey Club. Every year from 1937 until 1974, Mrs. Bridgman kept the tournament steeped in old country tradition by providing a ‘tea’ for the finalists at her home on Christmas Hill.

In the early years of the tournament, competition was dominated by the private schools; particularly Queen Margaret’s which captured the trophy 14 times in the first 25 years. However, in the 1960’s and 70’s the public schools, in particular Oak Bay, became more of a force.

The tournament was not played from 1975 to 1991 and the location of the prized silver cup was unknown. Many local players would fondly recall ‘Bridgman Cup’ experiences and effort was made to revive the tournament. Miraculously, the trophy resurfaced when a member of a Vancouver men’s team discovered it in his basement. It was returned to the Bridgman family who arranged to have the trophy refurbished. Since the tournament was reinstated in 1992, the Cup has been won eight times by Handsworth, seven times by Cowichan, and three times by Brentwood College.

Liz Hawes was the tournament chair of the Bridgman Cup from 1992-2004. Her work as a local field hockey player and coach, as well as coordinator of this tournament, has been greatly appreciated by all.  Nancy Mollenhauer and then Carrie Trumpy took over the reins and the tournament continued to thrive under their leadership. The Bridgman Committee, now under the direction of Shelley Andrews, will continue to ensure that the tradition and spirit of the original tournament is upheld. In honour of the Bridgman family, the committee will continue to host the tea where the commemorative pins will be presented to the winners. Many thanks go out to the members of the committee and their volunteers for their dedication to this tournament and to the sport of field hockey

History of the Bridgman Trophy (PDF)