![]() It’s a homage to a gloried past for the players, the seasons, the Stanley Cups, and a great and magical building.Īfter watching it, ask yourself, how could Jarry Park (1969-76), Olympic Stadium (1977-2004), and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan compete? How could Bronfman, Brochu, Loria, and MLB in 36 seasons match the history of the National Hockey League’s Canadiens (founded in 1909)? The answer is obvious: They couldn’t. ![]() Need proof? Then watch about seven minutes of an outpouring of love for Rocket Richard, one of the all-time greats. Ask anyone north of Plattsburgh, New York, and they will testify that hockey’s Montreal Canadiens franchise, one of the most successful in sports, owns the town. 3ĭespite the history and current climate, though, the area’s joie de vivre never centered on baseball. And a December 14, 2018, story on Canadian television reported that bringing the majors back to the city was financially viable if a new stadium could be built in a central location with access to public transit. The Toronto Blue Jays have played preseason games in Olympic Stadium since 2013. 2Įven today, and possibly tomorrow, pro baseball has a home in Montreal. 1 Players like Jackie Robinson, who broke modern baseball’s racial barrier with Montreal in 1946, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella, among others, played in Delorimier Stadium ( Stade de Lorimier). Subsequently renamed the Royals, the club was to become the top farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers until 1960. The minor Eastern League’s Rochester (New York) Blackbirds moved to Montreal on July 16, 1897. Make no mistake, people played ball in Montreal in the past. And, to be honest, it didn’t help that there was heavy competition for fan attention and dollars in Montreal, which was a hockey town with a baseball problem. Shifting ownership doomed the franchise, regardless of whether the owner was Charles Bronfman (1968-91) with his family fortune, Claude Brochu (1991-99) with his executive experience, or Jeffrey Loria (1999-2002) with his flair, or even Major League Baseball itself (2002-04) with its dictate to play about one-fourth of each season’s “home” games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for two years. Fate didn’t really smile on the ’Spos ( Les Expos de Montreal) in 36 seasons. It somehow seemed inevitable when it all came to an end in 2004. In 2004, the Expos relocated to Washington, DC, becoming the Washington Nationals.Montreal mayor Jean Drepeau with (from left) John Bateman, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, and Maury Wills on Opening Day in New York, Ap(COURTESY OF THE McCORD MUSEUM, MONTREAL) In the late 1980s, Bank of Montreal was the official “Bank of the Expos,” and the bank’s branding could be seen and heard at the Montreal Expos home field, Olympic Stadium. In 1989, the fan club expanded to include memberships for all ages. ![]() ![]() Popular outfielder Rusty Staub was the first president of the fan club, which had more than 75,000 members by the end of the Expos’ first baseball season. Membership in the fan club meant 50-cent game admission, a membership card, letters from Expos players and special banking services for young customers. To help young baseball fans get involved with the team, the bank and the Expos established the Bank of Montreal Young Expos Fan Club. The bank’s leadership, employees and customers were filled with enthusiasm about their new home team. ![]() When the Montreal Expos, Canada’s first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, arrived in Montreal in 1969, Bank of Montreal was one of the team’s earliest supporters, sponsoring the team. ![]()
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