Toronto
Culture -- Sports
Table:
Professional sports teams in Toronto

Club

League

Sport

Venue

Established

Championships

Toronto Argonauts

CFL

Canadian football

BMO Field

1873

17 (last in 2017)

Toronto Arrows

MLR

Rugby union

York Lions Stadium

2018

0

Toronto Blue Jays

MLB

Baseball

Rogers Centre

1977

2 (last in 1993)

Toronto FC

MLS

Soccer

BMO Field

2007

1 (last in 2017)

Toronto Lady Lynx

USL

Women's soccer

Centennial Park Stadium

2005

0

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

Ice hockey

Scotiabank Arena

1917

13 (last in 1967)

Toronto Maple Leafs

IBL

Baseball

Christie Pits

1969

8

Toronto Marlies

AHL

Ice hockey

Coca-Cola Coliseum

2005

1 (last in 2018)

Toronto Raptors

NBA

Basketball

Scotiabank Arena

1995

1 (last in 2019)

Toronto Rock

NLL

Box lacrosse

Scotiabank Arena

1998

6 (last in 2011)

Toronto Wolfpack

Super League

Rugby league

Lamport Stadium

2017

0 (in Super League)[e]

Looking at the table plus the supporting text provided.

Provide an answer to this question: Which club plays at the outdoor athletics facility on the campus of Toronto 's York University ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The Toronto Argonauts ( officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club , commonly referred to as the Argos ) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) . Based in Toronto , Ontario , the team was founded in 1873 , and is the oldest existing professional sports team in North America still using its original name , and they are the oldest-surviving team in both the modern-day CFL and East Division . The team 's origins date back to a modified version of rugby football that emerged in North America in the latter half of the nineteenth century . The Argonauts played their home games at Rogers Centre ( originally known as SkyDome ) from 1989 until 2016 when the team moved to BMO Field , the fifth stadium site to host the team . The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup a record 17 times and have appeared in the final 23 times . Most recently they defeated the Calgary Stampeders 27-24 in the 105th Grey Cup in 2017 . The Argonauts hold the best winning percentage in the championship game ( 73.9% ) and have the longest active winning streak in games in which they have appeared , at six . The Argonauts have faced every current western CFL team at least once in the Grey Cup , while their most celebrated divisional rivalry has been with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats . The team was founded and owned by the Argonaut Rowing Club for its first 83 years , and has been owned by a series of business interests since 1956 . The Argonauts were a fixture on the Toronto sports scene for decades , with attendance peaking in the 1970s . In May 2015 it was announced that a consortium of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment 's Larry Tanenbaum ( via the Kilmer Group ) and Bell Canada would acquire the team . The sale included a scheduled move to MLSE run BMO Field for the 2016 season , which has long been proposed given attendance under-utilization at Rogers Centre and announced plans to install natural grass at the domed stadium , rendering it unfit for football .
The Canadian Football League ( CFL ; French : Ligue canadienne de football , LCF ) is a professional sports league in Canada . The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football . The league consists of nine teams , each located in a city in Canada . They are divided into two divisions : four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division . As of 2019 , it features a 21-week regular season where each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks . This season traditionally runs from mid-June to early November . Following the regular season , six teams compete in the league 's three-week divisional playoffs which culminate in the Grey Cup championship game in late November . The Grey Cup is one of Canada 's largest annual sports and television events . The CFL was officially founded on January 19 , 1958 . The league was formed through a merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union ( founded in 1907 ) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union ( founded in 1936 ) .
Canadian football ( French : football canadien ) is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards ( 101 m ) long and 65 yards ( 59 m ) wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team 's scoring area ( end zone ) . In Canada , the term football may refer to Canadian football and American football collectively , or to either sport specifically , depending on context ; outside of Canada , the term Canadian football is used exclusively to describe this sport , even in the United States ( the term gridiron football [ or , more rarely , North American football ] is also used worldwide as well to refer to both sports collectively ) . The two sports have shared origins and are closely related but have some key differences , and both sports had their modern rules developed independently from each other . Rugby football in Canada originated in the early 1860s , and over time , the game known as Canadian football developed . Both the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) , the sport 's top professional league , and Football Canada , the governing body for amateur play , trace their roots to 1880 and the founding of the Canadian Rugby Football Union . The CFL is the most popular and only major professional Canadian football league . Its championship game , the Grey Cup , is one of Canada 's largest sporting events , attracting a broad television audience . In 2009 , about 40% of Canada 's population watched part of the game ; in 2014 , it was closer to 33% , peaking at 5.1 million viewers in the fourth quarter . Canadian football is also played at the bantam , high school , junior , collegiate , and semi-professional levels : the Canadian Junior Football League , formed May 8 , 1974 , and Quebec Junior Football League are leagues for players aged 18-22 , many post-secondary institutions compete in U Sports football for the Vanier Cup , and senior leagues such as the Alberta Football League have grown in popularity in recent years . Great achievements in Canadian football are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame located in Hamilton , Ontario . Other organizations across Canada perform senior league Canadian football during the summer .
BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto , Ontario , Canada , which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League . Constructed on the site of the former Exhibition Stadium and first opened in 2007 , it is owned by the City of Toronto , and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment . The stadium 's naming rights are held by the Bank of Montreal , which is commonly branded as BMO ( /ˈbiːmoʊ/ ) . BMO Field was originally constructed as a soccer-specific stadium to serve as the home field of the expansion Toronto FC , and hosted matches during the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2014 FIFA U-20 Women 's World Cup . In 2010 , when it was still a neutral-site game , BMO Field hosted the MLS Cup . It has since hosted the 2016 and 2017 finals featuring Toronto FC , under the current practice of giving home field advantage to the side with the better regular season record . The venue has also hosted rugby union , including matches of Canada 's national team , and rugby sevens during the 2015 Pan-American Games . From 2014 to 2016 , the stadium underwent a series of major renovations , which added an upper deck to the east grandstand , a roof over the seating areas and lengthened the field to make it suitable for hosting Canadian football . The latter allowed for the Toronto Argonauts to move to BMO Field beginning with the 2016 CFL season , which also saw the 104th Grey Cup played at the stadium .
The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26 , 2017 between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa , Ontario . In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup , the Argos won the game 27-24 , winning their 17th championship .
Toronto Arrows R.F.C . is a rugby union club based out of Toronto , Ontario , Canada , that plays in Major League Rugby . The Arrows team is an independent off-shoot of the Ontario Blues Rugby Football Club and is funded by a group of private investors and supporters . The team splits its home games between Alumni Field of York University and Lamport Stadium for its inaugural 2019 MLR season .
Major League Rugby ( MLR or USMLR ) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America . In the 2020 season it will be contested by twelve teams : eleven from the United States and one from Canada . Officially sanctioned by USA Rugby , which is a member union of Rugby Americas North ( RAN ) , and consequently part of World Rugby , the league was founded in 2017 , and is headquartered in Salt Lake City , Utah . With its initial beginnings as part of established amateur rugby clubs in major North American urban areas , MLR began its first season in 2018 as an initiative of the American rugby community in partnership with private investors . Three further American clubs , Atlanta , Boston and Washington D.C. , will begin play in 2020 .
Rugby union , widely known simply as rugby , is a contact team sport that originated in England in the first half of the 19th century . One of the two codes of rugby football , it is based on running with the ball in hand . In its most common form , a game is played between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts at either end . Rugby union is a popular sport around the world , played by male and female players of all ages . In 2014 , there were more than 6 million people playing worldwide , of whom 2.36 million were registered players . World Rugby , previously called the International Rugby Football Board ( IRFB ) and the International Rugby Board ( IRB ) , has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886 , and currently has 101 countries as full members and 18 associate members . In 1845 , the first football laws were written by pupils at Rugby School ; other significant events in the early development of rugby include the decision by Blackheath F.C . to leave the Football Association in 1863 and , in 1895 , the acrimonious split between the then amateur rugby union and the professional rugby league . Historically rugby union was an amateur sport , but in 1995 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed , making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time . Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of Great Britain and Ireland and was embraced by many of the countries associated with the British Empire . Early exponents of the sport included Australia , New Zealand , South Africa and France . Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji , Georgia , Madagascar , New Zealand , Samoa , and Tonga .
York Lions Stadium is an outdoor athletics facility on the campus of Toronto 's York University . It is home to the York Lions , the athletic teams of York University . The facility was primarily built for the 2015 Pan-American and Parapan American Games , where it hosted track and field events . It also hosted the opening ceremony for the 2015 Parapan American Games . During the games the venue was known as the CIBC Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium .
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto , Ontario . They compete in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) as a member club of the American League ( AL ) East division . The team plays its home games at Rogers Centre . The name Blue Jays originates from the bird of the same name , and blue is also the traditional colour of two of Toronto 's other professional sports teams : the Maple Leafs ( ice hockey ) and the Argonauts ( Canadian football ) . In addition , the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company , makers of the popular beer Labatt 's Blue . Colloquially nicknamed the Jays , the team 's official colours are royal blue , navy blue , red , and white . An expansion franchise , the club was founded in Toronto in 1977 . Originally based at Exhibition Stadium , the team began playing its home games at SkyDome upon its opening in 1989 . Since 2000 , the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004 , SkyDome was purchased by that company , which renamed it Rogers Centre . They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States , and currently the only team based outside the U.S. after the first Canadian franchise , the Montreal Expos , became the Washington Nationals in 2005 . In the late 1970s and early 1980s , the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team , frequently finishing in last place in its division . In 1983 , the team had its first winning season and two years later , they became division champions .
Major League Baseball ( MLB ) is a professional baseball organization . It is the oldest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . A total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball : 15 teams in the National League ( NL ) and 15 in the American League ( AL ) . The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901 , respectively . Beginning in 1903 , the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities . In 2000 the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball . MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball , which comprises 256 teams affiliated with the major league clubs . MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament . Baseball 's first openly all-professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings founded in 1869 . Before that , some teams had secretly paid some players . The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another . The period before 1920 is known as the dead-ball era , during which players would rarely hit home runs .
Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding . The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team , called the pitcher , throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat . The objective of the offensive team ( batting team ) is to hit the ball into the field of play , allowing its players to run the bases , having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called runs . The objective of the defensive team ( fielding team ) is to prevent batters from becoming runners , and to prevent runners ' advance around the bases . A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate ( the place where the player started as a batter ) . The team that scores the most runs by the end of the game is the winner . The first objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely . A player on the batting team who reaches first base without being called out can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner , either immediately or during teammates ' turns batting . The fielding team tries to prevent runs by getting batters or runners out , which forces them out of the field of play . Both the pitcher and fielders have methods of getting the batting team 's players out . The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding ; the batting team 's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs . One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning .
Rogers Centre , originally named SkyDome , is a multi-purpose stadium in Downtown Toronto , Canada , situated just southwest of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario . Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands , it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . Previously , the stadium was also home to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) and the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Buffalo Bills of the National Football League ( NFL ) played an annual game at the stadium as part of the Bills Toronto Series from 2008 to 2013 . While it is primarily a sports venue , it also hosts other large events such as conventions , trade fairs , concerts , travelling carnivals , and monster truck shows . The stadium was renamed Rogers Centre following the 2005 purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications , which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays . The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully retractable motorized roof , as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it with 70 rooms overlooking the field . It is also the last North American major-league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball . The stadium served as the site of both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2015 Pan American Games ( renamed the Pan-Am Dome or Pan-Am Ceremonies Venue due to sponsorship regulations ) .
The 1993 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball 's ( MLB ) 1993 season . The 90th edition of the World Series , it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending champions and American League ( AL ) champion Toronto Blue Jays and the National League ( NL ) champion Philadelphia Phillies . The Blue Jays defeated the Phillies , four games to two . With Toronto ahead three games to two in the Series , but trailing Game 6 by a score of 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning , Joe Carter hit a game-winning three-run home run to clinch Toronto 's second consecutive championship ( the first team to repeat as champions since the 1977-78 Yankees ) . This was only the second Series concluded by such a home run ( the first was in the 1960 World Series on a Bill Mazeroski home run for the Pittsburgh Pirates ) , and the first such occasion where a come-from-behind walk-off home run won a World Series . This was the last major North American professional sports championship won by a Canadian team until the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals . Larry Andersen was the only member of the 1993 Phillies to also play for them in the 1983 World Series , although Darren Daulton was a late season call-up in 1983 , but only served as the bullpen catcher in the World Series . Fittingly , in Daulton 's first ever MLB game , he was a catcher for Andersen .
Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto . The club competes in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) as a member of the Eastern Conference . The team plays its home matches at BMO Field , located at Exhibition Place on Toronto 's shoreline . Toronto FC joined MLS in 2007 as an expansion team and was the first Canadian-based franchise in the league . The first team is coached by Greg Vanney and operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment , which also operates the USL League One affiliate team Toronto FC II and most other professional sports franchises in the city . In 2017 , Toronto FC won the domestic treble with the MLS Cup , Supporters ' Shield and Canadian Championship . They are seven-time winners of the Canadian Championship and were runners-up of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League , as well as MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019 . As of 2019 [ update ] , the club has an estimated value of US $ 395 million and the highest player payroll in Major League Soccer .
Major League Soccer ( MLS ) is a men 's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport 's highest level in the United States and Canada . The league comprises 26 teams - 23 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada and constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries . The league plans to expand to 30 teams with the additions of Austin FC and Charlotte in 2021 , then Sacramento Republic FC and a St. Louis franchise in 2022 . The regular season starts in late February or early March and goes through mid-October , with each team playing 34 games ; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters ' Shield . Fourteen teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November , culminating in the championship game , the MLS Cup . MLS teams also play in domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship . MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League . With an average attendance of over 20,000 per game , MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the National Football League ( NFL ) and Major League Baseball ( MLB ) , and is the seventh highest attended professional soccer league worldwide . Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States ' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup . The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams . MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years : the league lost millions of dollars , teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums , and two teams folded in 2002 . Since then , MLS has expanded to 26 teams , soccer-specific stadiums have proliferated around the league , average attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , the Designated Player Rule allows teams to sign star players such as David Beckham , MLS secured national TV contracts , and the league is now profitable .
Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , [ a ] is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players . It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies , making it the world 's most popular sport . The game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end . The object of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal . Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The ball is 68-70 cm ( 27-28 in ) in circumference and known as the football . The two teams each compete to get the ball into the other team 's goal ( between the posts and under the bar ) , thereby scoring a goal . The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner ; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw . Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by the Laws of the Game : to represent their team in the coin toss prior to kick-off or penalty kicks . Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play , except for the goalkeepers within the penalty area . Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball , but may also use any other part of their body except the hands and the arms . The team that scores most goals by the end of the match wins .
MLS Cup 2017 was the 22nd edition of the MLS Cup , the championship of Major League Soccer ( MLS ) , contested between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC on December 9 , 2017 . The match was hosted at BMO Field in Toronto , Canada , for the second consecutive year and third time overall . Both teams made their second appearance in the MLS Cup , in a rematch of the 2016 edition . After a goalless first half , Toronto FC took the lead in the 67th minute through a Jozy Altidore goal . Toronto 's 2-0 win over Seattle was capped by a 94th minute counterattack that resulted in a goal by Víctor Vázquez . Toronto FC became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup and the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble . Due to Toronto 's win , the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League berth reserved for the MLS Cup champions instead went to New York Red Bulls , the US based team ( excluding other qualifiers ) that finished with the highest aggregate regular season points in 2017 and 2018 . Toronto was ineligible to qualify through the berth , which belongs to the United States Soccer Federation , but participated in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League after winning the Canadian Championship . Toronto also qualified to host and play in the inaugural Campeones Cup against Campeón de Campeones winners Tigres UANL .
Toronto Lady Lynx was a Canadian women 's soccer team , founded in 2005 . The team was a member of the USL W-League , formerly the second tier of womens soccer in the United States and Canada . The team played in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference against teams from Laval , London , Ottawa , Quebec City and Waterloo . The team played its home games at various stadiums around the city of Toronto , Ontario : primarily at Centennial Park Stadium , but also at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan , Ontario as well as Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa , Ontario . The team 's colours were white , gold and black . The team was a sister organization of the men 's Toronto Lynx team , which played in the USL Premier Development League .
The USL W-League was a North American women 's soccer developmental organization . The W-League was also an open league , giving college players the opportunity to play alongside established international players while maintaining their collegiate eligibility . The league was administered by the United Soccer Leagues system ( the USL ) , which also oversees the men 's United Soccer League and Premier Development League . The W-League announced on November 6 , 2015 that the league will cease operation ahead of 2016 season .
Women 's association football , usually known as women 's football or women 's soccer , is a team sport , similar to associated football , played by women only . It is played at the professional level in numerous countries throughout the world and 176 national teams participate internationally . The history of women 's football has seen major competitions being launched at both the national and international levels . Women 's football has faced many struggles throughout its history . Although its first golden age occurred in the United Kingdom in the early 1920s , with matches attracting large crowds ( one match achieved over 50,000 spectators ) , The Football Association initiated a ban in 1921 that disallowed women 's football games from taking place on the grounds used by its member clubs . This ban remained in effect until July 1971 . The inaugural FIFA Women 's World Cup was held in China in 1991 . Since then , the sport has gained in popularity . The 2015 FIFA Women 's World Cup Final in Canada was the most watched soccer game in United States history and over 1.12 billion people worldwide watched the 2019 FIFA Women 's World Cup in France .
The Centennial Park Stadium is a 2,200 seat capacity stadium in Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It is primarily used for soccer , track and field , football and occasionally for kabaddi . The park is also used for the ROPSSAA football finals and the PSAA ( Private Schools Athletic Association ) on the first Monday of May for an annual Track and Field Meet . The stadium is named for the city park it is located in , which opened during Canada 's centennial year of 1967 ; the stadium was opened in 1975 , eight years after the centennial . It is located within Centennial Park ( Toronto ) in the Etobicoke district , just south of Toronto Pearson International Airport and near the intersection of Rathburn Road and Renforth Drive . It was built in 1975 . The stadium hosted the first edition of Veteran Athletes Championships in 1975 as well as some sporting events of the 1976 Paralympic Games and the closing ceremony . The stadium has seating in a grandstand on the west side and small scoreboard on the north end of the field . The stadium is home to the Toronto Lynx soccer clubs ( men 's and ladies ' ) . It hosts the Relay For Life in Toronto West event each June , a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society . The stadium hosted the CPSL/CSL Championship finals in 1998 , 2010 , 2011 , and 2014 . In 2017 there were calls and support for the stadium to be renamed after former Mayor Rob Ford as Rob Ford Memorial Stadium , but a city council meeting voted down the motion on October 4 , 2017 .
The Toronto Maple Leafs , officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often simply referred to as the Leafs , are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment , Ltd. and are represented by Chairman Larry Tanenbaum . The Maple Leafs ' broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications . For their first 14 seasons , the club played their home games at the Mutual Street Arena , before moving to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931 . The Maple Leafs moved to their present home , Scotiabank Arena ( originally named the Air Canada Centre ) in February 1999 . The club was founded in 1917 , operating simply as Toronto and known then as the Toronto Arenas . Under new ownership , the club was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919 . In 1927 the club was purchased by Conn Smythe and renamed the Maple Leafs . A member of the Original Six , the club was one of six NHL teams to have endured through the period of League retrenchment during the Great Depression . The club has won thirteen Stanley Cup championships , second only to the 24 championships of the Montreal Canadiens . The Maple Leafs history includes two recognized dynasties , from 1947 to 1951 ; and from 1962 to 1967 .
The National Hockey League ( NHL ; French : Ligue nationale de hockey - LNH ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America , currently comprising 31 teams : 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada . The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world , and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . The Stanley Cup , the oldest professional sports trophy in North America , is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season . The National Hockey League was organized on November 26 , 1917 , at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization , the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) , which had been founded in 1909 in Renfrew , Ontario . The NHL immediately took the NHA 's place as one of the leagues that contested for the Stanley Cup in an annual interleague competition before a series of league mergers and foldings left the NHL as the only league left competing for the Stanley Cup in 1926 . At its inception , the NHL had four teams - all in Canada , thus the adjective National in the league 's name . The league expanded to the United States in 1924 , when the Boston Bruins joined , and has since consisted of American and Canadian teams . From 1942 to 1967 , the league had only six teams , collectively ( if not contemporaneously ) nicknamed the Original Six . The NHL added six new teams to double its size at the 1967 NHL expansion . The league then increased to 18 teams by 1974 and 21 teams in 1979 . Between 1991 and 2000 , the NHL further expanded to 30 teams . It added its 31st team in 2017 and has approved the addition of a 32nd team in 2021 .
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice , usually in a rink , in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent 's net to score goals . The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical , with teams usually fielding six players at a time : one goaltender , and five players who skate the span of the ice trying to control the puck and score goals against the opposing team . Ice hockey is most popular in Canada , central and eastern Europe , the Nordic countries , Russia , and the United States . Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada . In addition , ice hockey is the most popular winter sport in Belarus , Croatia , the Czech Republic , Finland , Latvia , Russia , Slovakia , Sweden , and Switzerland . North America 's National Hockey League ( NHL ) is the highest level for men 's ice hockey and the strongest professional ice hockey league in the world . The Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe . The International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) is the formal governing body for international ice hockey , with the IIHF managing international tournaments and maintaining the IIHF World Ranking . Worldwide , there are ice hockey federations in 76 countries . In Canada , the United States , Nordic countries , and some other European countries the sport is known simply as hockey ; the name ice hockey is used in places where hockey more often refers to the more popular field hockey , such as countries in South America , Asia , Africa , Australasia , and some European countries including the United Kingdom , Ireland and the Netherlands . Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom and elsewhere . These games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed , such as shinny and ice polo .
Scotiabank Arena , formerly Air Canada Centre , is a multi-purpose arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League ( NLL ) . In addition , the minor league Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) and the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League play occasional games at the arena . The arena was previously home to the Toronto Phantoms of the Arena Football League ( AFL ) during their brief existence . The arena is 61,780.5 square metres ( 665,000 sq ft ) in size . It is owned and operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. ( MLSE ) , the same group that owns the Leafs and the Raptors , as well as their respective development teams . In 2018 , Scotiabank Arena was the 13th busiest arena in the world and the busiest in Canada . It is also the most photographed location in Canada on Instagram according to BuzzFeed . Scotiabank Arena is connected to Toronto Union railway station , subway station and bus terminal via the PATH . Scotiabank Arena has , from its initial design to completion , revolutionized many concepts included in new arenas and stadiums built since then . [ according to whom ? ] These features include luxury suites accessible on the ground floor , splitting the main scoreboard into several sections , rotating all sponsor signage in the bowl at once ( to allow dominant messaging or neutralization for events that disallow commercial advertising ) , and multiple restaurants in and out of the main arena bowl view .
The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1966-67 season , and the culmination of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs . A best-of-seven series , it was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs . The Maple Leafs won the series , four games to two . In doing so , they won their thirteenth Stanley Cup championship . To date , this is Toronto 's last Stanley Cup championship and appearance in the championship final , and they have the longest-active championship drought in the NHL at 51 ( not including 2004-05 lockout ) seasons . The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was also the last Stanley Cup Finals in the Original Six Era . This was also the last all-Canadian Finals series until 1986 .
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team of the Intercounty Baseball League , based in Toronto , Ontario . They play their home games on Dominico Field at Christie Pits . They are also known colloquially as the Intercounty Maple Leafs or the Intercounty Leafs to disambiguate themselves from the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team .
The Intercounty Baseball League ( IBL ) is a Canadian independent baseball league , comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond . Players are not paid , so as to maintain the players ' NCAA eligibility . The league was formed in 1919 and has enjoyed much success over its long history . Teams are run similar to a professional minor league team , providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions , using wooden bats and minor league specification baseballs . Teams play 36 games scheduled over an 85-day season running from early May to late-July . The playoffs are best-of-seven series with the Championship series typically played around Labour Day . The teams are located in Southern Ontario , but the IBL once had a team in Ottawa .
Christie Pits , ( officially Willowvale Park , until 1983 ) , is a public recreational area in Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It is located at 750 Bloor Street West at Christie Street , just west of the Toronto Transit Commission Christie subway station . The park has an area of 21.9 acres ( 8.9 ha ) , about half of which is grassed picnic areas , the rest being various sports fields . Sports facilities on the site include three baseball diamonds ( one full-sized and fenced named Dominico Field ) , basketball courts , a soccer/rugby/football field , and The Alex Duff Outdoor Pool , splash pad and adjacent outdoor ice rink which are located on the west edge of the park at 779 Crawford Street . The sides of the pits are highly sloped , as a result of which most of the area of the park sits well below street level . The slopes are used in winter for tobogganing and related activities . Garrison Creek runs under the park , converted to a storm sewer at the turn of the 20th century . The park was named after the Christie Sand Pits which were on the location until the early 1900s . The sand pits had been named after Christie Street , which was named after William Mellis Christie , co-founder of the Christie & Brown Cookie Company , now known simply as Mr. Christie . The official name of the park , Willowvale Park , never caught on , and the common name for the park since its days as a sand pit , Christie Pits , was adopted as the park 's official name in 1983 .
The Toronto Marlies are a Canadian professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . The top affiliate of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) 's Toronto Maple Leafs , the Marlies play at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto , Ontario , Canada .
The American Hockey League ( AHL ) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Since the 2010-11 season , every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team . When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate , players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams . Twenty-seven AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining four are in Canada . The league offices are located in Springfield , Massachusetts , and its current president is David Andrews . In general , a player must be at least 18 years of age to play in the AHL or not currently be beholden to a junior ice hockey team . The league limits the number of experienced professional players on a team 's active roster during any given game ; only five skaters can have accumulated four full seasons of play or more at the professional level ( goaltenders are exempt from this rule and can stay in the AHL indefinitely without being subject to this cap ) . The AHL allows for practice squad contracts . The annual playoff champion is awarded the Calder Cup , named for Frank Calder , the first President ( 1917-1943 ) of the NHL . The reigning champions are the Charlotte Checkers .
Coca-Cola Coliseum ( French : Colisée Coca-Cola ) is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto , Ontario , Canada , used for agricultural displays , ice hockey and trade shows . It was built for the Canadian National Exhibition ( CNE ) and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair ( the Royal ) in 1921 . Commonly known as the Coliseum , it was formerly known as the CNE Coliseum and Ricoh Coliseum , and since 1997 it has been part of the National Trade Centre exhibition complex . It serves as the home arena of the Toronto Marlies ice hockey team , the American Hockey League farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs . For the 2015 Pan American Games the venue hosted the gymnastics competitions and was known as the Toronto Coliseum .
The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 19 , 2018 , with the playoff format that was introduced in 2016 . The sixteen teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best-of-five series in the division semifinals , with the playoffs continuing with best-of-seven series for the division finals , conference finals , and Calder Cup finals . A Division finals game between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Charlotte Checkers became the longest game in AHL history by going 86:48 into overtime when Alex Krushelnyski of the Phantoms scored the winning 2-1 goal . The game started at 7:03 pm on May 9 and ended at 1:09 am on May 10 . The Checkers had 95 shots on goal and Alex Lyon would finish with 94 saves , while Alex Nedeljkovic would finish with 51 saves on 53 shots . The previous record of 82:58 into overtime was set in 2008 , also between the AHL affiliates of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes . The Toronto Marlies won their first Calder Cup , beating the Texas Stars four games to three in the finals .
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto . The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the league 's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division . They play their home games at the Scotiabank Arena , which they share with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA 's expansion into Canada , along with the Vancouver Grizzlies . Since the 2001-02 season , the Raptors have been the only Canadian-based team in the league , as the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis , Tennessee . As with most expansion teams , the Raptors struggled in their early years ; but after the acquisition of Vince Carter through a draft-day trade in 1998 , the franchise set league-attendance records and made the NBA playoffs in 2000 , 2001 , and 2002 . Carter was instrumental in leading the team to their first playoff series win in 2001 , where they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals . During the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons , they failed to make significant progress , and Carter was traded in 2004 to the New Jersey Nets . After Carter left , Chris Bosh emerged as the team leader . For the 2006-07 season , Bryan Colangelo was appointed as general manager , and through a combination of Bosh , 2006 first overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani , and a revamp of the roster , the Raptors qualified for their first playoff berth in five years , capturing the Atlantic Division title . In the 2007-08 season , they also advanced to the playoffs but failed to reach the post-season in each of the next five seasons . Colangelo overhauled the team 's roster for the 2009-10 season in a bid to persuade pending free agent Bosh to stay , but Bosh departed to sign with the Miami Heat in July 2010 , ushering in yet another era of rebuilding for the Raptors .
The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is a men 's professional basketball league in North America , composed of 30 teams ( 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada ) . It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada , and is widely considered to be the premier men 's professional basketball league in the world . [ better source needed ] The league was founded in New York City on June 6 , 1946 , as the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3 , 1949 , after merging with the competing National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The NBA 's regular season runs from October to April , with each team playing 82 games . Its playoffs extend into June . NBA players are the world 's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player . The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball ( USAB ) , which is recognized by FIBA ( also known as the International Basketball Federation ) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States . The league 's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices in Midtown Manhattan , while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus , New Jersey .
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams , most commonly of five players each , opposing one another on a rectangular court , compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball ( approximately 9.4 inches ( 24 cm ) in diameter ) through the defender 's hoop ( a basket 18 inches ( 46 cm ) in diameter mounted 10 feet ( 3.048 m ) high to a backboard at each end of the court ) while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop . A field goal is worth two points , unless made from behind the three-point line , when it is worth three . After a foul , timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one or more one-point free throws . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins , but if regulation play expires with the score tied , an additional period of play ( overtime ) is mandated . Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running ( dribbling ) or by passing it to a teammate , both of which require considerable skill . On offense , players may use a variety of shots - the lay-up , the jump shot , or a dunk ; on defense , they may steal the ball from a dribbler , intercept passes , or block shots ; either offense or defense may collect a rebound , that is , a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard . It is a violation to lift or drag one 's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it , or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling . The five players on each side at a time fall into five playing positions the tallest player is usually the center , the tallest and strongest is the power forward , a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward , and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard , who implements the coach 's game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays ( player positioning ) . Informally , players may play three-on-three , two-on-two , and one-on-one . Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield , Massachusetts , United States , basketball has evolved to become one of the world 's most popular and widely viewed sports . The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity , salaries , talent , and level of competition . Outside North America , the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas .
The 2019 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) 's 2018-19 season and conclusion of the season 's playoffs . In the best-of-seven playoff series held from May 30 through June 13 , 2019 , the Eastern Conference champion Toronto Raptors defeated the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors , 4-2 , earning the franchise its first NBA championship as well as the first win by a team based outside the United States . Acquired by the Raptors via a trade during the off-season , Kawhi Leonard was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) for the second time in his career . This was the first NBA Finals appearance for the Raptors , and the league 's first finals with games played outside of the United States . Home-court advantage was awarded to Toronto , who finished the regular season with one more win ( 58-24 ) than Golden State ( 57-25 ) . This was the first time in five consecutive NBA Finals appearances that the then-two-time defending NBA-champion Warriors did not have home-court advantage . Also for the first time after the past four postseasons , the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers did not meet in the championship round . This was the first finals since 2010 not to include LeBron James , who played in the past eight finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat .
The Toronto Rock are a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Toronto , Ontario , Canada . They are members of the Northern Division of the National Lacrosse League ( NLL ) . The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL . Oakville resident Jamie Dawick is the current owner of the Rock , purchasing the team after the 2009 season . Since 2014 , Dawick has also served as their general manager . The Rock play their home games at Scotiabank Arena which they currently share with both the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Toronto Raptors of the NBA . The franchise was founded in 1998 as the Ontario Raiders in Hamilton , Ontario . The Raiders played at Copps Coliseum before being sold to a group of investors led by then Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant GM Bill Watters , who relocated the franchise to Toronto , Ontario . They were subsequently renamed the Toronto Rock , and began play at Maple Leaf Gardens in the 1999 season . The Toronto Rock won their 6th league championship on May 15 , 2011 . They hold a tie for the most championships in league history with the Philadelphia Wings .
The National Lacrosse League ( NLL ) is a men 's professional box lacrosse league in North America . Headquartered in Conshohocken , Pennsylvania , the NLL currently has thirteen teams : eight in the United States and five in Canada . The NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide , behind only the NHL and NBA . Unlike other box lacrosse leagues which play in the summer , the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring , from December to June . Each year , the playoff teams battle for the National Lacrosse League Cup . The NLL has averaged between 8,900 and 10,700 spectators per game each year since 2004 .
Box lacrosse , also known as boxla , box , or indoor lacrosse , is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America . The game originated in Canada in the 1930s , where it is more popular than field lacrosse and is the national summer sport . Box lacrosse is played between two teams of five players and one goalie each , and is traditionally played on an ice hockey rink once the ice has been removed or covered . The playing area is called a box , in contrast to the open playing field of field lacrosse . The object of the game is to use a lacrosse stick to catch , carry , and pass the ball in an effort to score by shooting a solid rubber lacrosse ball into the opponent 's goal . The highest level of box lacrosse is the National Lacrosse League . While there are 62 total members of World Lacrosse , only fifteen have competed in international box lacrosse competition . Only Canada , the Iroquois Nationals and the United States have finished in the top three places at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships .
The 2011 National Lacrosse League season , the 25th in the history of the NLL , began January 8 , 2011 , and ended with the Championship game , won by the Toronto Rock 8-7 .
The Toronto Wolfpack are a professional rugby league club based in Toronto , Canada , which competes in the England-based top-tier Super League . The team first played in 2017 in third-tier League 1 and finished first , winning promotion to the second-tier RFL Championship at the end of its inaugural season . The Wolfpack were the regular season champions in both its first and second season in the RFL Championship . In 2018 , the club competed in The Qualifiers , where it was one win away ( the Million Pound Game ) from promotion to the top-tier Super League . At the end of the 2019 season , Wolfpack won promotion to the top tier Super League with a win in the Million Pound Game . The club is the first North American team to play in the Rugby Football League system , the first fully professional rugby league team in Canada , and the first transatlantic rugby league team . [ note 1 ]
Super League ( currently known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons ) is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere . The league has twelve teams : ten from England , one from France and one from Canada . Super League began in 1996 , replacing the First Division and switching from a winter to a summer season . Each team plays 29 games between February and September : 11 home games , 11 away games , Magic Weekend and an additional 6 'loop fixtures ' decided by league positions . The top five then enter the play-off series leading to the Grand Final which determines the champions . The bottom team is relegated to the Championship . The Super League champions play the National Rugby League champions from Australasia in the World Club Challenge at the start of the season .
Rugby league is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m wide and 112-122 m long . One of the two codes of rugby football , it originated in Northern England in 1895 as a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players . Its rules progressively changed with the aim of producing a faster , more entertaining game for spectators . In rugby league , points are scored by carrying the ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing team 's goal line ; this is called a try , and is the primary method of scoring . The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball . In addition to tries , points can be scored by kicking goals . Field goals can be attempted at any time , and following a successful try , the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion for further points . Kicks at goal may also be awarded for penalties . The Super League and the National Rugby League ( NRL ) are the premier club competitions . Rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasian and Pacific Island countries , and is governed by the International Rugby League ( IRL ) . Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea , and is a popular sport in Northern England , Australia , North Island in New Zealand , France , Tonga , Fiji , Samoa and Lebanon . The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954 ; the current holders are Australia .
Allan A. Lamport Stadium is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League . It is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It is also the home field of the Toronto Wolfpack , Canada national rugby league team and Toronto Arrows rugby union team . The playing surface of the 9,600 seating capacity stadium is also dually marked for soccer and field hockey . [ citation needed ] The stadium was named for long-time Toronto politician Allan Lamport , who was associated with sporting activities in the city .