‘Ottawa’ Capital Facts: The Champions Before the Ottawa Champions
In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the Citizen is rolling out one fact each day for 150 days until July 1, highlighting the odd, the fascinating and the important bits of Ottawa history you might not know about.
In 1995, the Ottawa Lynx prospects weren’t bright because their prospects were few. Major league prospects, that is. Yet in their third year of operating in the International League, Howard Darwin’s Lynx stunned the AAA baseball world by winning the championship on the strength of a 4-0 victory over the Norfolk Tides. The Lynx were managed by Pete Mackanin, who went on to the MLB. It was Ottawa’s first professional sports title since the 1976 Rough Riders won the Grey Cup, and fans stood, cheered and outlasted rain delays of 55 and 45 minutes.
The joy was short-lived. After 15 seasons, the franchise was sold. Today, the Can-Am League Ottawa Champions play at the city’sballpark. They were champions, in 2016.
— Wayne Scanlan