Canada Pro-Sports Leagues: A Guide To Professional Sports Teams and Leagues In Canada

The country of the maple leaf stands out for many things – its incredible natural landscapes, quality of life, abundant lakes and rivers and much more. But which sports are the favourites in Canada? Like its neighbour, the US, Canada has also excelled at many sports, resulting in building its own leagues but when it comes to the most popular sports teams, most are part of pro leagues that exist in both Canada and the U.S. Here we will highlight some of the popular sports leagues Canadians love to watch.

Top Canadian Professional Leagues

Canada is a country where most sports are played and watched. Hockey is the country’s king but watching NFL Football (see interesting NFL lines) is a hugely popular past time despite Canada not having an NFL franchise. However, Canada does have its own pro football league and it is called the CFL. Basketball is also hugely popular thanks to the success of the NBA Toronto Raptors, and numerous leagues at the grassroots level. Here is a look at the most popular sports leagues in Cana

The National Hockey League (NHL)

Hockey is the most popular sport in Canada, and the best league in the world, NHL, is held in the country.

The league is made up of 32 teams, of which 25 belong to cities in the United States, and the other seven are from Canada. These teams are: Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.

It should be noted that in the history of the NHL, the team winning the most Stanley Cups is Canadian. The Montreal Canadiens have hoisted the Stanley Cup 24 times, and no team has been able to top that mark.

National Lacrosse League (NLL)

Lacrosse was invented in Canada in the 19th century and was declared the national sport at the time.

It wasn’t until the rise of hockey that it was replaced, but it remains a much-loved sport, like the Canadian moose.

It’s an activity born from a game of the indigenous people of North America called Baggataway. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is among the top pro leagues in Canada.

Just like the hockey league, it has Canadian and American teams. As of today, there are 14 teams. This pro sport is also highly practiced by Canadian Women.

The Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings are the teams with the most wins in league history, closely followed by the Rochester Knighthawks with four championships.

MLB (Major League Baseball)

Canadian baseball has also had its moments of glory. It was the 1990s when the Toronto Blue Jays competed on equal terms with the dreaded American teams, becoming back to back World Series Champions (92 and 93). among other titles.

It’s also considered one of Canada’s top sports, despite still relying solely on the Blue Jays to compete on equal terms in MLB (Major League Baseball), since the Montreal Expos moving to Washington.

Between April and October, Major League baseball guarantees good ratings for Canadian stations that broadcast a championship full of stars that make up the 30 teams in the league. Canada loves the Blue Jays!

MLS (Major League Soccer)

Despite being a relatively new pro league in Canada, MLS soccer is currently recognized as one of the fastest growing due to the success of Canadian teams such as Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Toronto FC.

The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and the 3 (a mentioned) in Canada—since the 2023 season. These teams have passionate fan bases and manage to keep stadiums full, especially on weekends, for Canadian soccer games.

One of the reasons for its popularity in Canada, is that soccer is the world’s game, and Canada is a melting pot of world cultures. Additionally there are thousands of youth and semi-pro leagues leagues in Canada.

NBA (National Basketball Association)

Legend has it that basketball was invented by a Canadian physical education teacher James Naismith, in 1891, who lived in the USA. He was interested in creating a sport that could be played indoors so that his students could exercise far away from the bitter cold of the Massachusetts winter.

It’s one of Canada’s top sports, and it has the honour of having a team playing the legendary NBA (National Basketball Association), the Toronto Raptors, founded in 1995. The Raptors run to win the NBA Championship in 2019 captured the hearts of the nation. These days you see just as many basketball nets and the end of Canadian driveways as you do hockey nets, if not more.

CFL (Canadian Football League)

The CFL could not be left out of Canada’s most popular sports leagues. But with pro football there is no integration of American and Canadian teams, as in Basketball and Baseball. In fact, the Canadian Football League has slightly different rules to its NFL counterpart.

There are nine teams across the country that all play for the right to hoist the Grey Cup in late November. In the East there is: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Hamilton, while in the West there is Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton and BC.

The season starts in June and runs until the end of November. As it’s a sport with many rules, it’s important to check out some games on TV or learn about them.

Summary

If you want to enjoy various exciting sports, you’ll not find a better country than Canada; they are among the best in the world.

So if you are passing through or plan to go to Canada in the future, we suggest you do not think twice and experience its sporting adventure; we assure you that you will not regret it.

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