The Montreal Expos was a Canadian baseball team that played from 1969 - 2004. The team's name is spelled using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as /ˌmɒntriˈɒl ˈɛkspoʊz/. The "Montreal" part is spelled with a silent "t" which is pronounced /mɒntriːˈɒl/. The "Expos" part is spelled phonetically as /ˈɛkspoʊz/ with the emphasis on the first syllable. The name was chosen to represent the city's world-fair theme and the team's goal to showcase the best of Montreal.
The Montreal Expos were a professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1969, they were a member of the National League of Major League Baseball (MLB) until the team's relocation to Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season. The Expos were one of the first teams to be introduced during MLB's expansion era in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The team's name, "Montreal Expos," pays homage to the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, which was held in Montreal. The Expos played their home games at Jarry Park Stadium from 1969 to 1976 and later at Olympic Stadium from 1977 until their relocation.
During their existence, the Expos achieved moderate success on the field, making the MLB playoffs in 1981 and 1994. They were known for producing talented players, including Hall of Famers such as Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, and Tim Raines. The team's iconic logo featured a stylized lowercase "e" with a red, white, and blue color scheme, symbolizing the team's strong ties to Canadian and American baseball culture.
The Expos played an integral role in fostering the growth of baseball in Canada and maintaining its popularity in the Montreal community. Though the team ultimately ceased to exist after its move to Washington, D.C., its legacy lives on, with Montreal baseball fans remaining passionate and longing for the day when a Major League Baseball franchise will once again call their city home.
The word "Montreal" refers to the city of Montreal in Canada, which is located in the province of Quebec. The etymology of "Montreal" can be traced back to the early 16th century when French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in the area. Upon seeing the mountain near the island, which is now known as Mount Royal, Cartier named the area "Mont Réal", meaning "Royal Mountain" in French.
The word "Expos" is derived from the word "exposition". The team was named as such because it was intended to be a part of the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, also known as Expo 67, held in Montreal to celebrate Canada's centennial. The baseball team was initially created as the Montreal Expos in 1969, two years after the exposition, and the name stuck even after Expo 67 ended.