Patrick David Baker (May 27, 1939 – October 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional and amateur box lacrosse goaltender. He was an elite goaltender in his time, winning the Mann Cup Canadian Major Championship two times and being named the top goaltender in the Ontario Lacrosse Association eight times.Patrick Baker , Peterborough and District Sports Hall of FamePeterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame
/ref> Baker is a member of the

Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame The Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame is a Canadian lacrosse hall of fame, located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The Hall was chartered in 1965 by the Canadian Lacrosse Association, and inducted its first class of hall of famers in t ...

. He is considered a pioneer of the breakout pass.Looking back with…Pat Baker , IL Indoor.com
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Career

Baker first played lacrosse at the age of nine in Port Dalhousie, Ontario. After three years of playing, he helped his team win the Ontario peewee championship. The next day he and his family moved to Peterborough, Ontario. At 17, he almost died of a childhood illness. In 1958, Baker signed with the Brampton ABC's of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League and won the Minto Cup as Canadian Junior A Champions with them that season. During his winters he played in the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs (the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

junior entry) for three seasons as a forward. Baker started off his Major/Senior A career in 1959 with

Peterborough Lakers Peterborough Lakers may refer to: *Peterborough Lakers (MSL), a Senior A box lacrosse team from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada *Peterborough Lakers Jr. A The Peterborough Lakers are Junior "A" box lacrosse team from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. ...

. The team went belly up after two seasons and he signed with the Brooklin Redmen instead. After five seasons in Brooklin he returned to a newly formed Peterborough club in 1966 until 1973. In 1968, he and his team joined the National Lacrosse Association and turned professional for two seasons. In his second season in the league he won the NLA's professional championship. Baker would win two Mann Cup Canadian Major Senior A championships: 1966 and 1973 with Peterborough. He also won the 1969 NLA Championship with Peterborough at the professional level. He was named 1973 Mann Cup most valuable player and won best goaltender in the Ontario Lacrosse Association ten times. Baker was named Peterborough's sportsman of the year in 1969, to the

in 1980, the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Peterborough and District's Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In 2008, Baker and his 1958 Minto Cup winning junior team were named to the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, the 1956-59 Brampton Minto Cup dynasty was inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame, Baker playing for the 1958 edition of the team. Pat Baker died from complications of COVID-19 in Peterborough, Ontario, on October 4, 2022, at the age of 83.

Stats

''Source: Wamper's Bible of Lacrosse''

References

External links

Peterborough Hall of Fame profilePat Baker's HockeyDB profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Pat 1939 births 2022 deaths Canadian lacrosse players Lacrosse people from Ontario Sportspeople from St. Catharines Lacrosse goaltenders