Montréalers are as devoted to ice hockey as other Canadians are, with plenty of enthusiasm left over for baseball, football, and soccer. There are several prominent annual sporting events of other kinds, such as the Grand Prix Air Canada (call tel. 514/350-0000 for information) in June, The Player's Ltd. International men's tennis championship in late July, and the Montréal Marathon in September.

Baseball

Despite periodic successful seasons amidst mostly losing seasons, the Montréal Expos will almost certainly have either moved to another city or ceased to exist by the time you read this. In the unlikely event that the team survives in place, you should be able to make ticket reservations by telephone, with a credit card. Call tel. 514/790-1245 for information or log on to www.montrealexpos.com. Métro: Pie-IX.

The Great American Pastime Goes North--U.S. broadcast networks and the team owners of Major League Baseball suffer nightmares over a worst-case scenario of labor strife, misbehaving superstars, and laws banning the sale of beer in their stadiums. But the terrifying scenario that truly keeps them up at night is that of a World Series featuring either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Montréal Expos (or -- quelle calamité! -- both). Ratings plummet whenever a playoff game takes place in either of those cities, as happened with Toronto in the early 1990s. When colorless teams from undesirably small TV markets in the Midwest match up, network executives shrug their shoulders and comfort themselves with a resigned, "Well, at least they ain't Canadians."

This is an unfortunate analysis, for Canadians are as enthusiastic about the American game as anyone else -- at least after their national secular religion, hockey, is taken into account. Even though there is the ever-present possibility of early- and late-season games being called off on account of snow, professional baseball has been a fixture in Montréal -- on and off -- since the early 20th century.

The Royals, preceded the Expos. There was a gap from 1916 to 1928, but the Royals were reincarnated as a Triple-A farm club associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers. They signed Jackie Robinson in 1945, two years before Branch Rickey brought him up to The Show. Robinson paid off handsomely: In his first game for the Royals, he hit a three-run homer, scored four times, and stole two bases.

Many of the game's greats passed through Montréal -- usually on their move up, although occasionally when they were headed the other way. Some of the Royal's batting orders included, however briefly, Don Newcombe, Junior Gilliam, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Chuck Connors (yes, the late actor), and a pitcher by the name of Tommy Lasorda.

Football

Canadian professional football returned to Montréal after an experimental 3-year league with U.S. teams. The team that was briefly the Baltimore Colts is now in its second incarnation as the Montréal Alouettes, and has enjoyed considerable success since its return, frequently appearing in the Grey Cup, the CFL's Super Bowl. The Alouettes (French for "larks") play at McGill University's Molson Stadium on a schedule that runs from June into October. Tickets start at C$10 (US$7.15). Call tel. 514/790-1245 or visit www.alouettes.net for information, www.admission.com for tickets.

Harness Racing

Popularly known as Blue Bonnets Racetrack, the Hippodrome de Montréal at 7440 bd. Décarie, in Jean-Talon (tel. 514/739-2741), is the host facility for international harness-racing events, including the Coupe des Elevers (Breeders Cup). Restaurants, bars, a snack bar, and parimutuel betting make for a satisfying evening or Sunday-afternoon outing. There are no races on Tuesday and Thursday. General admission is free, C$5 (US$3.55) for the VIP section. Races begin at 7:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; on Sunday at 1:30pm. Métro: Namur, and then take the shuttle bus.

Hockey

The NHL's Montréal Canadiens play at the Centre Bell (formerly Molson Centre), which opened in 1996 at 1260 rue de la Gauchetière, replacing the beloved old Forum. The team has won 24 Stanley Cup championships since 1929, but hasn't enjoyed much success in recent years. The season runs from October into April, with playoffs continuing to mid-June. Tickets range from about C$16 to C$95 (US$11-US$68). Ticket and schedule information can be obtained by phone at tel. 514/932-2582 (CLUB). Métro: Bonaventure.