海角社区官网

We mark its silver anniversary by looking back at 25 of the most memorable sporting moments at this downtown 海角社区官网venue, in chronological order:

Great One honoured

Feb. 6, 2000:听Air Canada Centre was the site of the 50th NHL all-star game, but it was the first time 海角社区官网hosted the exhibition since 1968.听Wayne Gretzky had played his last NHL game at the end of the previous season and the Great One’s No. 99 was retired leaguewide in a pre-game ceremony. Pavel Bure had three goals to lead the World Team to a 9-4 win over North America.听

Air Carter Centre

Feb. 27, 2000:听Vince Carter became the first Raptor to break the half-century mark, scoring 51 points against the Phoenix Suns in a 103-102 win on a Sunday afternoon on NBC TV,听听to the American audience. The man nicknamed “Half Man, Half Amazing” went 17-of-32 from the field and 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.

One on one

May 11, 2001: After Allen Iverson scored 54 points against the Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Vince Carter responded with a 50-point game to lead 海角社区官网to a 102-78 win, giving the Raptors a 2-1 series lead. He made听nine of his 13 three-point attempts in the only 50-point playoff game by a Raptor. 海角社区官网would lose the series in seven games.

Triple OT thriller

May 4, 2002:听After losing 5-0 in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Ottawa Senators, the Maple Leafs were on the brink of losing the first two games at home. But Gary Roberts, then 35, scored in triple overtime to lead 海角社区官网to a 3-2 win. The Leafs went on to win the Battle of Ontario in seven games. It’s just one of two NHL playoff games to go to triple OT at the arena, the other taking place the next year against听 Philadelphia.

LeBronto era begins

March 20, 2005:听LeBron James sits atop the basketball all-time scoring list, and also owns the most points by any player in an NBA game in Toronto. In his sophomore year, James, then 21, became the youngest player to score 50 points in a game, when he had 56 against the Raptors. His Cavaliers still lost 105-98 but James would exact his revenge over the following years as his Cavaliers eliminated the Raptors in three straight playoffs, starting in 2016, prompting one TV commentator to dub this city “LeBronto.”听

听Boo Carter

April 15, 2005:听Jeers rained down when Vince Carter came back to 海角社区官网for the first time after being traded to the New Jersey Nets, still the roughest greeting from fans here for a returning star. The former franchise icon shrugged off the boos to score 39 points in a 101-90 Nets win. Carter would continue to receive similar treatment until his two-decade playing career was winding down on Nov. 19, 2014 when he got a rousing standing ovation during a tribute video to mark the franchise’s 20th anniversary, moving him to tears. The fans went back to booing him the next time he touched the ball.

Rock dynasty

May 14, 2005:听Playing in front of 18,300 fans, the 海角社区官网Rock beat the Arizona Sting 19-13 to win their听fourth National Lacrosse League title and the first one at the Air Canada Centre. The Rock would end up winning six championships while they were based in Toronto (clinching two titles at Maple Leaf Gardens) before to Hamilton in 2021.

Mats magic听

Oct. 14, 2006:听Mats Sundin scored his 500th career goal in dramatic fashion, completing a hat trick in overtime to lead 海角社区官网to a 5-4 win over the Calgary Flames. The long-time Leafs captain is the only Swedish player to reach the milestone. He scored 420 goals in 13 seasons with the Leafs, still the franchise record.

Lin for the win

Feb. 14, 2012:听Jeremy Lin was riding the height of Linsanity when he arrived in 海角社区官网with the New York Knicks. And even though he was on the opposing team, when he made a three-pointer over Jose Calderon in the dying seconds. Lin finished with 27 points as the Knicks rallied to beat the Raptors 90-87.听听

Heartbreak hotel

May 6, 2013:听Playoff hockey returned to 海角社区官网for the first time since 2004 and the excitement gripped the city as a lineup stretched for several blocks outside Maple Leaf Square to watch the game outside on the big screen. But the Leafs fell 5-2, disappointing fans inside and out. The heartbreak was nothing compared听 a week later in Boston when the Leafs squandered a 4-1 lead in Game 7 and were knocked out in overtime .听

Bay Street beatdown

Sept. 21, 2013:听Jon (Bones) Jones defended his light-heavyweight title at UFC 165, winning a memorable five-round decision over听Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson. Jones was taken down for the first time in his UFC career and both men were bleeding by the end. It’s considered by , and the bout has been听.听

听‘F—- Brooklyn’

May 4, 2014:听The Raptors听made the playoffs for the first time in six years, and the fans jammed into the arena and 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� to show their support. Team president Masai Ujiri infamously yelled “f—- Brooklyn” in a rallying cry before Game 1. This series also ended in a heartbreak for the home team, with veteran Paul Pierce blocking Kyle Lowry鈥檚 shot that could have been the game-winner as 海角社区官网lost 104-103. But the series marked the beginning of a decade-long听 era of successful basketball in 海角社区官网that culminated in a championship five years later.

Drought ends

Jan. 5, 2015:听The world junior hockey championship in 2015 was co-hosted by Montreal and Toronto, with the medal games taking place here. Canada, which failed to medal the previous two years, beat Russia 5-4 in front of a raucous crowd for its first gold since 2009. Connor McDavid scored for Canada, which had to fight off a furious comeback attempt by the Russians after jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Max Domi, now with the Maple Leafs, also had a goal for Canada.

All-star jam

Feb. 13, 2016:听Toronto’s first NBA all-star weekend had plenty of storylines, including the city experiencing the coldest weekend in recent memory, and marked Kobe Bryant’s last all-star game appearance. But it will forever be remembered for its classic slam-dunk contest between defending champion Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. From taking off at the free-throw line to jumping over the mascot, the duo gave basketball fans something to remember with Lavine coming out on top.听Fans regard it as the last time the contest was entertaining or had any drama.

Golden glory

Sept. 29, 2016:听Canada defeated Europe 2-1 to claim gold at the World Cup of Hockey competition, the last time the best hockey players in the world competed against each other. The Canadians, with a lineup that included Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and MVP Sidney Crosby, swept the best-of-three final. Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews played on a North American team comprised of 23-and-under players.

Honouring the past

Oct. 15, 2016:听At their centennial anniversary home opener, the Leafs broke with tradition and officially retired the numbers of 13 former players during an elaborate pre-game ceremony. Previously they were just “honoured” while only two numbers were retired: Ace Bailey’s No. 6 and Bill Barilko鈥檚听No. 5.

‘Is this the dagger?’

May 12, 2019:听Virtually every Raptors fan remembers holding their breath and watching bounce on the rim four times before finally dropping in to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs. Leonard had 41 points in a legendary performance to lead 海角社区官网to a 92-90 win.

Biggest stage heads north

May 30, 2019: The NBA Finals were played outside the U.S. for the first time and it was Pascal Siakam who stepped up in Game 1 with 32 points and eight rebounds as the Golden State Warriors focused on shutting down Leonard, who still managed 23 points. The Raptors went on to win 118-109, the only game in the championship series where the home team won.听

Run over

Feb. 22, 2020: In a game that lives in Maple Leafs infamy, the Carolina Hurricanes had to call on emergency backup David Ayres after their goalies went down with injury. The 42-year-old Zamboni driver, who was sitting in the stands when he got the call, allowed goals on the first two shots he faced before stopping the next eight as Carolina picked up a stunning 6-3 victory over Toronto.

Choke job

May 31, 2021: Game 7 of the Leafs’ first-round series was played in a bubble because of COVID but hosted 550 fully vaccinated health-care workers,听the first fans at a 海角社区官网sports event since the pandemic began. But they witnessed another playoff disappointment as the Leafs blew a 3-1 series lead and the deciding game 3-1. The season before,听Scotiabank Arena shared the hosting responsibilities with Rogers Place in Edmonton for playoffs that had to be rescheduled because of the pandemic.

Hero to 60

April 26, 2022:听Auston Matthews snapped听his longest goal-scoring drought of the season,听scoring twice against the visiting Detroit Red Wings to reach the rare milestone and send fans into a frenzy. He was the first NHL player to score 60 goals in a season since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12 and is on the road to rewriting the franchise scoring records.

The King’s last cheer

Nov. 12, 2022:听The Leafs paid tribute to B枚rje Salming, the franchise’s greatest defenceman, with a weekend celebration that included the league鈥檚 annual Hall of Fame inductions. Fans greeted the beloved franchise great with a thunderous ovation in an emotional pre-game ceremony where he was surrounded by his Leafs teammates. The 71-year-old Leafs legend, who was battling ALS,听died a few days later.听

Hoopla for women’s hoops

May 13, 2023:听Tickets were snatched up for the first WNBA pre-season game in Canada. A sellout crowd of 19,800听watched the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-74. It was thought that the fan interest would help convince the WNBA to grant an expansion team to Toronto. But the Star revealed later that听MLSE had decided not to bid听for a team months before the game was even played.

Leafs stars shine brightest听听

Feb. 3, 2024:听Auston Matthews听and his听Maple Leafs-loaded all-star team beat听Connor McDavid‘s team in the NHL’s all-star game final.听Matthews scored twice,听including the winner, and added an assist in the 7-4 win over Team McDavid and was named MVP. Pop superstar Justin Bieber may have stolen the show with his oversized and colourful winter jacket.

Battle on Bay Street

Feb. 16, 2024:听Toronto鈥檚 PWHL team听sold out all of its home games at the 2,600-seat Mattamy Athletic Centre before the start of its first season. And when they made an appearance at Scotiabank Arena on Friday, they sold out that venue as well with 19,285 fans taking in听Toronto’s 3-0 shutout win over Montreal.

Honourable mentions

March 13, 2005:听Donyell Marshall makes 12 three-pointers in a game, tying Kobe Bryant for what was then an NBA record that stood for more than a decade.

Feb. 21, 2009:听Mats Sundin greeted with a thunderous standing ovation in his first game back in 海角社区官网since听signing with the Vancouver Canucks in the off-season. Even though the cheers moved him to tears, the Hall of Famer scored in the shootout, beating Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala听听as Vancouver won 3-2.

Dec. 9, 2010: A fan throws a waffle on to the ice as the Leafs failed to qualify for playoffs for sixth straight season.

Jan. 25, 2014: Terrence Ross scores 51 points

May 25, 2019:听The Raptors beat Milwaukee to advance to the NBA Finals.

Feb. 12, 2024: Victor Wembanyama sets a record for a Raptors opponent with 10 blocks in a game.