Canadian Crossing

Tim Tebow made the right choice choosing the NFL over the CFL

When Tim Tebow graduated from Florida, NFL scouts were greatly concerned that Tebow might not work out as a NFL quarterback. Tebow ran through extra drills to showcase his talents before that draft. So we here at Canadian Crossing suggested Tebow go the CFL route. After all, quite a few NFL quarterbacks got experience in the CFL, such as Doug Flutie, Joe Theismann, Jeff Garcia, and Warren Moon.

Tebow did not take our advice, choosing the NFL and being drafted by the Denver Broncos. As good as Tebow would have looked in the CFL, looks like Tebow made the correct choice.

Thanks to Tebow's leadership and athleticism, the Broncos have won 6 of the last 7 games, leading into a huge matchup with the New England Patriots a week from Sunday. CBS and NBC fought a huge battle (won by CBS) to broadcast that game.

ESPN devoted an entire episode of "SportsCenter." And Denver should make it 7 of 8 on Sunday as the beat-up Chicago Bears travel to the Mile High City.

However, the point about Tebow, his throwing arm, is still an issue. CFL quarterbacks have to be able to pass and run to succeed, but they do run more than NFL quarterbacks. With a wider field and the defense lining up 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage, Tebow could use those advantages to post better passing numbers in the CFL.

Unlike most who come into the NFL, Tebow has experience living in other parts of the world, so Canada wouldn't seem so foreign.

As good and fun as the CFL is, the salaries and exposure are much smaller compared to the NFL. If you are good enough to be a successful NFL quarterback, you have to take this shot if you can.

If the NFL figures out Tebow and he starts to struggle, the CFL is always an option. After all, Anthony Calvillo isn't going to play forever, and Montréal holds his rights. Until then, looks like Tebow will play on Sundays … in the United States.

photo credit

ESPN airs CFL legends fight, but no Grey Cup highlights?

Okay, the video of the minor scrap between CFL legends Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca has gone viral. "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" had its fun with it last night as well as Chris Berman on "Monday Night Football."

The players have a history with each other that just kept going, even after all these years.

Mosca has been on the TSN CFL telecasts every so often, and comes across as a colorful character. The fact the Mosca was also a professional wrestler adds to his colorful persona.

Kapp is famous in the United States, having led the Minnesota Vikings to the Super Bowl. You note in the video that Kapp is the only QB to play in the Rose Bowl, Grey Cup, and Super Bowl. In Minnesota, Kapp played for Bud Grant, who coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before going to the NFL.

While it was fun for Bermann and former sportscaster Olbermann to have their fun with the CFL "fight," we are stil waiting for highlights of the actual game. If the only thing Americans remember from the 99th Grey Cup is a skirmish with a 73-year-old man (Kapp) and a 74-year-old man (Mosca) with a cane, while that would be funny, it would miss the significance of the game.

Then again, most Americans don't remember much of any Grey Cup, so a negative memory may be better than no memory at all. Hope they don't get used to the idea of two old men fighting before every Grey Cup.

B.C. Lions enjoy home cooking to win 99th Grey Cup

The Canadian media all week drew the parallel of 1994 to 2011, where the Vancouver Canucks lost a heartbreaking Game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals and the B.C. Lions win a Grey Cup on its home turf. Well, that has happened in 2011 as the Lions win the Grey Cup 34-23 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

B.C. started out 0-5 and then 1-6, all while playing its home games at Empire Field waiting for B.C. Place to be refurbished. The crown jewel of indoor stadiums on the West Coast looked beautiful inside and out, and the predominantly pro-Lions crowd was not disappointed.

The stellar defenses for both sides were on display through the last play of the 3rd quarter, 26 points in the game before that play, 31 points from that play to the end of the game. Winnipeg struggled on offense, not being able to score a major until well into the 4th quarter. The Blue Bombers finished the game with 1 yard rushing.

Travis Lulay and Buck Pierce were Lions' teammates. Both quarterbacks looked nervous in their first Grey Cup, but Lulay ended up with 320 yards passing in the game and won the Grey Cup MVP.

Winnipeg went 4-14 in 2010; as we noted, the Lions started 0-5, first time a Grey Cup champion ever started that poorly.The Lions won 12 of their last 13 games to finish the season; they didn't lose at home since the return of the refurbished B.C. Place.

Wally Buono stood by his team, despite the rough start, and was rewarded with his 5th Grey Cup, tying him with several other coaches for most Grey Cup wins. This was Buono's 9th Grey Cup, also tying a CFL record.

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The most exciting play was that 66-yard TD pass from Lulay to Kierrie Johnson to end the 3rd quarter. Super Bowls rarely have huge plays, but the Grey Cup and Canadian football showcases exciting plays. The replay clearly showed that having receivers move in motion helped get Johnson open for the major. The catch was his first TD in the CFL.

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Four CFL teams have won the Grey Cup on its home turf: 1972 Hamilton (Ivor Wynne Stadium), 1977 Montréal (Olympic Stadium), and 1994 and 2011 B.C. Lions (B.C. Place). Ironically, I have been in all three stadiums, seeing football in Hamilton and Vancouver and baseball (Les Expos) in that Montréal stadium.

No NFL team has ever won a Super Bowl in its home stadium. The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams won in nearby stadiums.

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Radio Shack got some free publicity as TSN used its sound meter to measure decibels to show the crowd noise. At the peak, the level registered in the 90s, giving the Lions a home-field advantage.

The roof was not open as the temperatures were relatively cold, still above freezing. The live pictures showed sun and clouds, a definite improvement over the huge amounts of rain that the Vancouver area had in the previous few days.

The Grey Cup offers a lot to the home city, increasing tourism possibilities. Vancouver looked great and didn't suffer from any crowd-related issues, such as what happened in June following the Stanley Cup finals.

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The cameras showed Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the crowd. Harper, a known sports fan, sat with Lui Passaglia, hero who kicked the game-winning FG that gave the Lions the Grey Cup in Vancouver in 1994.

While prime ministers have to remain neutral, Harper represents a riding in Calgary-Southwest. It would be natural for him to wish the Stampeders were playing instead of the Lions. But like most of the fans, Harper was also probably glad to be indoors for the game.

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Arland Bruce III started the year with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The star receiver was traded to the B.C. Lions on August 3, going from a pretty good Hamilton team to an 0-5 Lions squad. Bruce was on the sidelines as the Lions won their first game of the year. Bruce played in the next game, a Lions loss. But he saw the potential in the Lions squad, and his energy was a rallying point. Ironically, the only loss in the year-ending streak was in Hamilton, Bruce's old club.

Bruce and long-time Lion Geroy Simon (holding up the Grey Cup in the photo above) both started their CFL careers with Winnipeg.

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Richard Harris was Winnipeg's defensive line coach until he died on June 26. Harris also worked for the B.C. Lions under Wally Buono. Harris was clearly on the minds of both teams throughout the season, and in the Grey Cup.

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I tried to get (perhaps illegally) TSN.ca on my computer, but ran into too many snafus, and settled for ESPN3. com. The reception was similar to what I saw last week, too many instances of a weak signal, especially when plastered on my 32-inch LCD TV set.

Unlike last year, when I missed the halftime show of Bachman and Turner, I didn't check to see if Nickleback was on ESPN3.com. I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment.

Speaking of punishment, we were subjected to that same basketball players commercial for Jim Beam whiskey. The players were talking about the lockout, something which is apparently over, yet the ad was still running.

The ad doesn't show Tyson Chandler actually drinking, but it is intimated. Chandler and Landry Fields have drinks in front of them, and clearly they are in an ad for alcohol. Former players have certainly advertised alcoholic drinks, but watching active players extolling the virtues of hard liquor is pretty unsettling. I'm not easily offended, but it looks bad even viewing it once. Having to watch it over and over and over is really offensive.

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One great tradition in the United States is Chris Berman describing the highlights of the Grey Cup on ESPN's SportsCenter. (ESPN owns 20% of TSN, home of the CFL.)

Berman has had to use his French in the last few years as the Montréal Alouettes have dominated the Grey Cup. This year? No Alouettes, no Berman highlights. I ran tape until 3:30 am Eastern, the end of the 4 hours of SportsCenter. Last year, the highlights came after 1:40 am Eastern. If video turns up that Berman celebrated the accolades of the B.C. Lions, we will let you know.

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The 100th Grey Cup will be November 25, 2012 at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Canada's largest city will host its 46th Cup and was the host for the inaugural Grey Cup. This will be the 4th at what is now the Rogers Centre. Varsity Stadium has hosted the most Grey Cups at 29; CNE Stadium (Exhibition Stadium) has 12 and Rosedale Field with 1.

photo material courtesy of TSN/ESPN3.com

CFL roundup: Home field winners advance as B.C. plays at home in Grey Cup

Not that I'm a genius, but I figured the home teams would win over the weekend. Home field advantage makes a huge difference, whether it be a -13° C temperature reading at kickoff in Winnipeg or crowd noise indoors in Vancouver. Having home field helped the Montréal Alouettes all these years.

Home field was tenuous as the Lions and Blue Bombers clinched home field on the literal last regular season game of the year.

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Thank goodness I only have to watch 1 more CFL game on my computer. Watching the West semi-final in a bar/restaurant and later my hotel room was light years ahead of watching the East and West finals on my computer.

One trick I discovered is that the browser makes a difference. I am in love with Firefox, but when I enlarged the screen, the "Press ESC to exit full screen mode." message constantly stayed on the screen. Not esthetically pleasing. Switching to Google Chrome got the message to go away.

The video quality came in mostly at one bar, though sometimes I had 2 bar and occasionally 3 bars. Of course, stretching out the computer feed reduces the quality of the feed. When the feed is a good one, the TV screen almost looks good enough for a SD feed.

Turns out, the CFL has made another deal with the America One stations to carry the CFL playoffs including the Grey Cup. Reportedly, Altitude 2 in the Denver area is also carrying the playoffs and the Grey Cup. Good for you if you get an America One station, but the CFL needs to come up with a real postseason TV deal for its American fans.

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Winnipeg went from worst to first. B.C. started 0-5 this year. Winnipeg QB Buck Pierce got his start with the B.C. Lions. The Lions are playing the Grey Cup at home.

No CFL team has won the Grey Cup at home in the 21st century. Edmonton lost to Montréal in 2002 and the Alouettes lost to Calgary in 2008. However, the last home team to win the Grey Cup was the B.C. Lions in 1994 as Lui Passaglia became a B.C. hero by kicking a last-second field goal to beat the Baltimore Stallions 26-23.

The only time Winnipeg faced B.C. in the Grey Cup was 1988 at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa as the Blue Bombers edged the Lions 22–21.

All the fun starts at 6:30 pm Eastern from Vancouver on TSN, the America One stations, Altitude 2(?), and ESPN3.com.

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Mark Donnelly had double duty Sunday with the national anthem at B.C. Place and Rogers Arena. Kickoff was 1:30 pm in Vancouver and tipoff was 6 pm as the Canucks battled Ottawa. Then again, the two buildings are right next to each other, so hopefully Donnelly was able to stay and watch the game.

As fun as the ritual is to watch in a hockey arena, having double the usual number made a glorious sound.

CFL, NHL notebook: Getting ready to crown CFL division winners

Hamilton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, B.C. — two of those teams will play in the 99th Grey Cup a week from Sunday in Vancouver. This will likely be Part I of watching CFL postseason on the computer as American viewers have zero options for the TV.

ESPN3.com has the TSN feed for those who are eligible for ESPN3.com. Canadian viewers can watch on TSN and TSN Mobile TV.

Edmonton will be without star running back Jerome Messbam on Sunday and for the Grey Cup should the Eskimos pull out the game. Hamilton will feature a combination of Kevin Glenn and Quinton Porter at QB. B.C. and Winnipeg got the week off and we'll see how well Bluebombers QB Buck Pierce will be after he needed to rest up from injuries.

I've seen commercials about devices that allow you to go from the tablet to the HD set, but unless you don't have that option, you can hook up a HDMI cable to your laptop to watch the game on your set. However, the game won't be in HD … in 2011. :(

Game times are the same as last week: 1 pm Eastern for the East final and 4:30 pm for the West final.

How long has it been without a Grey Cup?
Team	Year
B.C.	2006
Edmonton	2005
Hamilton	1999
Winnipeg	1990

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For those who did watch last week, you noticed that the CFL announcing teams switched divisions. Last week, I would have picked Olympic Stadium. This week, I would have picked B.C. Place. Indoors isn't so bad this time of year. Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor agree with me as they will broadcast the West final while Rod Black and Duane Forde will be in Winnipeg for the East final.

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Last week, the NHL Network showed Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals instead of Hockey Night in Canada. So now that Hockey Night in Canada is back, and Ovechkin is bringing his game to Toronto, the U.S. cable channel goes with the New York Rangers at Montréal on Saturday night. The NHL Network is clearly intent on showing more Habs games, and normally we are thrilled. However, Toronto is doing very well this year and Ovechkin in Canada usually makes for magic on the ice.

U.S. viewers and Quebec via the CBC will get Rangers-Canadiens while the rest of the CBC gets Washington-Toronto.

Well, New York won't get Hockey Night in Canada this week because of the blackout. I will definitely find out how the blackout works in 2011 as Chicago travels to Edmonton for the second half of HNIC. WGN in Chicago will have the game live, so I have that going for me, unlike most of the United States. And Canadians (outside of Edmonton) can watch on WGN on the cable, since Canadian cable takes the local WGN feed. Presumably, the rebroadcast on Sunday afternoon will be blacked out in Chicago. Hopefully, "After Hours" will air, as it isn't hockey, though in past years, I have lost out of the whole program. If you live in the States in a market that has been blacked out of a HNIC game, let us know in the comments section below.

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Versus was in Montréal last Monday and will be there again this coming Monday. Kenny Albert filled in with Doc Emrick and Pierre McGuire was inside some glass but not the usual spot. For those who don't know, space between the benches at the Bell Centre is reserved for RDS, the French-speaking sports network that carries the Canadiens. We have seen playoff games where McGuire has competed for space with other reporters, such as CBC's Glenn Healy. For whatever reason, the Bell Centre can only fit one.

For all we have complained about the coverage on Versus, the game coverage this time wasn't that bad. Sure, they obsess over the American roots of some of the players, almost as much as McGuire would obsess over what Canadian junior team someone played on when he worked for TSN. And the announcers tend to fit whatever happens in the game into a pre-assigned thought pattern.

However, while I usually fast forward during the intermissions on Versus, I decided to be brave and take in the in-between period commentary. Liam McHugh does an OK job as moderator, and you do have two very smart hockey people in Mike Milbury (CBC) and Keith Jones (TSN), both of whom also work in Canada. However, what little time they spent on the game itself was devoted to the Buffalo Sabres. You can't have a hockey game without two teams, something these people sometimes forget.

In-game, the only player interview before the game went to the Canadiens. Montréal coach Jacques Martin was the first coach to be interviewed. These are good signs. Maybe fast-forwarding during the intermissions will save you time. I do find that watching games on CBC and TSN, I don't want to fast forward because I learn a lot about the game I am watching.

Watching CFL playoffs, Hockey Night in Canada from Canada

The best way to watch the CFL playoffs from Canada is to be in Canada. Since I was barely in Canada for the Windsor International Film Festival, I got to see a lot more of the first round of the CFL playoffs than I otherwise would have done.

Sadly, I missed the East semi-final, the highest scoring game in CFL playoff history, but I did catch plenty of highlights of the Tiger-Cats upset over Montréal at Olympic Stadium. The fact that no U.S. TV outlet could pick up this exciting contest is a joke.

Hamilton advances to play in Winnipeg next Sunday after the 52-44 OT win over the Alouettes. Though Hamilton struggled with whether Kevin Glenn or Quinton Porter was the starting QB, ultimately Hamilton has another game to answer that question.

For the first time since 2007, Montréal will not be in the Grey Cup. As we mentioned earlier, the game in Winnipeg will be the last one ever at Canad Inns Stadium. In Glenn's last East Division final, he broke his arm leading Winnipeg to the Grey Cup. Now, Glenn stands between Winnipeg getting back to the Grey Cup.

I did see quite a bit of the West semi-final, the Battle of Alberta, as Edmonton hosted its first playoff game since 2004. The Eskimos advance to play the B.C. Lions in Vancouver after downing the Stampeders 33-19.

Edmonton got off to a rough start but gained significat momentum after LB Damaso Munoz returned a fumble 76 yards for a TD.

I'll be watching next week's games on the computer in the United States. That won't be nearly as much fun.

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"When in Rome ... " As long as you are going to be in Canada, why not play up things that you can't do at home. I came out late from a casual drink Saturday night, and decided to grab a small smoked meat poutine to take back to the hotel room to watch the rebroadcast of Hockey Night in Canada.

Americans who get HNIC via the NHL Network don't get the 1-hour condensed versions of the two main games of the night. More than just highlights, the games show a broader version of what happened in the game. No Coach's Corner or Hot Stove, but the best saves, shots, and plays plus all the goals. The commercial breaks run in between periods, so you get a full sense of each period commercial free.

On weekends where the NHL Network won't show a HNIC game, like this past weekend, showing the 1-hour condensed version would somewhat make up for that programming decision.

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In recent years, Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor would do the West Division games while Rod Black and Duane Forde would go out East. This year, the crews switched destinations. Cuthbert and Suitor get first pick as the #1 team, so clearly they thought being out East was the better pick. Unless another reason was prevalent, of course.

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For those who didn't get to see as much as I did this weekend, check out the CFL highlights at cfl.ca and HNIC programming at cbcsports.ca. Or see the CFL replays at ESPN3.com.

CFL Playoff Preview 2011: Anybody (but T.O. and Saskatchewan) can win

The CFL had no 12-game winners this season: parity rules, so home field, determined in the last week of the regular season, could be the benchmark for which team plays in Vancouver for the 99th Grey Cup.

The fact that all three home teams won crucial games last week to set the playoff order is a pattern likely to continue this weekend and beyond.

Of course, the B.C. Lions would be excited by that prospect. The Lions literally don't have to get on an airplane no matter what happens. And the Lions get the week off, waiting for the Battle of Alberta to give them an opponent next week. Edmonton hosts Calgary at 4:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.

Previous coverage: Americans wanting to watch the CFL playoffs have to bypass the TV for the computer

The Stampeders have been going with Drew Tate at quarterback down the stretch. Their backup quarterback, Henry Burris, is the best backup in the league. Depth at QB is rarely needed in the playoffs, but Calgary would be more ready than any other team. Edmonton started really well, stumbled a bit, but has been playing much better down the stretch than Calgary. The weather in this game could lead to the winner being determined by the better ground game. Jerome Messam became the 3rd Canadian ever to rush for 1,000 yards in 2011, though Messam won't be 100% at kickoff Sunday.

Hamilton may not have finished well, but don't count out the Tiger-Cats. Montréal and Winnipeg finished even more poorly down the stretch, so by comparison Hamilton looks good. Well, except its quarterback situation is a little convoluted.

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The Alouettes lost their last three; the Blue Bombers their last two. The only reason why Winnipeg didn't lose 3 was beating Montréal.

Montréal has no one else to blame than looking in the mirror that its road to a 3rd straight Grey Cup title goes through Winnipeg. In the last 3 weeks, one victory in any of those games would have meant no more outside football for the Alouettes. Even if Montréal wins the East, the team hasn't won in B.C. Place, home of the Grey Cup, since 2000.

All playoff teams crave the extra week, but Winnipeg needs to get Buck Pierce to be at its best. Alex Brink couldn't pull it out against the Stampeders, but Winnipeg gets the extra week thanks to the Lions 43-1 win over the Alouettes. The Alouettes are sufficiently beat up, and could have used the extra week. The East final will be the last game ever at Canad Inns Stadium before Winnipeg moves to a new stadium.

Setting up the playoff matchups …

Hamilton at Montréal from Olympic Stadium, 1 p.m.
Hamilton at Montréal winner at Canad Inns Stadium, 1 p.m., November 20

Calgary at Edmonton from Commonwealth Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton winner at B.C. Place, 4:30 p.m., November 20

East and West winners from B.C. Place for the 99th Grey Cup, 6:30 p.m., November 27

All games on TSN in Canada, Viva Sports in Mexico, and ESPN3.com on your computer (subject to availability) in the United States.

The end of a mystery is the best part. Whether the CFL or the NFL Network is at fault (or both), Americans are not getting the best part of the mystery unless they make great sacrifices, assuming that is an option.

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Happy Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States. The tradition in Canada is to wear poppies on Remembrance Day. The troops of the United States and Canada often fight side-by-side.

Americans wanting to watch the CFL playoffs have to bypass the TV for the computer

In this world of NAFTA, you can watch the CFL playoffs and the Grey Cup on television in Canada on TSN and on TV in Mexico on the VivaSports network. Yet, in the United States, your only option is to crank up the computer and watch it on ESPN3.com. That is … if you can access ESPN3.com.

The CFL has announced that no TV outlet will carry the playoffs in the United States. Since reading between the lines is the only real reading we can do, the NFL Network had the option of carrying the CFL playoffs and the Grey Cup, and chose not to carry the games. The NFL Network, for reasons unknown, didn't shift this off to another outlet OR the CFL couldn't arrange a deal to move the rights OR no other channel wanted to carry the CFL postseason.

Previous coverage:
Watching the 98th Grey Cup on my computer
More tips on watching the CFL playoffs on your U.S. computer

The assumption all along is that the NFL Network grabbed the postseason rights in case the NFL season didn't happen. We've known the NFL would be playing in November since August, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the NFL Network wasn't carrying the games. So why didn't the CFL figure this out before now?

The NFL Network paid for those rights (hopefully), yet if the channel isn't using them, why not sell them? Versus, TNT, Fox Sports, Comcast Sports, CBS Sports Network, TBS: in the cable universe, no outlet wanted these games?

Again, we are reading between the lines because this is all we have. This was the richest (in number of games) contract in the United States in CFL history. However, the closing chapters won't be seen on TV, unless you hook up your laptop to your TV.

ESPN3.com isn't a great way to see the games. You have to start live or wait until the entire game is over. Fast-forwarding is awkward to near impossible. And if you wait until the game is over, you might accidentally find out the score before watching the game.

At least when the CBC carried the CFL postseason, those Americans living near the border could watch the CFL postseason. Now, even Canadians need cable to watch.

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Special thanks to Tim for pointing out this article. Hope you can find a Jos. Louis snack cake to console you. We'll have a proper preview of the CFL playoffs in tomorrow's edition of CanadianCrossing.com.

Notebook: CFL playoffs set, Nickleback, booed by Detroit fans, will play Grey Cup

A wild weekend of CFL football broke the logjam of 5 10-7 teams. Montréal and Winnipeg did their best to give the other team the East Division crown. In the end, the Blue Bombers get the week off.

While it would have been tempting before the game for the NFL Network to carry the Alouettes-Lions in Vancouver, the two contests the channel carried were close, tough battles.

All three top teams in the West all won at home, and so B.C., Edmonton, and Calgary will go 1-2-3 in the West.

Now we wait for the NFL Network or some other channel to carry the CFL playoffs. Please. Pretty please with Canadian maple syrup on top.

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When people ask if I like everything Canadian because I like Canada, I respond, "No" and "Nickleback." For those who don't like Celine Dion, and I don't, my dislike for Celine Dion isn't even close to my hatred for Nickleback. I refer to them as "kings of the teeth-clinching rock world."

Turns out that the hatred for Nickleback is international: Canadian and American. Detroit Lions fans are protesting the selection of Nickleback as the halftime entertainment of the annual Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit. The online petition has more than 34,000 signatures.

More: Link to the petition at change.org

Unfortunately, the Grey Cup decided to have Nickleback for its halftime entertainment. Last year, we complained that the ESPN3.com feed didn't show us the halftime show of Bachman and Turner. If we are stuck with ESPN3.com this year, it has our permission to not show the halftime entertainment.

Even though the band is from Alberta, Nickleback is based in Vancouver, home of the Grey Cup. If the Grey Cup wanted to celebrate Vancouver, we would have suggested Sarah McLachlan, who has relocated to Vancouver and sang O Canada when the refurbished B.C. Place Stadium opened, or Michael Buble, who is from nearby Burnaby.

Canada has plenty of great musical guests for the Grey Cup but Nickleback will never be one of them.

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The two games on the NFL Network came to us from Alberta, which were hit with below 0 temperatures (Celsius). Edmonton didn't get snow, but Calgary did have the white stuff the day before its kickoff.

A significant number of NFL teams play in decently warm weather sites. Hamilton is the furthest Southern CFL city, yet won't host a game. The domes in Montréal and Vancouver (and Toronto if it ever can get back into the playoffs) hide the weather elements. A late afternoon game in northern Alberta or Winnipeg can be really cold.

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While Joey Votto will not win another MVP trophy as he did in 2010, Votto did win an award he did not win that year: a Gold Glove.

The Cincinnati Reds first baseman has stiff competition within his league for the honor. This year, Votto beat out two-time winner Albert Pujols of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. This is Votto's first Gold Glove.

Votto becomes the third Canadian-born player to win the honor. Larry Walker won 7 Gold Gloves, 2 of them with the Montréal Expos, for his outfield play. Russell Martin win the 2007 Gold Glove at catcher while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Though the Canadiens and the Rangers are Original 6 franchises, the CBC kept pointing out that the Saturday night matchup was the 2nd time since 1984 that the two teams met on a Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

One amusing glitch in the telecast came late as the U.S. viewers briefly got Boston at Toronto near the end of the Montréal at New York Rangers. The NHL Network insists on dumping out right after the telecast to go to NHL on the Fly. David Amber, who moonlights for the CBC, and Mike Johnson, whose day job is with TSN, didn't seem prepared for being on right after the game. Then NHL on the Fly showed us the OT of Buffalo-Ottawa. Would have been smoother to show the CBC feed all the way until 10 p.m. Eastern. Then NHL on the Fly can start at the top of the hour.

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The NHL Network streak, if you want to call it that, of carrying the first Hockey Night in Canada game will be snapped next week. The HNIC choices are Ottawa at Toronto and Montréal at Nashville (yes, Winnipeg is at Columbus but the NHL Network won't pick that game).

The NHL Network is going with New Jersey at Washington. We have seen the U.S. cable channel snub the Battle of Ontario in the past, but this year's matchup is really solid. The channel's management made this call before the season started, so the decision isn't based on actual records.

The channel is pointing out in its promo for the Devils-Capitals that some markets will see  Montréal at Nashville. Presumably this means New York City and Washington will get Hockey Night in Canada, even if most of the country won't.

This is the time you want a Slingbox, but if you had that option, you'd pick up a CBC affiliate anyway. I will be on Canadian soil on the weekend, but my game will be Ottawa at Toronto and my best shot to see it will be if I stay up for the replay that airs at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time.

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Jobing.com Arena is made fun of for a number of reasons: it's in the middle of nowhere and the crowds with non-Canadian teams are rather pathetic. In watching the outside of the arena during the 2nd half of the HNIC doubleheader, the arena itself is plastered with huge tacky signs and on TV looks pretty ugly.

Watching Winnipeg back in the league is wonderful, but the error that was Winnipeg to Phoenix is only half-fixed. Phoenix needs to leave the desert, never look back. Even if the team goes to Seattle or Kansas City, the fate is still better than going to Glendale.

CFL final week: Only Hamilton knows its playoff position

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats know they will play next week on the road, though they don't know where. Hamilton is the only playoff team that even has a clue going into the final weekend of its playoff position.

Hamilton will travel either to Montréal or Winnipeg for a 1 p.m. kickoff on November 13. If Winnipeg wins at Calgary, the Ti-Cats will play at Olympic Stadium. If the Blue Bombers and Alouettes both win or both lose, Winnipeg gets a week off.

Whenever Winnipeg plays will be the last game ever at Canad Inns Stadium; if that game can send the winner to the Grey Cup, the emotion could push the Blue Bombers over the top. Then again, Montréal has had chances in the last two weeks to gain the upper edge in the East and lose both games.

The East is fairly straight forward. Amazingly, the top 5 teams are all 10-7, including the 3 top West teams.

After starting 1-5, the B.C. Lions will finish first if all three teams, Edmonton and Calgary included, all win or lose over the weekend. All the West leaders are at home: Edmonton hosts non-playoff team Saskatchewan, Calgary hosts East leader Winnipeg, and B.C. will have the Alouettes in Vancouver.

Calgary can only get first if it finishes alone at 11-7. The top team gets a week off; the 2nd team hosts a game next week at 4:30 p.m. on November 13 against the 3rd team.

The NFL Network will carry the Saskatchewan-Edmonton game tape-delayed at 3 a.m. Saturday morning. Winnipeg at Calgary will be the other game on the U.S. cable channel live at 4 p.m. Eastern Saturday afternoon. The fate of the East and West might come down to the Alouettes and Lions at 10 p.m. Eastern on ESPN3.com.