Toronto is famous for its outstanding sports history and a large number of stadiums. The first sports teams began to appear here in the 18th century and became famous throughout the world. The history of sports in this city is extremely eventful. Local residents began to hold solemn annual celebrations to commemorate them. There are a lot of old fans of various sports games, which are regularly played in stadiums. But where did it all start? What kinds of sports appeared in this city and how did they develop further? Learn more at itoronto.
Hockey
Ice hockey is Canada’s national sport, which appeared in Toronto in the second half of the 18th century. According to historical data, there are two versions of its origin. Some historians claim that the Canadians invented hockey when they quickly moved on the ice with sticks and soon turned it into a sport. However, there are other theories. The British could be the founders of hockey too, as they often played a similar game on land owing to the Canadian frosty climate. There is also a third version. Perhaps, hockey became a sport thanks to the Indians who often invented various games and organised competitions.
From the moment of its invention, hockey became so popular that soon it turned into a new sport. The first professional sports club, the Toronto Maple Leaf, appeared in Toronto in 1906. Among its members were such athletes of those times as Newsy Lalonde, who was a forward of the National Hockey League and Bruce Ridpath, a professional hockey player and participant in international competitions.
Along with other players, they trained at the Arena Gardens stadium and participated in regional competitions. Maple Leaf Stadium appeared in Toronto in 1931 to hold those ice competitions. After several successful games, other hockey clubs appeared in the city too. One of them was the Toronto Arenas. They were founded by local entrepreneurs and professional hockey players, such as Steve Stavro and Eddie Livingstone.
They took part in competitions and held additional matches for the public since 1870. By 1917, athletes began to participate in two national championships, the National Hockey Association and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The NHA played for the Stanley Cup and began paying big money to its players.
New hockey rules were established in 1926. They included the use of goalie masks and the installation of lights behind the goal for better lighting of the ice arena. Since then, members of Toronto hockey clubs have started participating in international championships.
Basketball
This popular sport was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1890. The residents of the city learned about basketball for the first time thanks to the Toronto Raptors team. It was officially founded in 1993 when the NBA (National Basketball Association) Board of Governors approved the decision on expansion. The founder of the team was John Bitove, a Canadian businessman and athlete. The first match of the Toronto Raptors against the New Jersey Nets took place on November 3, 1995. The Canadian team won the game. After that, Toronto basketball players overcame American teams in several other matches.
By 1997-1998, the city basketball club got a new owner, the MLSE corporation. In 1999, basketball players continued the competition in the new arena Air Canada Centre. Soon this sport gained great popularity among young people. In the following years, basketball championships and public practice games have been played in Toronto and other cities. Another step towards the development of this sport in the city was the opening of the National Basketball League of Canada in 2011.
Football
Toronto is one of the first cities in Northern America to start playing football. This game appeared here because of immigrants who came to Toronto from other countries. In 1873, a local football team formed a sports club called the Toronto Argonauts. For the first time, they played against the Ottawa Rough Riders at Varsity Stadium. The first Toronto football players went down in the history of sports because they won the Grey Cup 17 times and reached the final. After a series of victories in competitions, new football teams started to appear in the city.
In 1970, the management of the MLS Arena applied to host a second football team in Toronto and requested its participation in the Canadian Football League. In 1975, football became one of the most popular sports and the city got the new Allan A. Lamport Stadium. It was built for football and hockey games with a seating capacity of 9,600. After that, various competitions take place there every year.
Lacrosse
This sport became popular in Toronto in the latter half of the 1800s. The native inhabitants of Canada, the Indians, played lacrosse too. It was documented for the first time in 1637. Two teams of more than 100 participants played the game on one field. The first lacrosse matches at Toronto stadiums took place in 1968. Competitions were held among athletes from other Canadian cities and they were united in a single lacrosse association.
In 1990, local entrepreneurs founded two professional lacrosse leagues for regional and international competitions. In addition, some organisations have started televising lacrosse games to make them more popular among people. In 1994, the Parliament of Canada declared it a national sport. From that time, residents of Toronto and other cities began to play lacrosse.
Tennis
Torontonians started to play tennis in the second half of the 19th century. At that time, this sport was just beginning to develop in Europe and America. The easy game quickly became popular, so many people wanted to participate in the tournaments. The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1874. It made history by hosting Canada’s first national tennis tournament and the Davis Cup tournament. The men’s tournaments began in 1881 and the women’s in 1892. They were held at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto.
The Canadian Lawn Tennis Association was founded in the city in 1890. Its president was Charles Smith Hyman, the winner of five tennis championships in the 1880s. During the Second World War, the tennis tournaments were stopped. Then the Germans, Austrians, Turks and Bulgarians were not allowed to take part in such sports events. In the second half of the 20th century, the games were resumed in stadiums again. Also, the annual championship Toronto Molson Light Challenge began to be held in Toronto. Members of local sports clubs increased their professionalism and continued to play tennis at the international level.
Auto racing
The beginning of car production in Canada marked the emergence of a new sport, auto racing. The first races were held on the streets of Toronto in 1986. The winner was the American race car driver Bobby Rahal. After that, it was decided to hold this sports event every year. Soon, it became the largest sports competition in all of Canada. Torontonians called it Honda Indy. A track with different types of road surface, steep turns and six tracks was created especially for this event.
Since then, auto racing has remained a popular form of sports entertainment in Toronto. Races that took place every week on an asphalt track are viewed by 20,000 spectators. In addition, they were shown on TV to get more people interested in the sport.