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Originally we had scheduled the Montreal Expos for August of 2000. So its April 9th, and
we're enroute to Ottawa for a baseball/hockey doubleheader - an Ottawa Lynx/Bisons game
in the afternoon, followed by a Senators game at the Corel Centre at night. Well we are
making our way north of Syracuse, and the temparature is dropping, the snow is picking up,
and by the time we cross the Thousand Islands into Canada, it is a full blown snowstorm...
on April *&#$%^ 9th!!! Common sense dictated that we should have just gone to Ottawa,
kicked back and gone to the hockey game. But we adventurous road trippers checked the
paper, saw that the Expos were home that afternoon and figure we would have plenty of
time to get to Montreal, catch the game and then drive to Ottawa for the hockey game. BIG
MISTAKE. We made it through a horrific snowstorm and arrived at Olympic Stadium in the
4th inning. But we did make it, and this venue is in the books!
Olympic Stadium was built specifically for the 1976 Olympic Games, and was originally
engineered to be a retractable roof stadium, but the canvas roof ripped and evenutally the
cover just became a permanent fixture of the park - thus, this is an indoor stadium.
Located 4 miles east of downtown Montreal, the stadium is nestled in a beautiful park whch
also houses several museums and a botanical gardens. Along with the stadium is an
observation tower rising at a 45 degree incline high above the stadium. The tower also
exhibits from the 1976 games. The stadium is easily accessed via the Metro line which has
a station directly underneath the stadium for easy access.
This is not your typical ballpark - it is huge, cavernous, lots of empty seats, and directly
opposite of the new charming retro ballparks going up all over the major leagues today.
But you know what? In its own way this is kind of a cool place. First of all, everything is
done in two languages, giving the baseball experience here a european flavor. Balls are
balles, strikes are prises and outs are retraits.
They do, however, sing "Take Me out To the Ball Game" in English!
Second, this franchise had some great moments and almost made it to the World Series not
once, but twice. In 1994 they assembled some of the greatest players ever to make a lineup
in this day and age, only to see their hopes dashed in the labor action and cancelled
season. As you walk the concourse, team photos of each year can be viewed, and an
"Expos Hall of Fame" showcases their greatest players.
Summary
There was talk of a new ballpark - Labatt Park, to be built downtown near the Molson
Centre. On this day, where two feet of snow got dumped on this city on April *&#$%* 9th, we
question the wisdom of an open air ballpark in this climate. But with the community's
ambivalence towards Major League Baseball, the future of this franchise in Montreal is in
question.
We love MONTREAL, the atmosphere of the city, the french language and hope to see the
Expos solve their problems and remain here for years to come!
Extra Point
To thank those adventuresome fans who braved the weather to attend this game, they
gave each person in attendance a voucher for another game later in the season... so we
did come back in August, and brought along another friend - Chris Mach, to take in the
sights of Montreal. When we drove all over Montreal looking for Jarry Park just so we
could say we saw the ORIGINAL home of the Expos, Chris was ready to have us committed!
By the way, we did find Jarry Park, since converted to a tennis stadium and home of the
DuMaurier Classic.
RATING (1-5 stars): 2 STARS
we're enroute to Ottawa for a baseball/hockey doubleheader - an Ottawa Lynx/Bisons game
in the afternoon, followed by a Senators game at the Corel Centre at night. Well we are
making our way north of Syracuse, and the temparature is dropping, the snow is picking up,
and by the time we cross the Thousand Islands into Canada, it is a full blown snowstorm...
on April *&#$%^ 9th!!! Common sense dictated that we should have just gone to Ottawa,
kicked back and gone to the hockey game. But we adventurous road trippers checked the
paper, saw that the Expos were home that afternoon and figure we would have plenty of
time to get to Montreal, catch the game and then drive to Ottawa for the hockey game. BIG
MISTAKE. We made it through a horrific snowstorm and arrived at Olympic Stadium in the
4th inning. But we did make it, and this venue is in the books!
Olympic Stadium was built specifically for the 1976 Olympic Games, and was originally
engineered to be a retractable roof stadium, but the canvas roof ripped and evenutally the
cover just became a permanent fixture of the park - thus, this is an indoor stadium.
Located 4 miles east of downtown Montreal, the stadium is nestled in a beautiful park whch
also houses several museums and a botanical gardens. Along with the stadium is an
observation tower rising at a 45 degree incline high above the stadium. The tower also
exhibits from the 1976 games. The stadium is easily accessed via the Metro line which has
a station directly underneath the stadium for easy access.
This is not your typical ballpark - it is huge, cavernous, lots of empty seats, and directly
opposite of the new charming retro ballparks going up all over the major leagues today.
But you know what? In its own way this is kind of a cool place. First of all, everything is
done in two languages, giving the baseball experience here a european flavor. Balls are
balles, strikes are prises and outs are retraits.
They do, however, sing "Take Me out To the Ball Game" in English!
Second, this franchise had some great moments and almost made it to the World Series not
once, but twice. In 1994 they assembled some of the greatest players ever to make a lineup
in this day and age, only to see their hopes dashed in the labor action and cancelled
season. As you walk the concourse, team photos of each year can be viewed, and an
"Expos Hall of Fame" showcases their greatest players.
Summary
There was talk of a new ballpark - Labatt Park, to be built downtown near the Molson
Centre. On this day, where two feet of snow got dumped on this city on April *&#$%* 9th, we
question the wisdom of an open air ballpark in this climate. But with the community's
ambivalence towards Major League Baseball, the future of this franchise in Montreal is in
question.
We love MONTREAL, the atmosphere of the city, the french language and hope to see the
Expos solve their problems and remain here for years to come!
Extra Point
To thank those adventuresome fans who braved the weather to attend this game, they
gave each person in attendance a voucher for another game later in the season... so we
did come back in August, and brought along another friend - Chris Mach, to take in the
sights of Montreal. When we drove all over Montreal looking for Jarry Park just so we
could say we saw the ORIGINAL home of the Expos, Chris was ready to have us committed!
By the way, we did find Jarry Park, since converted to a tennis stadium and home of the
DuMaurier Classic.
RATING (1-5 stars): 2 STARS
| Stade Olympique |
#34
Olympic
Stadium
Montreal,
Quebec
April 9,
2000
San Diego
Padres
at
Montreal
Expos
team
relocated
to
Washington
D.C.
effective
2005
season
return
visit:
November
23, 2008
GREY CUP
Calgary
Stampeders
at
Montreal
Alouettes
Olympic
Stadium
Montreal,
Quebec
April 9,
2000
San Diego
Padres
at
Montreal
Expos
team
relocated
to
Washington
D.C.
effective
2005
season
return
visit:
November
23, 2008
GREY CUP
Calgary
Stampeders
at
Montreal
Alouettes
Note: A number of the above photos were taken at the 2008 CFL Grey Cup