What if the Expos never left Montreal? What if Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Ducks? What if the Blue Jays dealt Alex Rios for a young Tim Lincecum?
The current issue of Sportsnet magazine asks these questions and many more in our What If issue, the alternative history of sports. Each of the 25 scenarios we’ve identified could have easily occured if only a bounce went the other way.
We also put the “What if” question to various Sportsnet staffers. Got one of your own? Tell us below in the comments, or by using #SNWhatIf on Twitter.
Sandra Parente @sandra_parente: E.P. Taylor had gelded Northern Dancer
John Grigg @John_Grigg: George Steinbrenner never bought the Yankees.
Jordan Heath-Rawlings @TheGameSheet: The Lions granted Barry Sanders the release he asked for and Sanders, 32, and Dan Marino, 38, took one last run at a Super Bowl together in Miami in 2000
Mike Cormack @MikeCormack: Michael Jordan stayed at UNC for his senior year
Gare Joyce @GareJoyceNHL: John McNamara brought in Dave Stapleton to play first base in the bottom of the 10th in game six
Dan Robson @RobsonDan: I turned out to be the hockey player I dreamed of being…
John Molinaro @JohnMolinaro: The linesman didn’t allow Geoff Hurst’s controversial extra-time goal for England to stand versus West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final
Kristina Rutherford @KrRutherford: Ben Johnson hadn’t tested positive
Jeff Simmons @realjeffsimmons: Brett Hull’s foot-in-the-crease goal never counted
Arden Zwelling @ArdenZwelling: Tiger Woods didn’t lose his game
Scott Feschuk @scottfeschuk: Frank Wycheck’s “lateral” in the so-called Music City Miracle had been (correctly!) judged a forward pass
Alanna Kelly @_AlannaKelly: Russell Wilson played baseball
Mark Spector @SportsnetSpec: Paul Henderson didn’t shout at Pete Mahovlich to come off at the end of game eight in ’72, and Yvan Cournoyer finished his shift
Eddie Khang: Wayne Gretzky was called for his high stick on Doug Gilmour
Dan Kim: Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady stayed in Toronto
Tuppy Carnie @tuppycarnie: The Great One wasn’t traded to the Kings
Pary Bell @parybell: Ken Read’s ski didn’t fall off at the start of the Lake Placid Olympics downhill race
Rob Corte: Scott Norwood made the kick
Scott Moore @MooreScottmoore: Eric Lindros agreed to play for the Nordiques
Derek DeCloet @decloet: Joe Carter swung and missed on that 2-2 pitch
Steve Maich @stevemaich : The San Francisco Giants had moved to Toronto in 1976
Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA: The American CFL franchises were financially successful
Ben Nicholson-Smith @bnicholsonsmith: The Astros had listened to Hal Newhouser and taken Derek Jeter first overall in 1992
Luke Fox @lukefoxjukebox: Babe Ruth ate vegetables, exercised regularly and dabbled with andro
Jamie Doyle @Doyle_Jamie: Canada didn’t lose in penalties to Australia and made it to the 1994 World Cup
Craig Battle @cthomasbattle : James Naismith became, like, an accountant
Gary Melo @Im_So_Legendary: The Leafs had forked over the cash for Wayne Gretzky when he was a free agent in ’96
John Intini @johnintini: What if the Browns didn’t fumble away the AFC Championship rematch with the Broncos in 1988?