Raptors could end a 232-season Canadian major pro sports championship drought
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If the Toronto Raptors can finish off the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, it won’t just be their franchise’s first-ever championship.
It’ll be the first title won by a Canadian team in the four major pro sports leagues in North America since 1993, when Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens lifted the Stanley Cup.
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To best get a sense of how remarkably long the drought is, consider that 12 Canadian teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB have completed 232 seasons since then. That number includes defunct franchises like the Vancouver Grizzlies (six seasons), Quebec Nordiques (two), and Montreal Expos (12). It also includes two incarnations of the Winnipeg Jets.
Team | League | Seasons |
Toronto Raptors | NBA | 25 |
Vancouver Grizzlies | NBA | 6 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 25 |
Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 25 |
Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 25 |
Calgary Flames | NHL | 25 |
Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 25 |
Ottawa Senators | NHL | 25 |
Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 11 |
Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 2 |
Toronto Blue Jays | MLB | 26 |
Montreal Expos | MLB | 12 |
Many teams have come close since then, of course.
The Montreal Expos were the best team in baseball when a labour dispute cancelled the 1994 World Series.
The Vancouver Canucks have lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup twice since then (1994 and 2011). Also coming to within one win of lifting the Cup since 1993 were the Calgary Flames (2004) and Edmonton Oilers (2006). The Ottawa Senators made it to the Final in 2007.
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