Sports Scene
Curling is a spectator sport in Canada, but if that doesn’t appeal to you, there’s plenty of other stuff to do in Toronto. The professional teams are:
The Toronto Blue Jays – Major League Baseball’s World Series winners in 1992 and 1993. Torontonians still get goose bumps thinking of Joe Carter’s series-clinching three-run blast over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth.
The Toronto Maple Leafs – One of the original six NHL teams, their storied past leaves today’s fans ever hopeful. In Toronto, hockey is a religion. The electric atmosphere at a Leafs game shouldn’t be missed.
The Toronto Raptors – The NBA expanded north of the border in 1995, bringing professional basketball to Toronto’s hungry fans. After all, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian, invented the game.
The Toronto Rock – Lacrosse is Canada’s national game. The Rock take no prisoners playing this fast-paced, hard-hitting game. In fact, between 1999 and 2003, the Rock made the league final each year and clinched the Championship title four times.
The Toronto Argonauts – Every June the Argos kick off another season in the Canadian Football League at the Roger's Centre. Although the field is wider and longer and there are fewer downs than the NFL, action is just as exciting and the fans are equally boisterous.
The new Toronto AHL franchise – Did we mention that Toronto was a hockey town? The “Baby Leafs” will be the city’s newest professional team, dropping the puck in the fall of 2005. They will compete in the American Hockey League, and will be the farm team affiliate of the NHL’s Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Lynx – Soccer lovers wait eagerly for the North American A-League soccer season to start. The games are affordable and always action packed.
Ideal Destination
The Hockey Hall of Fame is a must-see for any puck-head. Get your picture taken with the Stanley Cup. Try to beat a digital Eddie Belfour through the five-hole. Or take your place between the pipes to shut out Gretzky and Messier – appearing live on video.
Interesting Fact
Toronto rower Ned Hanlan was Canada’s first international sports hero. Growing up, he lived on Toronto Island and had to row to school. Quickly, if he was late. He became world champion in 1880 on England’s Thames River. The story goes that he was so far ahead of his opponents that he stopped to chat with spectators and even pretended to have a nap.