Toronto sports history by the numbers

Guests: Toronto Star hockey reporter Kevin McGran, basketball reporter Doug Smith and Deputy Sports Editor Patrick Ho Our sports department spent much of a year compiling historical information and debating tough questions on a simple, maybe even silly, question: when you look at jersey numbers, who is the ultimate Toronto pro athlete to have worn each one? It’s a fun assignment, but more difficult that it might seem. At #27 forever, you have at least two bone fide Toronto Maple Leafs legends and a potential Blue Jays legend in the making. Kyle Lowry would seem to be a shoe-in at #7 for Raptors fans, but he’s up against a Leafs defender who is a household name across Canada. Meanwhile, the eccentricities of the project mean for some numbers, we’re left with an athlete who may leave even seasoned sports fans asking, “who’s that?” Our panel goes over some of the most interesting and contentious numbers on the list, including the only one we know of that was retired in honour and then unretired in disgrace. It’s the most fun kind of sports conversation, the kind where you remember some players and debate the most interesting and exciting moments from the history of the Raptors, Argos, Toronto FC, The 6, Furies, Blue Jays and Leafs. Produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paulo Marques and Edward Keenan Audio Sources: Toronto Blue Jays, Heritage Hockey, NBA, CBC, Global News