Montréal

Sports

The most important sports in Montréal are hockey and baseball. The city's sports teams include the Montréal Canadiens. The Canadiens, winners of 24 Stanley cups, were one of the six teams that originally made up the National Hockey League. Fans flocked to Montréal Forum, particularly to watch Montréal deal with its rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Known for its intimacy, the Forum was recently replaced by a new arena, the Molson Centre. The Alouettes, Montréal's Canadian Football League (CFL) team, play at McGill stadium. Montréal has also been home to minor and major league baseball. The Montréal Expos play National League baseball in Montréal's Olympic Stadium. The Expos team has had difficulty maintaining its standing in the league and attracting sufficient fans to fill the cavernous stadium that the Expos inherited. The one time that the Expos were close to winning the national league pennant, strikes forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season.