If you want to be googled by Canadians, it helps to be notorious or a Toronto sports team.

That’s the lesson from a Google Trends report on how Canadians are using the ubiquitous search engine, released Tuesday.

The Toronto Raptors sit atop the list of most googled Canadian teams. They have been riding a wave of support thanks to an unexpected playoff run, a strong 19-6 start to this season, their association with the rapper Drake and a deft “We The North” marketing campaign.

The Blue Jays and Toronto FC are numbers 3 and 4, respectively, no doubt buoyed by their city’s huge population — although the Maple Leafs were snubbed, not appearing on the list at all.

The second most-searched team was the Montreal Canadiens.

Spots 5 to 10 were filled entirely by CFL teams (in order, Ottawa Redblacks, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, B.C. Lions, Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats).

The CFL’s popularity with Google users shouldn’t come as a surprise, said Vijay Setlur, sports marketing instructor at York’s Schulich School of Business.

“They’re the ultimate in-closet fans.”

But Google’s list isn’t necessarily a reflection of which teams are most popular, Setlur said.

“It’s essentially a function of newsworthiness, in terms of which organizations make headlines.”

Setlur said being in the news is a good proxy for relevance, and relevance is important for the value of a franchise.

“It’s better for teams to be in the consciousness of fans than to be deemed as irrevelant,” he said.

Not all of the most-searched athletes in Canada will feel that way. There’s Ray Rice, the disgraced former Baltimore Ravens running back caught on video knocking his wife unconscious with a blow to the head.

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Retired Formula One driver Michael Schumacher ranked No. 1 on the list after a life-threatening skiing accident last December left him paralyzed. And the eighth-ranked athelete, Luis Suarez, has become notorious for getting himself suspended after repeatedly biting other soccer players.

A few homegrown stars made Google’s list, including third-ranked Eugenie Bouchard, who made the Wimbledon final and the cover of the New York Times magazine this year. Figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Patrick Chan also made the cut, at 7 and 10 respectively.

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