Owen Sound is the new home for a historic and successful Senior A lacrosse team.
The Brampton Excelsiors, who have won the Major Series Lacrosse Mann Cup title 11 times, are permanently moving to the Harry Lumley Bayshore arena, home of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, as well as the Senior B Owen Sound North Stars of the Ontario Series Lacrosse league. The arena is also home to the Jr. B North Stars and Owen Sound Minor Lacrosse.
Brampton's owner, Joe Norton, has been quoted as saying that Brampton was no longer supporting the Senior A Excelsiors to a level that was viable to keep them there. The Excelsiors won the MSL Mann Cup 11 times, most recently in 2011. The move will not affect the North Stars franchises in any way.
The MSL is a small six team league that acts as an off-season training base for pro National Lacrosse League players, as well as some college players in the NCAA. The Mann Cup is contested every year between the MSL winner and the Western Lacrosse Association champ in a best of seven. Brampton first won the Mann Cup in 1930, with their history dating back to 1880. Owen Sound won a Mann Cup in 1950 as the Owen Sound Crescents.
The 2021 MSL season is slated to start in May 2021, as it usually does, but with uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, that could easily change and the start date moved back into June or possibly July.