Toronto-Montreal rivalry
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The Montreal-Toronto rivalry is a rivalry that exists between the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto. The cities have many similarities and differences, which have intensified the rivalry.
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[edit] Canada's first city
Between the end of World War II and 1971, both Montreal and Toronto grew enormously in size. Between 1941 and 1951, Montreal's population grew by 20% and Toronto's by 25%.[1] Over the next decade, it was 35% for Montreal and 45% for Toronto.[2] From 1961 to 1971, it was a little below 20% for Montreal and 30% for Toronto.[3] In the early 1970s, Toronto, the metropolis of Ontario, had surpassed Montreal in population size. This was 30 years after Toronto had begun challenging Montreal as the economic capital of Canada. Indeed, the volume of stocks traded at the Toronto Stock Exchange surpassed that traded at the Montreal Stock Exchange in the 1940s.[4] The loss of many headquarters and the departure of a large anglophone business community is nevertheless believed to have lessened Montreal's economic and social importance.[5]
[edit] Census Metropolitan Area population
| City/Year | Montreal | Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1,023,000 | 810,000 |
| 1941 | 1,150,000 | 900,000 |
| 1951 | 1,539,000 | 1,262,000 |
| 1961 | 2,216,000 | 1,919,000 |
| 1971 | 2,743,000 | 2,628,000 |
| 1981 | 2,828,000 | 2,999,000 |
| 1991 | 3,127,000 | 3,893,000 |
| 2001 | 3,451,027 | 4,682,897 |
| 2006 | 3,635,571 | 5,113,149 |
Numbers pre-2001 are rounded off to nearest thousand.
Source: Statistics Canada and Demographia
[edit] Comparison
| Category | Montreal | Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| Primary language | French | English |
| Founded | 1642 (as Ville-Marie) | 1793 (as York) |
| Pro sports teams | 3: National Hockey League, Canadian Football League, United Soccer Leagues First Division | 7: National Hockey League, American Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, Canadian Football League, National Lacrosse League |
| Universities | 7: McGill University, Concordia University, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, École de technologie supérieure, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, National Theatre School of Canada | 7: University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, Ontario College of Art and Design, Tyndale University College and Seminary, University of Guelph-Humber, University of Ontario Institute of Technology |
[edit] Sports
Sports teams from both Toronto and Montreal have been competing against each other as long as Canada has been a country.
[edit] Football
The Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League had been the best clubs of the league's East Division in the early 21st century. As such they competed against each other in five consecutive East Division Championships from the 2002 to the 2006 CFL playoffs.
[edit] Soccer
Recently, as the increase of soccer's popularity has spread throughout Canada, a new sporting rivalry has been created between the fans and supporters of Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer Leagues (Division 1). In 2008, both teams played each other for the first time in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship along with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Impact won the inaugural tournament.
[edit] Hockey
Historically the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens have had a long standing hockey rivalry, known as "Forever Rivals." This rivalry not only included residents of the two cities, but also hockey fans from across the country. The intensity of this rivalry has lessened since National Hockey League expansion although it looks as if the rivalry is heating up again, due to some recent plays (Tom Kostopoulos hit on Mike Van Ryn, etc.)
The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have met in the playoffs 15 times. To date, Montreal has won 8, Toronto 7. Scores of games won by the series winning team are in bold.
| Season | Round | Result | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917–18 | NHL Final* | Toronto 10-7** | 3-7 | 3-4 | |||||
| 1924–25 | NHL Semifinal* | Montreal 5-2** | 3-2 | 2-0 | |||||
| 1943–44 | Semifinal | Montreal 4-1 | 3-1 | 1-5 | 2-1 | 4-1 | 0-11 | ||
| 1944–45 | Semifinal | Toronto 4-2 | 1-0 | 3-2 | 4-1 | 3-4 | 3-10 | 2-3 | |
| 1946–47 | Final | Toronto 4-2 | 0-6 | 4-0 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-2 | |
| 1950–51 | Final | Toronto 4-1 | 2-3 | 3-2 | 2-1 | 3-2 | 2-3 | ||
| 1958–59 | Final | Montreal 4-1 | 3-5 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 3-2 | 3-5 | ||
| 1959–60 | Final | Montreal 4-0 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 5-2 | 4-0 | |||
| 1962–63 | Semifinal | Toronto 4-1 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 2-0 | 1-3 | 0-5 | ||
| 1963–64 | Semifinal | Toronto 4-3 | 0-2 | 2-1 | 3-2 | 3-5 | 2-4 | 0-3 | 3-1 |
| 1964–65 | Semifinal | Montreal 4-2 | 2-3 | 1-3 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 4-3 | |
| 1965–66 | Semifinal | Montreal 4-0 | 3-4 | 0-2 | 5-2 | 4-1 | |||
| 1966–67 | Final | Toronto 4-2 | 2-6 | 3-0 | 2-3 | 6-2 | 4-1 | 1-3 | |
| 1977–78 | Semifinal | Montreal 4-0 | 3-5 | 2-3 | 6-1 | 2-0 | |||
| 1978–79 | Quarterfinal | Montreal 4-0 | 2-5 | 1-5 | 4-3 | 5-4 |
* Stanley Cup Finals were between the NHL and PCHA champions prior to 1927. ** Total goals series.
[edit] Baseball
In 1969, Major League Baseball awarded the city of Montreal a baseball franchise. The Montreal Expos quickly became not only the team of the city, but the team of the whole country. This changed in 1977, when MLB awarded a second team to Toronto. This led to a small rivalry, but nothing compared to its NHL counterpart, since baseball isn't nearly as popular in Canada and because the Expos were in the National League, while the Blue Jays are in the American League. As of 2005, the Montreal Expos have moved to Washington under the name of the Nationals. This ended the baseball rivalry.
[edit] References
- ^ Census of Canada, 1941, Census of Canada, 1951
- ^ Census of Canada, 1961
- ^ Census of Canada, 1971
- ^ Jacobs, Jane (1980). The Question of Separatism: Quebec and the Struggle Over Sovereignty, Chapter II (Montreal and Toronto) [1]
- ^ Lederman, Lew (April 18, 2002). "Some Effects on Investment of the Election* in Quebec of the Parti Québécois" (PDF). Canadian Insights and Perspectives. AUCC. http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/programs/cepra/Investment%20PQ%20Effects%20on%20Qu.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
[edit] See also
- History of Toronto
- History of Montreal
- National Hockey League rivalries
- Pearson Cup
- Primate city
- Second city
- Battle of Alberta
- Let's All Hate Toronto
[edit] External links
- Toronto-Montreal Rivalry Lives On - in Hockey Rinks, Football Fields and Financial Markets
- The Official Website of the Let's All Hate Toronto documentary
- Calgary Herald article on Let's All Hate Toronto.
