With spring training underway, it’s time to turn our attention to baseball. The Montreal Expos may be history, but Canada’s contribution to the sport isn’t limited to the departed Olympic Stadium residents and the Toronto Blue Jays.

This week’s Heritage Minute brings us back to 1946 and Montreal’s contribution to Jackie Robinson’s controversial breaking of the color line in Major League Baseball.

That year, Robinson played his first professional games with the Montreal Royals, the AAA minor-league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

This video is a touch controversial because while it shows some of Robinson’s teammates displaying some discomfort with his place on the team, and shows the Royals’ opposing pitcher throwing at Robinson in his first at-bat, it mostly turns into a heart-warming, heroic and welcoming tale — all within 60 seconds.

We’re pretty sure Robinson’s trip through the minors wasn’t quite so rosy, but history has a tendency to re-written (and re-enacted) to our liking.

Heritage Minutes are 60-second short films that are shown in between some TV shows in Canada — and they’re amazing. We’re planning to bring you a “Heritage Minute” every Thursday on COTW.

Enjoy.

Unfortunately, this week’s Heritage Minute couldn’t be provided here for your viewing pleasure, so you’ll have to check it out here.