February 14, 2022
by Jeff Shaw
Author’s Note: With the 2022 Winter Olympics on mind (and on the television 24/7), I began to ponder about similarly prestigious competitions on Cape Cod. Other than the Cape Cod Baseball League, I couldn’t really think of any off-hand.
As my online research intensified, I came across an odd, but somewhat related, commonality. The word “Cape Cod” was used directly, or referred to indirectly, in the names of a handful of trophies representing rivalries in various youth, amateur and even professional sport competitions.
The list below is far from complete, but was fun to discover during the prestigious Olympic week(s)!
Cape Cod Prestige – Trophy Style
Cape Cod is such an iconic place that it comes as no surprise countless restaurants, stores, streets, parks, even menu items, and much more, bare its name. Another obscure, yet important item to many, also bare its name; the trophy.
Below are a few trophies named after, or refer to, Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Cup
If you had to guess which sport the Cape Cod Cup is named after, which would it be? Baseball? Hockey? Auto racing? Fishing? If you guessed any of those sports, you would be wrong. Turns out, the Cape Cod Cup is a golf trophy.
Every year, the Cape Cod PGA Chapter team captain invites a team of chapter professionals to compete against the Cape Cod Amateur Team, whose captain does the same thing. Each team features 14 players and play a Nassau 4-ball match play format – with three points up for grabs per match.
Wondering about the all-time history of this fun golf rivalry? The Amateurs lead Professionals: 15-14-2.
Canal Cup
The Canal Cup, the annual youth hockey clash between Sandwich and Bourne, is one of the most heated rivalries on all of Cape Cod. First played in 1983, a game Sandwich won 7-4, the Canal Cup has grown into an annual rivalry between the two towns and the two teams.
“It has become a rite of passage for hockey players from both towns and a family tradition that transcends generations. Fathers who played in the Canal Cup now watch their sons take the ice before one of the largest high school hockey crowds they’ll ever see. Former players return for Canal Cup weekend to watch brothers face off on the same ice they skated on as players.”
Sandwich dominated in the late 2000s to mid-2010s, though in 2015, Bourne snapped a decades-old drought, winning 4-3 in overtime. Prior to that dramatic overtime thriller, Bourne’s last win against Sandwich was 2006.
There is also a similarly sounding hockey tournament, the Cape Cod Canal Classic, a men’s hockey league tournament with similar local rivalries.
Codfish Cup
A relatively new annual rivalry debuted in 2019, with the 1st Annual Dennis-Yarmouth and Nauset Codfish Cup. The Codfish Cup is a day of youth hockey competition with teams consisting of players from mites up to the varsity high school level.
The event pits natural rivals against one another while raising funds and awareness for a charity of the home team’s choosing. In 2019, the charity selected was the Sean M. Gannon Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation. Participants were also asked to donate a non-perishable food item to be collected (and later distributed) by the Family Pantry of Cape Cod.
Arnold Mycock Trophy & President Trophy
The Cape Cod Baseball League championship trophy is named after Arnold Mycock, former general manager of the Cotuit Kettlers. Over his 62-year career (1950-1994 as GM), Mycock is credited with leading one of the most successful franchises in the league. Mycock was selected to the Cape League’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2000 and is a recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Meritorious Service Award.
The Cape Cod Baseball League also presents the President’s Trophy annually. The President’s Trophy, first presented in 2012, is given to the team with the most overall points in the league.
Cape Cod Mini Masters Tournament Championship Trophy
Mini golf lovers will rejoice knowing the Cape Cod Mini Masters Tournament Championship Trophy is real. This invitation-only event is tough to qualify for, but is making the rounds (pun intended) across the Cape. Even better, as its most recent winner, the trophy rests proudly on my fireplace mantle.
Do you know of other Cape Cod named or referenced trophies?