Canada is a country filled with rich sporting traditions that embrace many types of sports. With home-grown leagues playing a significant role in the sporting culture, Canada also follows many from beyond its borders. There is a strong connection to American sports leagues that include Canadian-based franchises.
We’re going to explore the most followed sports leagues in Canada. These include those born on Canadian soil and those featuring Canuck teams from the United States.
Let’s start with the NHL (National Hockey League).
The NHL is the epitome of Canadian sports, with its significance extending beyond national borders. While the league’s headquarters are now in New York, the NHL was first formed in Montreal in 1917. It started with four Canadian teams – the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa Senators, and the Toronto Arenas, now the Maple Leafs.
The first US team, the Boston Bruins, joined the NHL in 1924. Currently, the 32-team league has seven franchises from Canada, with the rest US-based. Canada’s NHL members are:
- Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers
- Montreal Canadiens
- Ottawa Senators
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
- Winnipeg Jets
The NHL season is an annual spectacle among Canadians and is the most-followed league in the country. When Stanley Cup playoff time comes, there’s hardly a moment the NHL doesn’t feature in discussions nationwide. With sports betting in Canada now legal, many this year revolve around the 11/1 fourth-favourites, the Maple Leafs. Can the Leafs go all the way in 2023?
Ice-hockey (Image: pixabay.com)
The CFL (Canadian Football League) is also integral to the country’s sports identity. Although many Canucks follow the NFL, it doesn’t include a Canadian franchise. For this reason alone, the CFL has been the local football staple for Canadians since its formation in 1958. Nine teams, split into two divisions, make up the CFL:
CFL East
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Montreal Alouettes
- Ottawa Redblacks
- Toronto Argonauts
CFL West
- British Columbia Lions
- Calgary Stampeders
- Edmonton Elks
- Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The defending champions of the season-ending Grey Cup are the Toronto Argonauts. Last November they beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in a hotly-contested final for a league-leading 18th Grey Cup win. In 2023, both of last season’s finalists have reached their respective division finals as division champions so far. At this stage, the Argonauts are favoured to win with 8/1 odds.
The NBA (National Basketball Association) is an American league popular among many Canadians. This is mainly thanks to the inclusion of the Toronto Raptors, who play out of Canada’s largest city. The Raptors have enjoyed a great deal of success since joining the NBA as an expansion team in 1995, alongside the Vancouver Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies have since relocated to Tennessee. The Toronto Raptors, as the last Canadian team standing, have made the playoffs 11 times and the Conference finals twice. Their 2019 NBA Championship victory over the Golden State Warriors was a historic moment in Canadian sports.
Unfortunately, The Raptors form has dropped off a little and they’re currently quoted at 150/1 to win the NBA championship in 2023/24. The “We The North” movement remains a firm testament to the team’s profound impact on Canada’s basketball fans.
Basketball (Image: pixabay.com)
MLB (Major League Baseball), another American-based league, also enjoys a fanatical following in Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East division are, like The Raptors, the only MLB team based outside the United States and are hence local favourites.
The Rogers Centre-based franchise has been part of the MLB since 1977. The Blue Jays, six-time AL East division champions, enjoyed their MLB glory years in the 1990s, twice winning the coveted World Series.
In three of the last four seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays have reached the post-season Wild Card playoffs but have lost on each occasion. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait for next season for another shot at a third World Series crown.
Founded in 2019, the CPL (Canadian Premier League) is the top-tier soccer league in Canada. Although secondary in stature to the MLS (Major League Soccer) league from across the border, it is Canadian and dear to many supporters there.
The league comprises eight teams, with the top five finishers reaching the playoffs to determine which sides play in the CPL Final. The team finishing first in the regular season league wins the CPL Shield. Both the CPL Final and CPL Shield winners qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup the following season. The eight competing teams in the CPL are:
- Atlético Ottawa
- Cavalry FC
- Forge FC
- HFX Wanderers FC
- Pacific FC
- Valour FC
- Vancouver FC
- York United FC
All eight CPL teams also take part in the Canadian Championship, the country’s domestic cup tournament. Here they join Canada’s three MLS representatives and the champions of the lower league Pro-am division. The Canadian Championship winner qualifies to play in CONCACAF competition the next year. The three Canadian franchises playing MLS soccer are:
- CF Montréal
- Toronto FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Presently, out of the three Canadian MLS franchises, it is Vancouver that stand the best chance of winning the MLS Cup, with odds of 30/1.
