People from all over the world flock to Canada for plenty of reasons—food, culture, art, history—but one of the biggest reasons is for the flourishing sports scene. While it may not be the first thing you think of when thinking of Canada, sports actually plays a huge part in almost every community across the country. It’s a great way to connect with neighbors, no matter their background, in an extremely diverse country.
If you’re a sports fan, check out some of these great Canadian cities and see what each team has to offer. Even if you’re not, you might learn something fun and new about the history of Canada during your visit.
Calgary
Calgary is basically home to winter sports, thanks to the nearby Rocky Mountains. In fact, Calgary hosted the ‘88 Winter Olympics because of their extensive winter sports infrastructure, from skiing to ice skating and beyond. In addition, Calgary is home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames and, most recently, the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, who will begin playing in the 2022-2023 season. If winter sports are your thing, start looking for Calgary homes for sale because this is the place for you.
What’s more, Calgary is also home to the annual Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo event, which was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2008. This is a must-see event for anyone in the Calgary area, and part of what makes this city unique. In addition to the NHL and AHL teams, Calgary also has a football team, lacrosse team, and professional soccer club.
Toronto
According to a study by the BBC, Toronto is the most diverse city in the world. It makes sense, then, that Toronto has a bit of everything when it comes to sports—hockey, basketball, baseball—but it’s also part of what brings this community together. This makes sports a big deal in Toronto, and just as the make-up of the city is ever-changing, so are the teams. Most recently, Toronto became home to the Scarborough Shooting Stars, who began their first season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2021.
The most well-known Toronto teams are the Toronto Blue Jays, an MLB team that’s part of the American League East division, and the Toronto Maple Leaves, the National Hockey League team that took home 13 Stanley Cups (the second-most next to the Canadiens). Toronto is also home to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the perfect weekend destination for sports lovers who want to learn a little more about the history of hockey.
Montreal
Whether you’re a sports fan or not, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. They’ve won more Stanley Cups than any other hockey team—in fact, almost double. While the Maple Leaves have brought home a whopping 13 Stanley Cups, the Canadians have a total of 24. The Canadiens are the only team from Montreal in the Big Four sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL), however with a track record like that, it hardly matters. Montreal does have a football team in the Canadian Football League, as well as a soccer team.
Montreal also hosts the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix each year. It also hosted the ‘76 Summer Olympics, as well as plenty of other large sporting events, running the gamut from boxing to roller derby.
