Complex sentence: By virtue of the title, the team was granted posession of the Allan Cup, emblematic of Canada's national senior-amateur championship, but initially refused to defend the trophy against a challenge by the Kenora Thistles after the Cup's trustees ruled Dick Irvin ineligible.
Split into simpler sentences: By virtue of the title, the team was granted possession of the Allan Cup, emblematic of Canada's national senior-amateur championship. The team initially refused to defend the trophy against a challenge by the Kenora Thistles after the Cup's trustees ruled Dick Irvin ineligible.