The last time the Toronto Blue Jays went to the World Series, I got married.
Thirty-two years and three kids later, they’re back.
Toronto won consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and ’93, the latter highlighted by the championship-clinching walk-off ninth-inning home run by Joe Carter in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, with legendary Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek shouting: “Touch ’em all Joe! Touch ’em all!” as a euphoric Carter leaped around the bases in a moment of sheer, unadulterated joy.
Now, having disposed of the Seattle Mariners in a tense seven-game ALCS rollercoaster ride, the Blue Jays return to the World Series where they will face the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s been a while. Here are a few things that occurred in sports in 1993, the last time Toronto stood atop the baseball world.
HOCKEY
The Montreal Canadiens, backstopped by Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy, defeated the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings in a five-game Stanley Cup final. Habs haven’t been back since: Kings would go on to win two future Cup titles.
With a bit of luck, the Toronto Maple Leafs would’ve faced the Canadiens in the ’93 Stanley Cup final for an Original Six matchup that with today’s NHL playoff format can never happen. Leafs lost to L.A. 4-3 in a controversial semi-final series, led by Doug Gilmour, a former member of the former Belleville Bulls. Gilmour was top scorer for Toronto during the 1992-93 NHL regular season with 127 points (eighth overall) and won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.
For the first time ever, a team from the Yukon won the Allan Cup as Canadian national senior champions, a feat that has never been repeated. The Whitehorse Huskies tamed the host Quesnel (BC) Kangaroos 7-4 in the ’93 tournament title tilt. The Yukon victory was a one-off affair as the Huskies disbanded the following season.
In junior hockey, the Soo Greyhounds doubled up on the OHL rival Peterborough Petes 4-2 to claim the Memorial Cup on home ice. The Soo lineup featured forward Aaron Gavey, nephew of the late, great Belleville Intelligencer newspaper reporter Tom Gavey, and defenceman Joe Van Volsen, who would later show up here playing for the Bulls.
Nearby, the Napanee Raiders followed up a magnificent regular season that included 32 wins against just two losses and a tie by capturing a franchise-first all-Ontario Jr. C championship. Raiders defeated the Hanover Barons 4-2 in the best-of-seven provincial final to capture the Schmalz Cup.
A couple of local peewee teams also won Ontario titles in 1993: Stirling over Burford in the OMHA “C” final; Frankford over Lucan in the OMHA “DD” final.
As for the Bulls, they finished off a mundane sixth-place finish in the eight-team Leyden Division of the OHL in the spring of ’93 followed by a respectable first-round playoff ouster that saw them push the heavily-favoured Oshawa Generals to seven games before bowing out. Belleville forward Kevin Brown, later traded to the former Detroit Jr. Red Wings, was among league-leaders with 50 goals.
FOOTBALL
The Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) grounded the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in an all-West Grey Cup final in Calgary while the Dallas Cowboys claimed Super Bowl bragging rights by trouncing the Buffalo Bills 52-17 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. MVP was Troy Aikman; Michael Jackson performed at half-time.
Bills, by the way, were en route to becoming the only NFL team to go to four consecutive Super Bowls and lose them all.
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who have been mostly irrelevant in Canadian college football ever since, won the Vanier Cup national title over the Calgary Dinos 37-34 at Sky Dome (now the Rogers Centre) in Hogtown.
BASKETBALL
At the height of his powers, Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan was leading scorer in all six games as the Windy City hoopsters defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the best-of-seven NBA Final. It marked Chicago’s third consecutive NBA crown. His Michael-ness piled up a total of 247 points in the championship series for a per-game average of 41.
NCAA March Madness ended with North Carolina defeating Michigan by six points, 77-71, in the championship game.
Elsewhere, Steffi Graff was the toast of the tennis world in 1993, registering the hat trick by winning three of the four Grand Slam events that year as the world’s No.1-ranked player: Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open. Julie Krone became the first female rider in history to win a Triple Crown horse race, guiding Colonial Affair to top spot at the Belmont Stakes.
