Simpson Trophy
The Simpson Trophy was a competition held in Scotland from the 1930s to the 1950s.
History
It was originally a competition between representative Glasgow Select and Perth Select sides. James Simpson, for whom the competition is named after, donated the trophy to be competed for on a two-leg basis by the two squads. Glasgow won the first match 2-1 and drew the second 1-1 to claim the 1938 Simpson Trophy.
The Simpson Trophy became a Scottish-wide competition in 1939, but was still officially an inter-city competition, with one team representing each city. The Fife Flyers defeated the Dundee Tigers 7-6 on aggregate (5-3 in the first leg, 2-3 in the second) in the final to win the tournament.
In 1940 - the final season of hockey in Scotland before a six year interruption due to World War II - the Perth Panthers won the tournament by defeating the Dundee Tigers 12-5 in a two-game, total goals final.
The tournament resumed in 1946-47, this time utilizing a round-robin league format, where the team with the best goal differential was named champion. It was won by the Ayr Raiders.
It reverted back to the single-elimination format for 1947-48 and 1948-49. In 1948 Dunfermline beat Dundee 15-10 on aggregate over two games, while Perth claimed the 1949 edition 17-14 over Dundee, once again on aggregate.
The last recorded playing of the Simpson Trophy was in 1950-51. It was won by the Dundee Tigers
Champions
- 1938: Glasgow Select
- 1939: Fife Flyers
- 1940: Perth Panthers
- 1947: Ayr Raiders
- 1948: Dunfermline Vikings
- 1949: Perth Panthers
- 1951: Dundee Tigers
Sources
- Frozen in Time: The Lost History of Scottish Ice Hockey 1895-1940, William S. Marshall (2014).
- Glasgow Herald newspaper archives