Montreal – There is no doubt that Montrealers love their sports. There have been some big teams representing the city over the years – and there have been more than a few championships celebrated.
Although the good times have largely eluded Montreal in recent years, with sportsbooks not giving our teams much of a chance of glory, the fans stay resolute in their support. The love for the city and its teams remains strong and there is the belief that we will all be cheering on the winners again soon.
Montreal is a Hockey City
Even fans of other sports and teams have to admit that the Canadiens are the most popular team in Montreal. The Habs were founded back in 1909 and were one of the Original Six when the NHL started in 1942. The Canadiens are still the most successful team in the entire league.
But the last of those 24 Stanley Cup Finals wins was way back in 1993 – also the last time a Canadian team won the championship. The team colours and logo are some of the most recognizable in all of sports and the fans remain as passionate as ever – even if the team hasn’t been as successful as in the past.
Soccer Rules
Hockey may be king in Montreal but soccer is definitely on the up. There has always been a tradition of the sport in the city and now it is CF Montreal that represent in Major League Soccer. It also happens to be the most successful pro sports team in MTL in recent years.
The club can trace its roots back to 1992 and has been a member of MLS since 2012. Although the Impact (the team’s former name and now nickname) has never gone too far in the MLS season, there have been a number of Canadian Championship triumphs, leading to qualification to the CONCACAF Champions League.
Homegrown Sport
The CFL is also represented in the city, with the Montreal Alouettes winning the Grey Cup on seven occasions. There have also been 11 losing appearances in the ‘Canadian Super Bowl’. The last successful period ended in 2010 though, when the Alouettes won their most recent championship.
Times have been a little harder since then unfortunately. There have only been two trips to the playoffs since that last win and the fans have to think back fondly to the days of QB Anthony Calvillo. He actually held the record in all pro football for passing yards before Drew Brees surpassed him in 2020.
Blast from the Past
There have been plenty of other pro sports teams in Montreal over the years. But if you ask a non-resident about the city, they would probably talk about the Expos. But it is not always for the best reasons. Founded in 1962, the Expos didn’t record a winning season for the first ten years of their existence and won its only division title in the strike-shortened 1981 season.
Then in 1994, Montreal had the best record in Major League Baseball before another strike ended the season prematurely. That was the beginning of the end, as the Expos drew smaller and smaller crowds, eventually playing two seasons part-time in Puerto Rico before the franchise was relocated to Washington D.C. in 2005.
Big Sports Events
Aside from the pro sports teams, Montreal has also hosted some of the biggest events in the world throughout the decades. The Summer Olympics in 1976 is well remembered but there are other annual and one-off events held in the city as well.
Golf’s PGA Tour has travelled to Montreal, as have various tennis tournaments and even the WWE. Motorsport is also very popular with Montrealers, thanks to an annual NASCAR race and also the Canadian Grand Prix, which takes place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
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