November 3, 1995: The NBA Returns to Canada

Tracy Murray (left) and Ed O'Bannon

November 3, 1995: After having a team in the 1st season of the league that would become the NBA, the 1946-47 Toronto Huskies, Canada regains representation in the league, 48 years later. The expansion Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies each play their 1st game.

It went pretty well for the Raptors, the 1st team in North American major league sports to give themselves a dinosaur-themed name: They beat the New Jersey Nets, 94-79 at the SkyDome. Alvin Robertson led them with 30 points.

Their 1st season was typically bad for an expansion team, but not historically bad: 21-61. They played at the SkyDome, now named the Rogers Centre, until 1999, when the Air Canada Centre, now named the Scotiabank Arena, opened. They won the NBA Championship in 2019. Their only other appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals has been in 2016.

The Grizzlies also won their opener, beating the Portland Trail Blazers, 92-80 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. Benoit Benjamin led them with 29 points. Three days later, on November 6, they played their 1st home game, and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 100-98.

Theodore "Blue" Edwards

They were almost historically bad, though, only going 15-67. They played at General Motors Place, which had just opened as their 1st home, and as a replacement for the Pacific Coliseum as the home of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. In 2001, they topped out at 23-59, but hadn't made the Playoffs in 6 seasons. With low attendance, they moved to Memphis, where they have still struggled, but, at least, they haven't had to compete with a hockey team for Canadian fans' attention.

UPDATE: Through the 2025-26 season, the Raptors do not have a team Hall of Fame. They have retired one number, 15, for 1998-2004 guard Vince Carter. Carter, 1997-2000 guard Tracy McGrady, 2003-10 center Chris Bosh, and brief Raptors Chauncey Billups (guard, 1998) and Hakeem Olajuwon (center, 2001-02) have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Lenny Wilkens had already been elected before serving as their head coach, 2000-03.

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November 3, 1995 was a Friday. All 28 NBA teams were in action on this night. Here are the results of the other 12 games:

* The New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, 106-100 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics, 101-100 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston. This was the Celtics' 1st regular-season game at the new arena, although not their 1st home game at an arena other than the Boston Garden. Early in their history, they played a few games at the Boston Arena, which became Northeastern University's Matthews Arena. And from 1975 to 1978, and again from 1980 to 1995, they played a few "home games" at the Hartford Civic Center, now the PeoplesBank Arena, in Hartford, Connecticut.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Bullets, 105-103 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 111-106 at The Omni in Atlanta.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-88 at the Orlando Arena.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets, 105-91 at the United Center in Chicago. Michael Jordan scored 42 points.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors, 110-92 at The Summit in Houston. It's now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 103-97 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 112-94 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-106 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Kevin Johnson scored 39 in defeat for the Suns.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, 98-96 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the Sacramento Kings beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 95-86 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 6 games in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 7-4 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (now the Honda Center).

* The New York Islanders lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3 at the ThunderDome (now Tropicana Field) in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the USAir Arena (formerly the Capital Centre) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins played to a tie, 3-3 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2 at the Winnipeg Arena.

* And the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks played to a tie, 4-4 at the aforementioned GM Place (Rogers Arena).

October 24, 1992: Canada Wins the World Series

October 24, 1992: For the 1st time, a World Series is won by a team from outside the United States of America. The Toronto Blue Jays clinch their 1st World Championship with a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves, in Game 6 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre).

Dave Winfield's 2-out‚ 2-run double in the top of the 11th gives Toronto a 4-2 lead. The Braves score 1 run in the bottom half of the inning, and have the tying run on 3rd when the final out is made. Jimmy Key wins the game in relief‚ and Candy Maldonado homers for the Blue Jays.

Toronto catcher Pat Borders‚ with a .450 BA‚ is named Series MVP. Winfield, derided as "Mister May" by Yankee owner George Steinbrenner for his poor performances in the 1981 World Series and subsequent Pennant races, finally has his ring, in his 20th season in the majors.

The Jays were managed by Clarence "Cito" Gaston, a major league outfielder of the 1970s. He became the 1st black manager to lead a team into, and the 1st to lead a team to victory in, a World Series.

This also made 1992 the 1st seasonal year in which all 4 major North American sports' titles were won by post-1960 expansion teams: The Jays, who started in 1977; the Dallas Cowboys, 1960; the Chicago Bulls, 1966; and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1967).

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October 24, 1992 was a Saturday. Among the college football games played that day were these:

* Number 1 Miami beat Virginia Tech, 43-23 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.

* Number 2 Washington beat the University of the Pacific, 31-7 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Although Washington and Miami split the National Championship polls the season before, this time, Washington won only the Pacific-Ten title.

* Number 3 Michigan beat Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug, 63-13 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Michigan won the Big Ten title, and beat Washington in the Rose Bowl.

* Number 4 Alabama beat Mississippi, 31-10 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 'Bama won the Southeastern Conference title, and beat Miami in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship.

* Number 5 Texas A&M beat Baylor, 19-13 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. A&M won the Southwest Conference title.

* Number 6 Florida State had the week off. This was their 1st season in the Atlanta Coast Conference, and won the title.

* Number 7 Georgia beat Kentucky, 40-7 at Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field) in Lexington, Kentucky.

* Number 8 Nebraska beat Missouri, 34-24 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. Nebraska won the Big Eight title, but lost the Orange Bowl to Florida State.

* Number 9 Colorado beat Kansas State, 54-7 at Folsom Field in the Denver suburb of Boulder, Colorado.

* Number 10 Notre Dame beat Brigham Young University (BYU), 42-16 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. While Notre Dame fans in 1988 called their matchup with Miami "Catholics vs. Convicts," no one called this Catholics vs. Mormons matchup a "Holy War" -- although that name does get applied to Notre Dame vs. Boston College and BYU vs. Utah.

BYU won the Western Athletic Conference title, but lost the Cotton Bowl to Texas A&M.

* Number 13 Washington State fell victim to a mild upset, losing to Number 15 Southern California, 31-21 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Number 18 Clemson were upset by North Carolina State, 20-6 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.

* Number 19 Georgia Tech were upset by North Carolina, 26-14 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Among the service academies, Army lost to Wake Forest, 23-7 at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Navy lost to Delaware, 37-21 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland; and Air Force beat San Diego State, 20-17 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.

The NBA season started 13 days later. There were 8 games in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-2 at the Ottawa Civic Centre (now the TD Place Arena). Phil Bourque scored the winning goal with 11 seconds left in overtime.

* The New York Islanders beat the Hartford Whalers, 4-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3 at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-6 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Quebec Nordiques, 3-2 at Expo Hall in Tampa.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota North Stars played to a tie, 5-5 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* And the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues, 6-1 at the St. Louis Arena.

June 3, 1989: The 1st Retractable-Roof Stadium

June 3, 1989: The SkyDome opens in Toronto, next-door to the CN Tower. It is the 1st stadium with a retractable roof.

The last competitive sporting event at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto was held on May 28. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-5. The Jays went on a weeklong roadtrip, and then opened the SkyDome.

Exhibition Stadium

Exhibition Stadium had been home to the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts since 1959, and the Jays since their debut in 1977. It may have been the single worst stadium in Major League Baseball since the debut of concrete and steel stadiums, and football fans didn't like it, either. The 1982 Grey Cup, which the host Argonauts lost to the Edmonton Eskimos (now the Edmonton Elks), became known as the Rain Bowl, and fans chanted, "We want a dome!" In 1989, they got their wish.

Exhibition Stadium was demolished in 1999. In 2007, BMO Field, current home of the Argonauts and soccer’s Toronto FC, was built on the site. The Argonauts moved there in 2016.

In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the 1st "retro ballpark," making the SkyDome obsolete before its 3rd anniversary. But not totally: As of the Autumn of 2020, there were 6 teams in Major League Baseball with retractable-roof stadiums: Toronto, Arizona, Seattle, Milwaukee, Miami and Texas; and 11 in the NFL: Houston, Detroit, Seattle, Arizona, Indianapolis, Dallas, Minnesota, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and one for the two Los Angeles teams.

Roof closed

The SkyDome was renamed the Rogers Centre in 2005, following its purchase by broadcast executive Ted Rogers, who had bought the Blue Jays in 2000. In spite of all the great sports figures who have called the building home, he is the only person with a statue outside it, erected after his death in 2008.

The Rogers Centre hosted back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993; and the Grey Cup in 1989, 1992, 2007, 2012 and 2016. From 2008 to 2013, the Buffalo Bills played one "home game" a season there. 

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June 3, 1989 was a Saturday. Football was out of season. The hockey season ended 9 days earlier, with the Calgary Flames beating the Montreal Canadiens. The NBA Playoffs were between the Conference Finals and the Finals, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers.

These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Toronto Blue Jays were on their between-stadiums roadtrip, beating the Boston Red Sox, 10-2 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The New York Yankees lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Richard Dotson went the distance for the loss, but it took 3 Brewer pitchers to complete the 5-hit shutout: Bill Krueger for 5 innings, Mark Knudson for 3 1/3rd, and Dan Plesac for 2/3rds. Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Don Mattingly each went 0-for-4. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The New York Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-3 at Shea Stadium. Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson hit home runs in support of Ron Darling. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-5 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-0 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Don Robinson only went 3 innings, was replaced by Atlee Hammaker, who went 5, ended up as the winning pitcher, Mike LaCoss pitched the 9th inning, completing the 5-hit shutout.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 6-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-4 with a home run.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Cal Ripken hit a home run.

* A doubleheader was split at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Minnesota Twins won the opener, 5-4. The Chicago White Sox won the nightcap, 2-1.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Tom Pagnozzi hit a sacrifice fly to bring Ozzie Smith home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4 at the Astrodome in Houston. This game went a shocking 22 innings. It gets to the point where pitcher Fernando Valenzuela became the Dodger 1st baseman in the 21st inning. Finally, in the bottom of the 22nd inning, Rafael Ramírez singled Bill Doran home with the winning run.

* The California Angeles beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). George Brett did not play.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Bob Welch pitched 8 innings of 7-hit shutout ball, and Eric Plunk completed an 8-hit shutout.

* And the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners, 6-1 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Nolan Ryan allows just 1 hit, a single by Harold Reynolds.