Sport

The first quarter of 2026 has been a blockbuster for Canadian sports fans. From the hardwood to the ice to the gridiron, playoff races and postseason action have driven record levels of engagement across television, streaming, and social media.

At the centre of the surge are two teams: the Toronto Raptors, whose dramatic NBA playoff run captivated the nation, and the Montreal Canadiens, whose unexpected deep playoff push electrified hockey fans from coast to coast. Meanwhile, the CFL’s early season and preseason buzz have added another layer of football excitement.

“We haven’t seen this level of simultaneous interest across multiple leagues in years,” said a media analyst quoted in a recent industry report. “The Raptors and Canadiens are giving fans something to cheer about at the same time, and that’s rare.”

The Raptors, led by a core of young stars, entered the 2026 NBA playoffs as a lower seed but quickly became a Cinderella story. After winning a thrilling play-in game, they upset a heavily favoured opponent in the first round, sending ticket prices and TV ratings through the roof. According to Sportsnet and TSN data, Raptors playoff games averaged over 1.2 million viewers in Canada — the highest numbers for the team since the 2019 championship run. Social media engagement for #WeTheNorth increased 210 per cent compared to the previous postseason.

On the ice, the Montreal Canadiens surprised everyone by clinching a playoff spot after a mid-season coaching change. Their first-round series went to a Game 7 overtime victory, which became the most-watched NHL game of the season in Canada, drawing 3.4 million viewers on CBC and Sportsnet. Bell Centre watch parties drew thousands of fans inside and outside the arena.

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For generations, Canadian sports travel meant one thing: buying a ticket, sitting in the stands, and watching professionals compete. But a powerful new trend is reshaping the industry. In 2026, more Canadians are lacing up their own skates, picking up their own clubs, and hitting the road not just to watch, but to do.

According to the latest travel data, 57 per cent of Canadian travellers now say they want to participate in local sports or outdoor activities as part of their vacation — a sharp increase from previous years. This emerging “Fan Voyage” trend reflects a broader cultural shift toward experiential travel, where doing beats watching.

Among the most popular participatory sports for Canadian travellers is curling. Once dismissed as a niche winter activity, curling has seen a resurgence in travel interest, with booking platforms reporting increased demand for “curling getaway” packages at clubs across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Travellers can book learn-to-curl clinics, join mixed doubles spiels, or simply rent ice time with friends.

“The Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) gave surfing a massive boost, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Games are doing the same for curling,” said a spokesperson for a Canadian tour operator specializing in active travel. “People see athletes on TV and think, ‘I want to try that.’”

Other participatory sports are also gaining traction. Golf travel within Canada remains strong, with destinations like Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta attracting enthusiasts willing to travel hundreds of kilometres for world-class courses. Hiking and trail running have surged in popularity, with national parks reporting record visitation for self-guided outdoor adventures. Even niche activities like rock climbing, mountain biking, and paddling are seeing double-digit increases in travel-related bookings.

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At just 22 years old, Canadian freestyle skier Megan Oldham has etched her name into the record books. Competing in the women’s big air final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Oldham landed a historic quad cork 1260 — a trick never before completed in Olympic competition — to claim gold.

The score: 94.75. The reaction: stunned silence, then deafening applause.

Oldham’s winning run featured three full rotations (1080 degrees) plus an extra 180, totalling 1260 degrees of spin, combined with four off-axis “corked” flips. The degree of difficulty was so high that even her closest competitors stopped to watch.

“I’ve been dreaming of that trick for two years,” Oldham told CBC Sports after securing the gold medal. “To land it here, at the Olympics, in the final run… I still can’t believe it.”

Oldham, who hails from Parry Sound, Ontario, has been a rising star in freeskiing since her breakout performance at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she finished fourth. Over the next four years, she methodically worked with her coaches to add amplitude and rotational complexity to her repertoire. The quad cork 1260 became her signature move — one she had landed successfully in practice but never under Olympic pressure.

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Brad Jacobs has done it again. Twelve years after leading Canada to gold at the Sochi 2014 Olympics, the veteran skip has captured his second career Olympic gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

In a dramatic final at the Olympic Curling Centre, Team Jacobs defeated Great Britain’s team skipped by Bruce Mouat by a score of 9–6. The victory marks Canada’s first gold medal in men’s curling since Jacobs’ own triumph in 2014, ending a twelve-year drought that saw Canada settle for bronze in 2018 (John Shuster’s USA won gold) and fail to medal in 2022 (Sweden’s Niklas Edin won gold).

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” an emotional Jacobs said after the final stone came to rest. “To do this again, twelve years later, with a different team, different circumstances… I’m just so proud of these guys.”

The final was a tightly contested battle from the first end. Great Britain drew first blood with a single in the opening end, but Jacobs responded with a deuce in the second. The teams traded singles and steals through the middle ends, with the score knotted at 4–4 after five ends. The turning point came in the seventh end, when Jacobs executed a perfect double takeout to score three, giving Canada a 7–4 lead. Great Britain fought back with two in the eighth, but Jacobs blanked the ninth and then scored two more in the tenth to seal the 9–6 victory.

“Brad is a cold-blooded killer in the big moments,” said third Marc Kennedy, who joined Jacobs for this Olympic campaign. “He just doesn’t miss when it matters most.”

The victory is particularly sweet for Jacobs, who had to rebuild his team after the 2022 cycle. Long-time vice-skip Ryan Fry retired from elite competition, prompting Jacobs to bring in Kennedy at third, with E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden rounding out the front end. The team gelled quickly, winning the 2025 Canadian Olympic Trials in dominating fashion before carrying that momentum through the round robin in Milano Cortina, where they finished with a 7–2 record.

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For decades, hockey has been considered Canada’s sport — an identity carved into the national psyche. But a stunning new analysis of Google Trends data suggests that in Ontario, at least, basketball may have quietly taken the lead.

According to recent search interest data, the NBA scored a perfect 100 in Ontario — the highest possible popularity score on Google Trends — while hockey failed to crack the top ten searches in the province. Nationally, the NFL scored 81, also outpacing hockey, which registered 75.

The data, which was highlighted in a report by CTV News, measures relative search interest over time. A value of 100 represents peak popularity for the term, while values below that indicate lower relative interest. The fact that the NBA reached 100 in Ontario is a striking indicator of just how much basketball has captured the attention of Canada’s most populous province.

The shift is not entirely new, but the magnitude of the gap has surprised even seasoned sports analysts. The Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship sparked a basketball renaissance across Canada, and the team has maintained a loyal, passionate fanbase even through rebuilding years. With young, exciting talent on the roster and a front office committed to winning, the Raptors continue to draw massive television audiences and social media engagement.

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