38 • TORONTO 2015 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

True sportsBy Jamie Bradburn We’ve raised the Stanley Cup 14 times, earned 16 Grey Cups and won the World Series twice. Here are some highlights from nearly a century and a half of thrills, heartbreak, milestones and oddities in Toronto sports.

Toronto Maple Leafs1927: Conn Smythe buys the flailing St. Patricks and renames the team. “The Maple

Leaf,” he observed, “was the badge of courage.” The team fulfilled that promise, winning 11 Stanley Cups over the next 40 years (the prior three wins occurred

under previous team names). 1933: The NHL’s first (unofficial) all-star game, held at Toronto’s Maple

Leaf Gardens, raises $20,909 to benefit injured star Ace Bailey. The first official annual NHL All-Star Game was also held there in 1947.1951: Bill Barilko scores the Stanley Cup winning goal, then dies in a plane crash four months later. The Leafs don’t win another championship until 1962, the same year Barilko’s remains are found.1964: Despite a fractured ankle, Bob Baun scores the winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the Cup final. Baun joked, “It was the best

break I ever had.” 1999: The Leafs say goodbye to the aging Maple Leaf Gardens and drop

the puck at a brand-new venue—The Air Canada Centre—in a game versus the Montreal Canadiens.

2014: Forbes declares the Leafs the most valuable team in the NHL (and 26th overall in the world) at $1.15 billion US.

Toronto Argonauts1873: The Argonaut Rowing Clubforms a football team to keep members busy after rowing season. 1914: Defeating the University of Toronto, the Argos win their first of 16 Grey Cups. 1950: Bad weather turns Varsity Stadium into a bog for the Grey Cup. The Argos triumph 13-0 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a match dubbed “The Mud Bowl.” 1980: Willie Wood becomes the CFL’s first black head coach.1983: A late fourth-quarter touchdown toss by backup quarterback Joe Barnes nets the Argos their first Grey Cup in 31 years.1989: American import Michael Clemons earns the nickname “Pinball” for his knack for bouncing off would-be tacklers, beginning an association with the team that has lasted more than 25 years. 2012: The 100th Grey Cup game is played at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Argos defeat the Calgary Stampeders to win their 16th Grey Cup title.

QUICK STOP•Want to pick up a jersey or a hat to support your favourite Toronto team? Stop by Real Sports Apparel inside The Air Canada Centre for Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC and Marlies licensed gear. If you’re a baseball fan, hit the Jays Shop at Rogers Centre.

jersey or a hat tosupport yourfavourite Torontoteam? Stop byReal SportsApparel inside TheAir Canada Centrefor Maple Leafs,Raptors, TFC andMarlies licensedgear. If you’re If you’re If abaseball fan, hitthe Jays Shop atRogers Centre.

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City Confidential

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Toronto Raptors1946: Before the Raptors, there werethe Huskies. Lasting one season, they participate in the Basketball Association of America’s (later, the NBA) first game, held at Maple Leaf Gardens.1995: In the Raptors’ debut, top draft pick Damon Stoudamire scores 10 points in a 94-79 win over the New Jersey Nets. Stoudamire received that season’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award.1999: Vince Carter becomes the franchise’s second Rookie of the Year Award honouree. 2001: The Raptors suffer a heartbreaking loss to Philadelphia in the final seconds of Game 7 in the conference semifinal. 2013: The singer-actor Drake is named the team’s “global ambassador.”2014: The Raptors are awarded the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, and also win their second Atlantic Division title.

Toronto Blue Jays1977: The Jays debut in front of 44,649 at Exhibition Stadium with a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. 1982: A provincial ban on beer sales at games is lifted. Fans rejoice while temperance activists stew.1983: During a game against the New York Yankees, future Blue Jay Dave Winfield accidentally kills a seagull while tossing a ball between innings.1989: The Jays get a new home at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), the world’s first stadium with a motorized, fully retractable roof. 1992: For the first time ever, the World Series (Toronto Blue Jays versus Atlanta Braves) is won by a team based outside the United States.1993: Down 6-5 in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Joe Carter hits a three-run homer, and the Jays win their second consecutive championship. As the Toronto Star put it, “All of Canada—all of the baseball world— stood up and screamed.”2011: Roberto Alomar becomes the first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay.

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