diff --git a/History.md b/History.md
index 8ef12e7cf9c..238574bdc26 100644
--- a/History.md
+++ b/History.md
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 
 ## vNEXT
 
+* The `manager` option to the `Meteor.Collection` constructor is now called
+  `connection`. The old name still works for now.  #987
+
 * Files in the 'client/compatibility/' subdirectory of a Meteor app do
   not get wrapped in a new variable scope.
 
diff --git a/docs/client/api.js b/docs/client/api.js
index 7f6bea72c25..0829aed171b 100644
--- a/docs/client/api.js
+++ b/docs/client/api.js
@@ -472,9 +472,9 @@ Template.api.meteor_collection = {
      descr: "The name of the collection.  If null, creates an unmanaged (unsynchronized) local collection."}
   ],
   options: [
-    {name: "manager",
+    {name: "connection",
      type: "Object",
-     descr: "The Meteor connection that will manage this collection, defaults to `Meteor` if null.  Unmanaged (`name` is null) collections cannot specify a manager."
+     descr: "The Meteor connection that will manage this collection, defaults to `Meteor` if null.  Unmanaged (`name` is null) collections cannot specify a connection."
     },
     {name: "idGeneration",
      type: "String",
diff --git a/packages/livedata/livedata_connection_tests.js b/packages/livedata/livedata_connection_tests.js
index 39dc5e66d46..ef79891bd24 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/livedata_connection_tests.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/livedata_connection_tests.js
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
 
     // setup method
     conn.methods({do_something: function (x) {
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
     var coll_name = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(coll_name, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(coll_name, {connection: conn});
 
     // setup methods
     conn.methods({
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ Tinytest.add("livedata stub - reconnect", function (test) {
   startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
   var collName = Random.id();
-  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
 
   var o = observeCursor(test, coll.find());
 
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
     var o = observeCursor(test, coll.find());
 
     conn.methods({writeSomething: function () {
@@ -823,7 +823,7 @@ Tinytest.add("livedata stub - reconnect method which only got data", function (t
   startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
   var collName = Random.id();
-  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
   var o = observeCursor(test, coll.find());
 
   // Call a method. We'll get the data-done message but not the result before
@@ -909,7 +909,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
     var o = observeCursor(test, coll.find());
 
     conn.methods({
@@ -996,7 +996,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
 
     conn.methods({
       insertSomething: function () {
@@ -1138,7 +1138,7 @@ Tinytest.add("livedata connection - two wait methods", function (test) {
   startAndConnect(test, stream);
 
   var collName = Random.id();
-  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+  var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
 
   // setup method
   conn.methods({do_something: function (x) {}});
@@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     var conn = newConnection(stream);
 
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
 
     // Start and send "connect", but DON'T get 'connected' quite yet.
     stream.reset(); // initial connection start.
diff --git a/packages/livedata/livedata_tests.js b/packages/livedata/livedata_tests.js
index 88bc2c94d8c..ec754d6a234 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/livedata_tests.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/livedata_tests.js
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ if (Meteor.isClient) {
     var conn = new Meteor._LivedataConnection('/',
                                               {reloadWithOutstanding: true});
     var collName = Random.id();
-    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {manager: conn});
+    var coll = new Meteor.Collection(collName, {connection: conn});
     var errorFromRerun;
     var gotErrorFromStopper = false;
     return [
diff --git a/packages/madewith/madewith.js b/packages/madewith/madewith.js
index 37055061c2b..297d8d9a292 100644
--- a/packages/madewith/madewith.js
+++ b/packages/madewith/madewith.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ var server = Meteor.connect("madewith.meteor.com");
 var sub = server.subscribe("myApp", hostname);
 
 // minimongo collection to hold my singleton app record.
-var apps = new Meteor.Collection('madewith_apps', {manager: server});
+var apps = new Meteor.Collection('madewith_apps', {connection: server});
 
 server.methods({
   vote: function (hostname) {
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
index d61d55f63af..d67ea71158f 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/collection.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// manager, if given, is a LivedataClient or LivedataServer
+// connection, if given, is a LivedataClient or LivedataServer
 // XXX presently there is no way to destroy/clean up a Collection
 
 Meteor.Collection = function (name, options) {
@@ -7,13 +7,17 @@ Meteor.Collection = function (name, options) {
     throw new Error('use "new" to construct a Meteor.Collection');
   if (options && options.methods) {
     // Backwards compatibility hack with original signature (which passed
-    // "manager" directly instead of in options. (Managers must have a "methods"
+    // "connection" directly instead of in options. (Connections must have a "methods"
     // method.)
     // XXX remove before 1.0
-    options = {manager: options};
+    options = {connection: options};
+  }
+  // Backwards compatibility: "connection" used to be called "manager".
+  if (options && options.manager && !options.connection) {
+    options.connection = options.manager;
   }
   options = _.extend({
-    manager: undefined,
+    connection: undefined,
     idGeneration: 'STRING',
     transform: null,
     _driver: undefined,
@@ -45,13 +49,13 @@ Meteor.Collection = function (name, options) {
                   "the collection name to turn off this warning.)");
   }
 
-  // note: nameless collections never have a manager
-  self._manager = name && (options.manager ||
+  // note: nameless collections never have a connection
+  self._connection = name && (options.connection ||
                            (Meteor.isClient ?
                             Meteor.default_connection : Meteor.default_server));
 
   if (!options._driver) {
-    if (name && self._manager === Meteor.default_server &&
+    if (name && self._connection === Meteor.default_server &&
         Meteor._RemoteCollectionDriver)
       options._driver = Meteor._RemoteCollectionDriver;
     else
@@ -61,11 +65,11 @@ Meteor.Collection = function (name, options) {
   self._collection = options._driver.open(name);
   self._name = name;
 
-  if (name && self._manager.registerStore) {
+  if (name && self._connection.registerStore) {
     // OK, we're going to be a slave, replicating some remote
     // database, except possibly with some temporary divergence while
     // we have unacknowledged RPC's.
-    var ok = self._manager.registerStore(name, {
+    var ok = self._connection.registerStore(name, {
       // Called at the beginning of a batch of updates. batchSize is the number
       // of update calls to expect.
       //
@@ -166,10 +170,10 @@ Meteor.Collection = function (name, options) {
 
   // autopublish
   if (!options._preventAutopublish &&
-      self._manager && self._manager.onAutopublish)
-    self._manager.onAutopublish(function () {
+      self._connection && self._connection.onAutopublish)
+    self._connection.onAutopublish(function () {
       var handler = function () { return self.find(); };
-      self._manager.publish(null, handler, {is_auto: true});
+      self._connection.publish(null, handler, {is_auto: true});
     });
 };
 
@@ -324,7 +328,7 @@ _.each(["insert", "update", "remove"], function (name) {
       args[0] = Meteor.Collection._rewriteSelector(args[0]);
     }
 
-    if (self._manager && self._manager !== Meteor.default_server) {
+    if (self._connection && self._connection !== Meteor.default_server) {
       // just remote to another endpoint, propagate return value or
       // exception.
 
@@ -341,12 +345,12 @@ _.each(["insert", "update", "remove"], function (name) {
         // asynchronous: on success, callback should return ret
         // (document ID for insert, undefined for update and
         // remove), not the method's result.
-        self._manager.apply(self._prefix + name, args, function (error, result) {
+        self._connection.apply(self._prefix + name, args, function (error, result) {
           callback(error, !error && ret);
         });
       } else {
         // synchronous: propagate exception
-        self._manager.apply(self._prefix + name, args);
+        self._connection.apply(self._prefix + name, args);
       }
 
     } else {
@@ -362,7 +366,7 @@ _.each(["insert", "update", "remove"], function (name) {
         throw e;
       }
 
-      // on success, return *ret*, not the manager's return value.
+      // on success, return *ret*, not the connection's return value.
       callback && callback(null, ret);
     }
 
@@ -497,7 +501,7 @@ Meteor.Collection.prototype._defineMutationMethods = function() {
   self._prefix = '/' + self._name + '/';
 
   // mutation methods
-  if (self._manager) {
+  if (self._connection) {
     var m = {};
 
     _.each(['insert', 'update', 'remove'], function (method) {
@@ -553,8 +557,8 @@ Meteor.Collection.prototype._defineMutationMethods = function() {
     // Minimongo on the server gets no stubs; instead, by default
     // it wait()s until its result is ready, yielding.
     // This matches the behavior of macromongo on the server better.
-    if (Meteor.isClient || self._manager === Meteor.default_server)
-      self._manager.methods(m);
+    if (Meteor.isClient || self._connection === Meteor.default_server)
+      self._connection.methods(m);
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
index ea9c7d3031b..84efed85f1c 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
@@ -880,7 +880,7 @@ if (Meteor.isServer) {
       var self = this;
       if (self.conn.status().connected) {
         self.miniC = new Meteor.Collection("ServerMinimongo_" + self.id, {
-          manager: self.conn
+          connection: self.conn
         });
         var exp = expect(function (err) {
           test.isFalse(err);
@@ -933,7 +933,7 @@ if (Meteor.isServer) {
       var self = this;
       if (self.conn.status().connected) {
         self.miniC = new Meteor.Collection("ServerMinimongoObserve_" + self.id, {
-          manager: self.conn
+          connection: self.conn
         });
         var exp = expect(function (err) {
           test.isFalse(err);