Photo Credit: Steve Russell/Toronto Star/Getty Images
The Toronto Championship Curse
Toronto Sports teams have been playing in major American sport leagues for over a decade.
Aside from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the teams mostly have not been too successful. But in the few occasions they have, there have always been some major irregularities, when a new champion should have been crowned the next season in the respective leagues.
The Maple Leafs predecessor, the Toronto Arenas won the Stanley Cup in what only was the NHL’s second season in 1918. One year later, the NHL season ended early with Toronto suspending operations, leaving Montreal and Ottawa to play for the championship. While Montreal would win the series and travel to Seattle for the Stanley Cup finals, the finals series would not be completed due to influenza infecting the whole Montreal team, causing the death of Montreal’s Joe Hall.
The Toronto Blue Jays of the Major League Baseball were able to defend the franchise’s first title from 1992 in 1993, becoming back-to-back World Series Champions. But again, as another team was reaching for Toronto’s crown, the next season ended without a Champion, as a result of a players’ strike. The MLB season ended prematurely on August 11, 1994, and no postseason (including the World Series) was played.
As you know, the Toronto Raptors are the reigning NBA champion, for the first time in franchise history. With how the global Covid-19 pandemic is developing, it currently isn’t given that a new Champion will be crowned this season.
The Toronto Championship Curse may continue…
